A popular novelty among transformations in the interior of a house during redevelopment is the combination of a living room with a kitchen. Such a combined room is functional and more spacious. Interior design can be very diverse, even though two functional areas are combined in one room at once. Having made a choice in favor of one or another solution for combining the kitchen and living room, you can create a cozy atmosphere and a unique design.
Features of the
Nowadays kitchen-living rooms are gaining more and more popularity. This is due to the fact that the combined room is suitable for both small studio apartments and spacious private houses.
A distinctive feature of such a room is that it simplifies the life of the hostess. So, when setting the table for guests, you do not have to run from one end of the apartment or house to the other to carry food to the table.
Access from zone to zone will be facilitated. You will not be disturbed by any doors and barriers. Also by combining the dining area of the kitchen with the living room. you can save space in the room. After all, there is often a small table in the kitchen for the family, and in a separate living room there is an additional large table for receiving guests. These two dining tables can be combined into one and removed to save square meters.
In addition, you do not have to leave the guests in order to bring dessert or do something in the kitchen if your friends come ahead of time. At the same time, you can cook and communicate freely with your household, as well as with guests in the living area. This way you can do several things at once. For example, in such a combined room from the kitchen area, you can look after the children who play in the living room, you can also meet guests without looking up from the stove.
This combination has many features. regarding the change in the area of the room. The space becomes much larger and more spacious visually. You can even combine narrow and long rooms, breaking them into functional areas of the kitchen and living room.
An important feature and condition for combining such a room is that an extractor hood must be installed in the working area of the kitchen.
It removes unwanted odors and prevents further deterioration of the upholstery, as it is able to absorb food odors that occur during cooking. Moreover, such a hood should be very powerful and quiet, so as not to interfere with the rest of the household.
It is no secret that many have to make redevelopment for such a union, which must be approved. We have to demolish the wall to make a single room, consisting of these two zones. But by getting rid of the wall, you can save on the space that it occupied earlier. Moreover, in many apartments the kitchen has a small area, so it will not be so crowded to cook on it.
Breaking down a wall will provide brighter lighting in your kitchen. Usually it has only one window, but due to the spacious living room with several windows it will be lighter on it, the interior will look more elegant. While cooking in the kitchen, you can watch TV in the living area and chat with family members without leaving the stove.
Another feature of such a combined room is that all the equipment in it should be the most functional so that it does not create unnecessary noise, otherwise it will interfere with household members. This is especially true for the stove, dishwasher, microwave oven, food processor, blender.
Finishing options
Finishing materials in different parts of the combined room, they may differ, because the functional purpose of these rooms is different. For kitchen decoration, more durable and reliable materials are used that are immune to grease, high temperatures, detergents and high humidity. But for the living room, you can choose a simpler finishing material.
If you want to decorate the kitchen and living area with the same coatings, then it is better to give preference to more universal solutions. For finishing the floor, parquet covered with varnish or laminate is more suitable, and for finishing the walls, vinyl wallpaper on a non-woven base, wallpaper with silk-screen printing, wooden or plastic panels are perfect.
A more elegant and interesting option is Venetian plaster. It will become not only a practical finishing material, but also an interesting decorative element. You will be able to create a multi-color finish with good color depth.
The overall harmonious finish allows you to unite the space. Moreover, both of these zones are often decorated in the same style and approximately in the same general color scheme.
Style selection
For small combined rooms, the Scandinavian style is perfect. It fills the room with coziness, but at the same time makes it more spacious. So, it is better to remove the partitions completely and expand the opening between the rooms. You can put a rectangular arch there. In the interior of a room in this style, it will be appropriate to install a bar counter, as well as fill the premises with comfortable functional furniture.
Scandinavian style assumes lightness and conciseness, therefore, it is characterized by the predominance of light shades, which can be diluted, placing bright accents. For decoration, it is better to use mainly natural materials. Furniture should be built-in and not too bulky. This style is perfect for a summer residence.
Another popular option for decorating a small combined kitchen-living room is the loft style. It involves a combination of some elements of the classics and modern motives. At the same time, they try to arrange furniture not along the edges of the room, but as islands, grouping it depending on the purpose of each specific zone.
The floor can be made to look like natural stone or wood, and the walls look like brickwork. Above, you can install wooden ceiling beams. It is better to replace graceful chairs with sides with light stools, and a wide dining table with a small table-top-window sill or a bar counter.
Combined rooms are often decorated in a neoclassical style. It involves combining traditional design with a predominance of classic interior elements with more modern details in the form of fashionable appliances and furniture. It is better to use natural coatings for finishing. The floor should be decorated with porcelain stoneware or parquet in different areas, and for the walls it is better to prefer monochrome wallpaper with a barely noticeable pale pattern.
