Integrating Living Room and Kitchen

Up on the blog today we are featuring the open concept interior that integrates the living room and the kitchen.  Courtesy of Cesar New York.  

If one takes a closer look at the historical evolution of kitchens, the most notable development is the circulation of purpose and the place of the kitchen premise in the house arrangement. From strictly functional space, usually stacked on the back of the home or underneath all the other rooms on the underground level (if it is a big house or an old mansion) the kitchens become an attractive premise located at the heart of the house composition. Thanks to technological advances and clever architectural solutions for ventilation and space distribution today, the kitchen become a central piece of the interior design arrangement around which our daily lives revolve. The open concept of the living zones in modern architecture and design places the modern kitchen into the center of the design composition.

Open-plan living spaces are increasingly fashionable, which means that integrated kitchen-living spaces are becoming the norm. Here are some of the advantages of such a design.

• It keeps the family in touch by combining meal preparation with nearby activities, such as helping kids with their homework or watching TV in the living room.
• There is an increase in natural daylight as you eliminate walls.
• In modestly sized homes, an open-plan living space adds a sense of volume with each area gaining a little more space than they have when they are isolated.
• You can invite guests into the hub of the home and facilitate conversation between guests and cook over a glass of wine.

Get inspired by these interior design ideas that facilitate the combination of the two spaces:

Adding a breakfast bar.

Dividing the space with a breakfast bar is one of the most common ways to create a point of separation between the living room and kitchen. It creates a barrier without encroaching on the open feeling of the room and also allows for extra seating when hosting your guests.

Photo:  Cesar

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Connect through colors

To create one overarching space, it's important that the textures and tones throughout both spaces are part of one style in order to complement each other. It’s also a great idea to tie the spaces together by introducing a common decorative color as this will make them look more harmonious.

Photo:  Cesar

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