The kitchen-living room is no longer a fashion trend, but a fairly common phenomenon in modern housing stock. Many developers offer ready-made solutions where there is no need to combine anything - open-plan apartments and studios. We’ll tell you about the latest kitchen-living room design ideas, and a large selection of photos of real interiors will help you find your ideal option.
Design project of a kitchen-living room: pros and cons of a combined interior
Is it always advisable to combine the kitchen and living room spaces? Each case may have its own subtleties, advantages and disadvantages.
Combining the kitchen and living room is a good idea
, If:
- the kitchen is very small, there is not enough space for cooking, storage and free movement;
- I want to get together with the whole family: while one cooks, the rest communicate;
- you need to do household chores and keep an eye on your small child at the same time: in an open space he is always in sight;
- need to save money on TV. It can be installed in such a way that it is visible from all sides.
Flaws
This solution also has:
- the need to coordinate any redevelopment and make changes to the technical passport (moving a doorway or expanding it, erecting new partitions, moving communications, etc.), which entails a loss of time, money, and often nerves;
- loss of an additional isolated room (in the case of combining the kitchen and living room in a one-room apartment). A person needs personal space and the opportunity to be alone;
- the noise and smells of the kitchen will become part of the living room. Loud refrigerator; the smell of fish that has permeated the upholstery of the sofa and curtains, or household members who wake up before you and turn on a noisy kettle at 7:00 - all this can be annoying.
The listed pros and cons are very subjective. Therefore, if such a solution will bring more benefits to you, then, of course, combine them. But remember the important nuances when redevelopment should never be done.
IT IS FORBIDDEN!
- Breaking load-bearing walls and structures.
- Combine a gasified kitchen with a living room. In this case, the problem can be solved by abandoning gas equipment and switching to an electric stove. Residents have this opportunity, but they must first apply for permission from the management company and coordinate actions with the gas service. You may be refused for completely objective and compelling reasons - unsuitable load on the electrical network.
- Independently install and change gas equipment.
- Non-residential areas cannot be located above residential areas. The kitchen is a non-residential space, and if you go to move it into the living room, then your neighbors below, having learned about it, are unlikely to be happy, since this violates sanitary standards and rules;
In this regard, residents of the first and second floors are lucky if the first floor is used for commercial purposes: the redevelopment project can be approved for them.
See also a separate selection of examples of decorating a small kitchen-living room - go to.
Curtains for the living room
It is recommended to choose different types of window draperies, but of the same color and style. For example, you should purchase plastic vertical blinds for the kitchen, and hang light curtains in the same tone as the blinds on the living room windows.
In addition to this option, designers advise choosing light thread curtains for the living room and a mesh curtain of the same tone or a little lighter for the kitchen.
How to combine the kitchen with the living room?
The trend towards combining kitchens with adjacent rooms is gradually losing its relevance. After all, in order to arrange both a kitchen and a living room in one room, it is not necessary to break down the partitions. Modern developers often offer ready-made spacious premises for this purpose.
If you are lucky with the kitchen area, why not arrange a relaxation area here? Even on 15 sq.m you can make a small kitchen-living room. For owners of small-sized apartments, this solution will be especially relevant, as it allows them to turn a one-room apartment into a two-room apartment.
Studio apartments are another ready-made space that initially combines several functional areas.
But for owners of apartments in old housing stock, the issue of redevelopment and its approval if they decide to combine rooms and demolish a wall will be inevitable. In Khrushchev buildings, for example, two redevelopment options are very popular:
- complete demolition of the partition between the kitchen and living room;
- moving the entrance to the kitchen from the living room and widening the opening.
Walk-through kitchen-living room in Khrushchev
Since most Khrushchev buildings are gasified, it is important to remember that redevelopment is possible if they are allowed to switch to tariffs for electric stoves and abandon gas. Another solution is to combine the rooms not really, but visually, by installing a glass partition instead of a blank wall.
Methods and options for zoning space
How to decorate a space in the same style, but at the same time correctly highlight the main functional areas? First of all, consider your needs.