More attention should be paid to trifles, various decorative elements. So, you can arrange figurines, flowerpots and fresh flowers. You can delimit the two zones with a soft corner sofa. Its upholstery can be leather.
To decorate a kitchen in a classic style, it is better to choose more unusual and fanciful solutions. Zoning should be done using multilevel ceilings. The bar should be discarded. The ideal solution to the conditional division of space will be the installation of an arch and light curtains in it, which can be removed if necessary.
The table should be quite massive and wooden, stools are replaced with soft chairs. The room is decorated with exquisite pastel colors such as milky, beige, ivory. Furniture can be bought under wenge if you prefer darker facades, or under bleached oak if you want to fill the room with light colors. Such a combined room should have a large elegant chandelier with glass crystal elements, as well as many additional sources of lighting that will make the interior lighter and more elegant.
Color solutions
You can choose one color scheme for the whole room, or you can use color to divide it into two main zones. For decoration, it is better to use shades that belong to the same color scheme, but are at the same time slightly different. For example, you can make a transition from a dark blue kitchen to a living room with blue walls and some dark blue accents in the form of paintings and pieces of furniture.
Many people use light colors for such rooms. A white kitchen is not very practical, but a bright living area is a great solution. It is better to decorate the kitchen with beige, sandy, brown, woody shades, and make the living room interior lighter.
Another interesting combination is the gray-black interior with a predominance of gray and additional light accents in the form of perfectly white glossy surfaces. This is a great solution that will allow you to create a unity of space.
Zoning rules
In order to properly divide the space of the room, where both the kitchen and the living room are located, you can use several methods. So, in these rooms, color zoning is very popular. This is a simple option that works great for a country house.
Most often, this method is used if the space is limited, since there are no various partitions, screens and other dividing elements in the room.
Functional areas are separated by different colors of coatingswhile maintaining the unity of design and only small general color accents. It is more correct to highlight small elements of the interior with bright shades, and larger elements need to be decorated in lighter shades, such as a kitchen set, a table, a sofa.
Color zoning is carried out depending on the illumination of each of these zones. For example, where there is more sun during the day, it is better to use more interesting warm shades, for example, yellow, sand, beige, pistachio. In an area where there is more artificial light, it is better to use darker shades, as well as tones related to cold colors and are deep.
In the kitchen area, it is better to use finishes that are brighter in color.as they are able to positively influence appetite and improve mood. Cool shades are best used in the recreation area, which is located in the living room. They are able to calm and relax.
Zoning is done not only due to color, but also due to different finishing materials and textures. This is especially true for the floor. In the kitchen area, more stable options are installed, for example, karmic tiles, porcelain stoneware, stone. They protect floors from heavy objects falling, as well as from exposure to steam, high temperatures and moisture. But in the living area, you can mount more capricious materials, for example, laminate, carpet, parquet.
The walls of the two zones can also be finished with different coatings. In the kitchen area, tiles and paint will be appropriate, but in the hall area you can glue any washable wallpaper, but you need to select the appropriate colors so that the transition was not obvious and sharp, but smoother. This will visually divide the space and make the interior more harmonious.
Another interesting zoning option is the use of furniture. But at the same time, you need to follow a number of rules.
You can divide different zones with several types of furniture:
- Island type. In this case, the kitchen set is placed not along the walls, but in a circle and in the center.
- Large furniture. Most often, a sofa plays its role. It is placed back to the kitchen, separating it from the living room area. So guests who are at home can sit on the sofa with their backs to the kitchen and will not embarrass the hostess. Behind the sofa, you can put a small rack or a tall cabinet with a small width.
- Bar counter. It allows you to draw a smooth line between the kitchen and living areas, but at the same time does not allow them to sharply differentiate.
- Cabinets with shelves. As a rule, this is furniture such as a shelf, which is filled with dishes, books, magazines and other accessories to slightly cover the kitchen area.
Another interesting zoning option is the installation of arched structures. The shape of the arch can be chosen based on the style and design of the combined kitchen-living room. It can be round and massive, or it can be square and barely noticeable.
Another option is to partially leave the wall. It may be a small narrow area that partly delimits these zones. From the side of the living room, a wardrobe is installed along the wall. Instead, you can hang a small TV there, and household appliances or a sink are installed on the side of the kitchen.
Zoning using ceilings and floors of different levels is popular. Thus, by raising the kitchen to the podium, you will put the line between these two zones. The average height of the podium is 15 cm. In addition, communication systems such as water pipes and wiring can be hidden there. A low podium looks stylish and interesting, making an uncomplicated space more complex.
