How to Really Open Up Kitchen to Dining Room


Nowadays, whenever you open up an architectural magazine or watch videos of home design, one thing that pops up as a common theme is open-plan kitchens. Combining a dining space with the kitchen allows you to enjoy cooking and socialize at the same time. Open-plan architecture has great versatility to it, allowing you to combine however many rooms you want to. Kitchens are really considered the heart of any home as that is where you cook the meals that the family then enjoys together. Opening up that space promises a place that provides years of fun and countless memories made.

If you have an older house, opening the kitchen to the dining room might require you to knock down some walls. If you already have no walls separating both rooms, planning the layout efficiently and making smart decisions with furniture will help you achieve an open-plan concept.

Removing Walls

If you actually have an older home, you will know very well that they all come with designated rooms and lots of walls everywhere. The idea of separating rooms has slowly gone away in newer home designs, but older homes are what they are. One of the first few things you can do to update your home and open up space is to knock down walls.

Removing walls can give you a blank canvas with several options in choosing the new layout. Before you remove any walls, you should get your home inspected to understand the layout of the load-bearing walls in your home. Load-bearing walls are essential to the structural integrity of your home and should not be moved. If you have to move them, many companies will help you find innovative solutions to remove them while not sacrificing anything else. Knocking down walls is the quickest way to open up your kitchen to your dining space.

Choosing the Right Layout

Once you have finalized the plans of which walls you will be knocking down, the next step is to focus on the new layout. The right layout of your open-plan kitchen is very important as it is the difference between your space being functional and your hard work being a waste of time and money.

Your new architectural design should solve functional requirements first and cater to aesthetics second. If you have a historic home and really want to preserve its look, your layout should incorporate design elements from the rest of your house in the new space.

This allows you to seamlessly integrate your new open-plan kitchen into your existing home. Your layout should also ensure that each area within the space is outlined with its use in mind. Many elements such as columns, dropped ceilings, and glass panels can be used to define different spaces and add depth to your new space.

Choosing the Furniture

Choosing the right kind of furniture is an essential part of making your new open-plan space feel cohesive and functional with the rest of your house. Opening up the dining room to the kitchen means that whatever you choose in your kitchen needs to be reflected in the dining room, and elements in your dining room should be in tandem with design features in your kitchen.

Furniture allows you to do this easily. Look at the lines you have on your kitchen cabinetry and emulate those lines in your dining room with the chairs and dining table you set up. Side cabinets should also carry along the same type of style to make sure there is cohesion within the space. China cabinets can be an excellent choice to integrate the dining room and your kitchen, and there are several different ways you can decorate them.

Use complementary colors and textures to give each room an independent feel while still being one consistent space. Set your furniture in a way that supports the functionality of the space and does not become an obstacle in any way.

Is An Open Plan Kitchen a Really Good Idea?

Whether an open-plan kitchen is the right thing for you or not depends on what kind of space you are looking for. Open-plan kitchens are pretty much just huge open spaces with no designated rooms. The absence of walls means you have more light and the area ends up looking much more spacious than before. More and more people are adding this modern touch to their homes, and so many new home buyers also look for these open spaces. Even if your new kitchen and dining room are located in a weird place like right by the front door, there are ways to make it look nice and become a lovely room in your home.

On the other hand, making separate areas out of one big space can be hard if you want to have designated rooms. Smells and sounds from the kitchen will also always move around the open-plan space, which may be a turn-off for some. There are, of course, definitely pros and cons to each decision you make, but if an open-plan kitchen is something you want, go for it.

Do Open Plan Kitchens Increase Home Value?

Open-plan kitchens and spaces are a feature that you will find in most modern homes. It is increasingly becoming something that many new homebuyers will look for when looking for houses. Modern architecture is all about spacious living areas that include kitchens and dining areas, while traditional homes are still stuck in the room by room separation. If you have an older house, you might be thinking if upcycling to an open-plan kitchen will add value to your home. Well, it will, given that you have quality work done.

While your property’s actual physical space will not change, you will end up with a house that will look much more spacious. Fewer walls and barriers around rooms will make your property seem bigger and bring in more light. This is a great selling point for whenever you want to sell your home. An open-plan layout is also something that is becoming universal, so if you do renovate, you will be increasing the resale value of your home for sure.

Final Thoughts

Open-plan living has become very popular in the last few decades. Ample space and light flow that comes with open layouts are at the top of the list for many new homebuyers. Open-plan kitchens are a great way to combine food and social interactions. Removing walls adds more space to your home, allowing you to design a layout that works for you. Add furniture that compliments the style of your kitchen to create consistency and cohesion. While open-plan kitchens are not everybody’s cup of tea, they do increase the value of your home. These spaces are something that will make your home look bigger and will attract many potential buyers.

Gui Hadlich

Hi there! I'm Gui. I've had to move 12 times in the last 6 years, and I've learned a thing or two about moving, decorating, and buying and selling furniture. I've started Budget Friendly Furnishing with the intent of helping people furnish their homes in style without having to break the bank!

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