For example, a small family that only gets together for dinner probably doesn't need a large kitchen. And for a family that doesn’t cook much but spends a lot of time in the living room, a comfortable, spacious seating area is preferable.
For most families, the best solution is to distribute the space between the kitchen and living room approximately equally. For most families, the best solution is to distribute the space between the kitchen and living room approximately equally. This can be done either permanently (tear down the partition) or temporarily (install a sofa or dining room). Let's consider the options
Dining group: table and chairs
The table and chairs are a transition zone between the living room and the cooking area. The dining group in this case is installed between the set and the sofa and serves as a kind of border.
This idea of zoning is one of the simplest, but it is unlikely to be implemented in a narrow, long room of 20 square meters.
Sofa
One of the simplest zoning options.
There can be several ways of arrangement.
- Back to the headset.
This is the most optimal location. Usually a TV is placed opposite the sofa. This way it will be convenient to watch from both the living room and the kitchen.
The sofa can be located in the center of the room or closer to the wall. At the same time, at least 70 cm of free space should be left in the aisles.
- Sofa perpendicular to the set.
We can say that the only installation option is in a kitchen-living room of 20 sq. m with windows on both sides.
- The sofa is opposite the headset.
Take a closer look at this option if you already have some kind of boundary (real or visual) between the kitchen and the living room - a bar counter, a partition, a false wall.
Bar counter
The stand can be freestanding, fixed to the wall, or combined with an island.
At the same time, the bar counter can serve as both an independent dining area (for a small family) and an additional place for quick snacks. If space in the kitchen-living room or studio allows, then it is better to install a separate full-fledged dining group, for example, for entertaining guests.
Partitions
There is a huge variety of partition options:
- the most common, simple and inexpensive are made of plasterboard. Such a false wall can be painted, covered with wallpaper, decorated with decorative plaster or decorative brick;
- glass partition. Beautiful, but expensive and dangerous (especially if there are children in the house). They are half glass, with frames, inserts or glass;
The main thing is that the material is impact-resistant and safe. Pay attention to tempered glass and triplex. When hit, the hardened material shatters into small fragments, which are more difficult to cut on. Triplex is a multilayer layer with a polymer film that retains falling fragments in the event of an impact.
- sliding It can be made of glass, plastic or wood. A sliding partition saves space, unlike a swing door that eats up an entire corner. Such partitions can also be a necessary measure in gasified kitchens, where it is impossible to do without an isolated room. In the daytime, it easily moves apart and allows you to visually unite the space. And at night (or at any other time when necessary) it can be closed;
- rack and pinion It is better to order the manufacture and installation of slatted partitions from a specialized office. This way you will get dried wood and in the future you will not have to worry about deformation of the slats.
Arch
The arch can be wide or narrow, trimmed along the edges with decorative details, minimalistic, ascetic.
The width of the arched opening affects the perception of the space as a whole. The wider it is, the more unified the space seems.
Island
An island and a peninsula in the living room kitchen allow you not only to divide the combined room, but also to increase its functionality.
You can install a sink or stove on the island, or use it as an additional cabinet. It can be both a bar counter and a place for breakfast or quick snacks.
The disadvantage of this zoning is that the island takes up a lot of space. In a studio kitchen of 20 sq. m, for example, where in addition to the furniture it is also necessary to install wardrobes, it will not be possible to implement this idea.
Different floor or ceiling levels
The podium in a studio apartment, on the one hand, eats up space, and on the other, divides the total space into functional zones: a work area and a relaxation area. Under the podium you can install drawers for storage and even a pull-out bed.
This idea also has several significant drawbacks:
- firstly, the ceiling height will be significantly reduced, which can become a significant problem for old apartments, where they are already low,
- and secondly, the installation of the podium is made to order.
Style
Today there is no strict framework for following a certain direction. Eclecticism and individualism are encouraged. But mixing different styles so that it looks harmonious, with rare exceptions, only a professional designer can do. If you do not want to take risks, then try to adhere to the chosen concept and the simple rules listed below:
- follow the chosen style throughout the room - both in the kitchen area and in the living room area;
- stick to a single color scheme, placing color accents in the right places.
