Dreaming Of An Open-Plan Kitchen?

It’s hard not to fall in love with this decade’s hottest kitchen remodel trend. But is an open-plan kitchen really right for your home? It’s important to consider the strings which come attached to this lifestyle look. Here are some stunning examples of open-plan done right.

The benefits

The rise of open-plan living represents a very specific social evolution: while the kitchen was once an area of privacy, its sweaty work hidden from view, it has now become the heart of a modern family home. Having an open-plan kitchen means removing the walls between kitchen, dining room and living room. This makes food consumption a more public, communal task and makes entertaining a lot easier and less formal. Amalgamating these living areas makes a home feel larger, both because of physical space and because the area invites in collectively more natural light.

The drawbacks

Turning an existing kitchen into an open-plan one can be pricey and inconvenient, especially when it involves heavy rewiring or a readjustment of the plumbing. It is therefore really a renovation best suited to homes which cluster these living spaces together already, perhaps joined by archways, within minimal demolition needed to connect the whole space. Further, noise and smell travel easily in an open-plan kitchen. They lack the privacy of a closed kitchen and may make you more aware of household mess.