An open kitchen has no walls between the kitchen and the adjoining living space. Open kitchens are also referred to as open plans. These spaces are often one open area with a kitchen, dining room, and living room without barriers between them.
Fontan Architecture is a New York-based architecture firm. At our office, we work on various project types, including residential interiors. In this post, we will use photos from our projects to discuss some options for open kitchen designs.
Opening a Kitchen
Open kitchens make a space feel bigger. Having a lot of partition walls with smaller rooms makes the space feel small. Also, kitchens today are far more of a design feature. People often want to show off their kitchen. The kitchen is now a centerpiece in home design. As we renovate older apartments and houses, many of our clients are opening their kitchens.
In the photo below, you can see an apartment we renovated where we opened up the kitchen. By removing the wall, we made the space feel so much larger, brighter, and inviting.
Opening a Kitchen in Manhattan before and after
Advantages of an Open Kitchen
- Visual connection throughout the space without barriers.
- It makes the home feel larger due to fewer walls.
- It has social value, allowing more interaction when entertaining or on regular days.
- The kitchen can be a design feature. Therefore, greater emphasis on kitchen design is necessary.
- Increases the flexibility of the space. For example, a kitchen counter can double as bar seating.
SoHo Loft Open Kitchen
Open Kitchen Design With Island
A kitchen Island is a counter area with base cabinets that is freestanding and does not touch any walls. You can walk around the entire perimeter of a kitchen island.
You can now have a kitchen island when you have an open kitchen. The kitchen below is in a five-thousand-square-foot Brownstone we renovated. The island has a sink, plenty of storage, functions as a work surface, and has an overhang with stools for counter seating.
Large Kitchen with Island in a Brownstone
Floor Transitions for Open Kitchens
Flooring choice is a critical part of design for open kitchens and their adjoining spaces. The transition between them is important. You probably want to avoid a saddle between the two like you may find at a doorway. Nowadays, people are installing saddles much less, and in an open space, they would look silly. On our projects, we ensure the contractor installs the finishes flush so there is a smooth transition between the two. You don’t need to worry about transitions if you use the same flooring for the kitchen and adjoining spaces like the living room.
In the photo below, you can see where we have two different materials meeting neatly. One is a gray porcelain floor, and the other is a cherry wood floor. They meet flush and line up with the corner of a wall. If you use two different floors, this is a good way to do it.
Open kitchen to dining room and living room with smooth floor transition
The following example is of an open kitchen we designed with a wood floor throughout. There is no transition in this space. If you prefer an all-wood look, this is a better option.
Open Kitchen with Continuous Wood Floor
Framing Views
When laying out an open-plan kitchen and living space, we always want to think about views from the kitchen and to the kitchen. This point includes views within the space and looking out the windows.
Open Plan Kitchen and Living Room
Open Kitchen Details
Details can make or break a kitchen renovation project. The photo below is of kitchen drawers with brass finger pulls. These custom-made cabinets are top-of-the-line quality and made bespoke for our client.
Kitchen Cabinet Finger Pulls
Kitchen Hoods
A kitchen hood is always a great idea if you can add one. A kitchen hood is a device with a fan that sucks up smoke from the stove. There are two basic types of hoods: ducted and recirculating. A Ducted Hood exhausts the air out of the home. A Recirculating Hood filters the air and blows it back into the kitchen. A ducted or vented hood is much better. If you are renovating a kitchen in an apartment building, you may only be able to add a vented hood if you had one originally.
Open Kitchen With Hood
Kitchen Lighting
Lighting is a significant factor in residential interiors, especially in the kitchen. You should have enough lighting for your working surfaces, but you can also make lighting fixtures a feature.
Kitchen Island Pendant Lighting
Counter Seating
You can incorporate counter seating if you have an island or peninsula in your kitchen. Stools at the counter are a great way to add more seats to your home and maximize the use of your space.
Elevated Kitchen Counter With Seating
Open Kitchen Designs
There are many variables to consider when planning a kitchen design. If you work with a team that understands your needs and aesthetic preferences, they can make you a kitchen and living space just right for you and your family.
Kitchen Island
Thank you for reading our blog post on Open Kitchen Designs.
We wish you the best of luck with your kitchen design. Please feel free to leave questions or comments below. If you want to discuss your project with an architect you can directly. We are always happy to hear about your upcoming projects.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