Let's look at the most current and popular destinations.
Modern
The modern design of the kitchen-living room gravitates towards simplicity, clear and geometric lines, and laconic forms. Basic shades are always relevant - gray, white, black, beige, which in varying degrees of saturation can make up monochrome interiors.
A modern kitchen-living room is a room where there is nothing superfluous: a minimum of decor, a maximum of light and free space. Therefore, for a small room this is the most suitable design option.
Classic and neoclassical
For a kitchen-living room in a classic style, arches, two-level ceilings with antique patterns or stucco, and massive furniture with patina will be relevant. The kitchen area can be separated from the living room by a symmetrically located dining area or island.
This design is appropriate in spacious rooms, but for a small kitchen-living room it is better to choose an alternative in the form of neoclassics. Adding modern elements will make the interior lighter and freer.
Provence
The French country theme will be appreciated by lovers of romantic interiors and outdoor recreation. Therefore, this style is especially relevant for decorating country houses and dachas.
For the best ideas for decorating the interior of a kitchen-living room in the Provence style, see a separate article - go.
Scandinavian
To make the kitchen-living room in the Scandinavian style cozy, do not be afraid to add color accents characteristic of this style - red, yellow, blue, light blue, green. Wooden surfaces in the design of flooring, countertops, and dining tables will add warmth and neutralize the cold asceticism of Scandi.
Loft
The loft style for the kitchen-living room is one of the most suitable, as it originally originated in free, spacious industrial premises. Here it is better to abandon partitions, and use techniques with furniture arrangement and lighting as zoning.
For information on how to create an ideal loft-style interior, see a separate article - go to.
Minimalism
The ideal option for a small kitchen-living room is minimalism, which assumes the most simple and clear forms, minimal or complete absence of decor, smooth surfaces, an abundance of light and free space.
Clever accents: lighting above the island
To create soft light in a room, pendant or built-in lamps are ideal. You can choose neutral lighting or add colors - give preference to colored transparent shades, multi-colored lamps, LED strips.
The nature of the lighting should depend on the canons of the direction chosen for the decoration of the room. For example, if you have a kitchen-living room with an island in neoclassical, modern, or Provence styles, it is better to organize warm or neutral light. Cold tones are appropriate for trends such as fusion, loft and other modern designs.
Our catalog contains models of lamps that will decorate your home. For example, an elegant version with a white Skygarden Flos shade or the original Artiche.
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Pendant lamp Skygarden Flos
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Artiche pendant lamp
Color design
Color sets the mood of the interior, and its choice is tied to the chosen stylistic direction.
Bright hues
Light colors are suitable for a small kitchen-living room or for interiors in a certain style.
The classic interior is characterized by a beige color scheme, the Scandinavian interior is predominantly white with bright color accents, and Provence is characterized by a delicate, pastel range of lilac, blue, pink, and cream shades.
Dark colors
Snow-white interiors have been replaced by the fashion for dark kitchens. Today, deep and complex gray-green, dark green, blue, earthy, rusty shades are relevant.
An obstacle to using dark shades in the interior of the kitchen-living room is the small area. In conditions of 15-20 square meters, they can visually narrow the room, but this only applies to cases when there is a choice of a dominant color scheme. After all, dark shades can only be used locally - for example, make only one accent wall black or dark blue.
Dark colors will make the interior of the kitchen-living room more austere and status. To emphasize this effect, it is important to use natural textures in the design - wood, concrete, stone. Light furniture, bright accessories and decorative items will stand out against the background of dark shades. Textiles made from dense and rich fabrics such as velvet, corduroy, velor will look beautiful, which can be used in the design of curtains or upholstered furniture in the living room area - sofa, armchairs.
Some styles are very fond of dark shades - art deco, fusion, loft, English classics.