You can add additional lighting to the split-level floors or highlight the podium with a color, finishing it with a contrasting coating, for example, black tiles, and the living room floors with white laminate.
A popular zoning option is the use of lighting. Different types of light are used: in one zone it is warmer and more subdued, in the other - white natural light. As a rule, the kitchen is made lighter, this contributes to the safety of the cooking process, and in the living room the lighting is made more subdued so that the light is relaxing.
In this case, swivel spotlights are installed, which can at any time focus on one of these two zones, highlighting the hostess's workplace, the dining area. Or, on the contrary, with their help, you can draw a clear border with light.
In addition, you can install spotlights in the living area where you plan to read books. So you can separate a small area for rest.
Spectacular details
You can diversify the interior of the combined room using luxurious design elements. So, you can hang graceful chandeliers located in the center of each functional area or place one large chandelier, and install additional sources of spot lighting around. The chandelier is best hung over a large dining table.
Another spectacular detail is the fireplace. It must be placed in the living area near the sofa. It can be a real fireplace with a chimney, which is suitable for private houses, a biofireplace for modern apartments, or its imitation - a decorative fireplace. It will fill the room with coziness and make its interior and layout more comfortable.
For rooms with stairs, you can install an interesting colored lighting in the steps, which will turn on in response to movement. This is a great option for a two-story country house. You can put a beautiful bookcase under the stairs, placing graceful clocks, books, decorative utensils on its shelves.
Ideas for different areas
There are two main areas of kitchen layout that are suitable for different areas of such a combined room. So, you can make an open-plan kitchen and a closed-plan kitchen-living room. Both of these options involve the decoration and decoration of the kitchen area and the living room area in adjacent shades of color and a single interior arrangement.
The first layout option is more suitable for a small apartment when you need to expand the room. This is an excellent solution for a small combined room of 15, 16 and 17 sq. m. To expand the space, you need to demolish the walls. At the same time, the kitchen-living room is decorated in lighter shades so that it looks more spacious and wider. This way you can even hide some of the kitchen appliances.
Moreover, with such a layout, it is better to hide the sink by moving it to a separate corner so that the accumulation of dishes is not visible. A large, large-sized refrigerator is not suitable in this case. It needs to be replaced either with a few small modules, or with a refrigerator with a finish for a kitchen set. So it will resemble an ordinary wardrobe with two doors.
For larger kitchens-living rooms with an area of 20, 21, 25 sq. m it is better to use a closed type of layout. These zones are separated by large furniture, for example, wardrobes, shelves, large sofas.
Another convenient option of a closed type is a branch with a bar counter. This way you can hide some furniture, such as a dishwasher or oven. The bar counter is perfect for large houses with a 30-meter kitchen-living room.
The bar counter allows in such a room not only to save and delimit the space, but also to use it more functionally. So, you can dine at it alone or together, when you are not expecting guests or do not plan to have dinner with the whole family. You do not have to set a large table, eating will take you less time. This is especially true in those moments when you are in a hurry and there is almost no time for a snack.
The bar is not solid, so it puts only a small border, leaving the space unified. Therefore, it will be convenient for you to communicate with loved ones, which cannot be said about the option with the wall left at least partially. On the bar counter, you can install some things for storage, and under it you can equip a whole cabinet or convenient shelves. You can put bottles, cereals and even some utensils there.
Open bar counters are decorated with souvenirs and sets, so they become an independent element of the decor. If you have a small kitchen-living room with an area of less than 15 squares, then try not to overload it with accessories. You can only install a few plants in pots and decorative dishes. But in spacious kitchens, little things are given more space and attention.
Fashion furniture
In modern interiors, transformable furniture is relevant. These are models that can change their shape and functionality. Many options for such furniture are presented in the Ikea store. There you can buy a folding chair-bed or a comfortable convertible chair.
You can choose a folding table for the kitchen area. It will be necessary if you need to expand the work area or if you want to have a snack not in the dining area at a large table, but in the kitchen. Corner leather sofas and soft poufs are fashionable now.
Wicker furniture is gaining popularity. For example, hanging chairs - cocoons are fashionable. They can be hung both in the kitchen area and in the living area. There you can retire and relax by reading your favorite book.
Beautiful examples
Contrasting combinations in an open plan with a two-level floor look interesting. The kitchen area is decorated in black and white or some other contrasting color scheme. The living area can be decorated with a light tone only with some dark elements, for example, a sofa or a small table
An excellent solution for creating a visual unity of these two zones is the design of the combined room in woody shades, which may vary slightly from zone to zone. Thus, using honey, light brown, gray-brown, beige wood, you can create a cozy and warm interior
For more information about the design features of the kitchen-living room, see the next video.