Bright design
The most radical solution is to make the entire kitchen-living room bright; it may only be advisable if the living room is not a living room, and in addition to it there is another place in the apartment where you can relax. Bright colors invigorate and charge with energy, but the downside of a rich interior is irritation and rapid fatigue. Therefore, it is always better to dilute them with neutral tones - basic gray, white, beige.
You can add a color accent to:
- kitchen set;
- apron,
- one wall;
- on upholstered furniture, buying a bright yellow sofa or armchairs in rich rich colors;
- cabinet furniture (bright shelving or cabinet);
- accessories (carpet by the sofa, vase, paintings, etc.).
Less familiar and original solutions are a colored door, window frame or ceiling.
Furniture, textiles and appliances
Furniture should also be of good quality and high quality, made from natural, durable materials. The legs and armrests are forged metal products in the author's style. The set is made of natural wood. As a last resort, you can use an expensive imitation that will look as natural as possible.
Truly luxurious fabrics are used for curtains, pillows and other textiles:
- atlas;
- velvet;
- velours;
- brocade.
Household appliances should be given special attention. Since it usually does not fit into the classics, it is recommended to simply integrate it into the set, choosing the appropriate color scheme. Another option is to buy a refrigerator and oven, stylized as old things. In this case, the hob should approximately match the tone of the countertop - for example, beige or pure white.
Kitchen-living room layout options
A well-chosen layout is half the success in the design of a kitchen-living room.
When planning, it is important to consider the following.
- Features, size and shape of the room.
When arranging furniture and designing, first of all, the real opportunity to choose one or another layout is taken into account. For example, the width of the kitchen may not be enough for a U-shaped set, or the location of windows and doors may interfere with the installation of a corner kitchen. It is necessary to start from the location of the riser and water supply: although moving the sink is possible, it is problematic and limited by certain legal frameworks.
- Personal needs.
Do you really need a spacious, large kitchen? After all, by increasing the number of storage spaces, you sacrifice free space. And for a small kitchen-living room it is more valuable. Adequately assess how many cabinets and drawers you need to hide the necessary kitchen utensils and utensils. You can do this using the example of the kitchen you are currently using.
Don’t be afraid of non-standard and unusual solutions - kitchens without upper cabinets, double-row, asymmetrical layouts, etc. In rooms with architectural features and poor placement of windows and doors, such ideas may be the best option.
Rectangular
For a rectangular kitchen-living room, the most suitable option is a linear or straight layout - when the kitchen cabinets are located in one row.
If you do not need a large and roomy kitchen set, then it is more advisable to install furniture along a short wall: this way you will mitigate the disadvantages of the layout.
Square
Depending on the location of windows and doors, in a square room there are two possible configuration options for a kitchen set - corner or straight. The first will allow you to increase the working surface, the second will look lighter and more compact in the interior.
With bay window
A bay window is an ideal place for a dining area.
If there are other options for a good location for the dining area, then you can install a kitchen set in the bay window. But this idea is advisable only on the condition that the communication lines are located nearby, and they do not have to be pulled across the entire room. In any case, you need to make a set for a bay window to order, which will add 20-30% to the cost of the furniture.
Products for comfort in the kitchen
After arranging the furniture, it’s time to think about the cute little things that give the room a special ambiance. We are talking about dishes, serving items and kitchen utensils.
In the catalog you will find a variety of containers for storing spices and herbs. These boxes, jars, and bottles will become an invariable attribute of the room and add coziness.
In another section of the catalog you will find cooking equipment. These include knives, cutting boards and other important accessories. We also sell stylish tableware for food and drinks. Go to the catalog - there is still a lot of interesting and useful stuff there!
Materials and finishing
Finishing materials can act as a tool for zoning the kitchen-living room space, but their design should not argue with each other, since, ultimately, it is important to obtain a stylistically unified space.
Floor
As we said above, combining different materials for floor finishing is a bad idea. In addition to difficulties with selecting a design, there may be problems with their joining. In most cases, aesthetics will suffer. Therefore, it is easier to choose a solid covering for the entire kitchen-living room.
Considering the high traffic and wet areas in the kitchen, the search for materials should be narrowed to waterproof, practical and wear-resistant options:
- porcelain stoneware;
- quartz vinyl tiles or PVC floor tiles;
- linoleum 32, 33 classes.
Multi-level floor or ceiling
This solution is also a type of space zoning. The two-tier floor emphasizes the excellence of the living room and takes the kitchen to the next level. Moreover, the ceiling should be framed with LED lighting.
- Ceilings can be made of stretch or plasterboard.
- Zoning the space in this way makes the perception of the interior more refined.
- It is advisable to choose flooring in the kitchen from durable materials. It can be tiles or laminate.
- But in the living room it is advisable to lay carpet. However, the tone of the draperies should be identical.
Lighting and backlighting
Lighting plays a special role in the design of the kitchen-living room.
- Decorative.
The lamp itself can become a decoration and even the main accent in the interior, and decorative lighting of display cabinets will create a completely magical atmosphere in the evening.
- Zoning.
Pendant lights can visually separate the dining area, and the ability to dim the lighting in different parts of the room will illuminate a specific area of the room. Relaxing in the living room and want to hide the kitchen from view? It is enough to dim or completely turn off the lights in this area.
- Functional.
The direct task in organizing lighting is to make the process of being in the room as comfortable as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to provide separate lighting sources in each zone:
- general diffused lighting;
- directional lighting in the form of LED lighting in the kitchen work area;
- directional lighting above the dining area;
- soft and diffused light in the recreation area (from floor lamps, sconces, etc.).
If desired, you can equip lighting inside kitchen cabinets, illuminate display cabinets and sideboards. It is not only convenient, but also beautiful.
Apartment with dressing room for parties
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| Author: Elena Modenova. |
Who lives here: one person or a young couple without children
- We make the kitchen open so that it is convenient for the owners to cook and communicate with guests at the same time.
- Next is a living room area with a spacious sofa, next to it is a dining room with a large dining table.
- This apartment has space for a dressing room, which will free the bedroom from closets.
- This layout is suitable for owners who lead an active lifestyle. In the center there is a common space without doors, filled with air, where you can spend a lot of time with friends.
Real photos of kitchen-living room interiors
You can find more ideas for inspiration in the large selection of design examples in the photo below.
Kitchen combined with a living room in a Khrushchev building
In a private house
In the country
Kitchen-living room in country style with a real fireplace
With bedroom
Combined kitchen-living room in Stalin
Studio
Small kitchen-living room
Bar stools for island kitchen
For a living room-kitchen with an island and a dining room, it is better to buy original chairs. Furniture elements must meet three requirements at once: be comfortable, functional and fit into the stylistic ensemble.
You can choose tall wooden stools with standard or intricately curved legs. This option is suitable if the room is decorated in styles such as eco, art deco, rustic, classic.
If bolder trends predominate in the design, suggesting the presence of metal or glass elements in the interior, you can choose original chairs with low backs and narrow armrests.
The Provence style is characterized by more elaborate furniture, decorated with carved or painted patterns. High backs, wooden armrests, delicate colors and decorative inserts would be appropriate.
Our catalog has several interesting options for decorating a kitchen-living room with an island. The photo shows the Barcelona bar stool - a worthy model for your home.
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White leather bar chair with metal frame, chrome Barcelona
51 990 ₽
31,194 ₽ buy
Design of a kitchen-hall in a bright design
You can make an accent wall or cover the living room with 3-D wallpaper. The rest of the draperies should be done in smoky, vanilla or beige tones.
You can use accents with patterns or fashionable prints, but be careful. A too pretentious, sloppy design can disrupt the overall harmony and correct perception of the interior.
- Very bright shades are appropriate when the hall is a non-residential room, but a room where guests are greeted and the family spends leisure time.
- Otherwise, it is advisable to decorate this room combined with a kitchen in more subdued colors, adding only a bright design or decorative elements with beautiful lighting.
It is not forbidden to make a bright accent on the apron, kitchen facades, accent wall, screed floor, upholstered furniture, and accessories.
