How can I separate the kitchen from the living room?

Kamla Villanueva Kamla Villanueva
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Nowadays living quarters with open floor plans are no longer a rarity. Since kitchens are a central part of the home, bringing it into the limelight also brings families closer. Eating and cooking together is something that bonds people together, so why not make the space conducive for everyone? Here, we'll show you how to create optical separation from the kitchen and the living room in order to get a more structured layout of the premises. The open-plan living room brings more vitality into the house, knitting the family members closer to each other. The room also does not seem as cramped, as is often the case with individual kitchens or eat-in kitchens.

There are many possibilities to separate rooms from each other. It is possible to use a deep wall, a kitchen island, a table or a book shelf as a room divider. If you want a complete separation, you can of course also use a classic wall for the room separation. In this book, some ideas on this topic are presented.

1. A kitchen island as a room partition

Refrigerator, stove, sink and a small working area – the section cuts across the apartment. For a long time the kitchen was just a simple cooking area, in which the housewife cooked alone. However, these times have long since passed and the kitchen has become increasingly the center of family life and serves as a meeting place for family and friends. Cooking and baking can in fact be a nice group activity. Those who opt for open kitchens which combine with living rooms have risen in recent years. And if the size of the room allows it, the kitchen island is a very important communication element wherein you could include a bar area. Another great advantage of a kitchen island is that it can easily separate the kitchen and the living area visually, without totally isolating the kitchen. See how the area has become all the more inviting, as you can sit and entertain more people while cooking.

2. Beams and pillars as a room divider

arched beams with pillars are often seen in stone optics in front of gardens, parks, cellars or similar. Bringing it to your living space creates a rustic homey feel. The brick material adds a nice warm texture while still ensuring that the space is visually separated while still keeping the openness of the home. It optically creates a passageway between spaces. Otherwise, there is no limit to creativity. How about an antique style or modern columns which can be an absolute eye-catcher in the apartment – a unique surprise for guests during their visit.

3. Dining table as a room partition

A very simple trick to separate the kitchen and living room is by placing the dining table in between the kitchen and the living room. Similar to a kitchen island, this large dining table can serve as a room partition. There, all kitchen members can meet for a meal or talk. A rectangular table would be ideal, since it can separate the room by length. A square or round table could bring some imbalance into the room concept. Another plus point for having a large dining table is that it can also function as a work space. For example, it can be a good place for the children to do the homework after school. In addition, the separation of the room by a table, in contrast to a kitchen island, is very cost-effective.

4. A built-in shelf as a room divider

Another very simple way to separate the kitchen and living room is to set up a book shelf as a partition. High and wide bookcases ensure a good visibility when they are filled with books. And yet, it does not give the impression of a completely secluded space, since you can always have a look around or around the bookshelf. 

This kind of room separation also provides additional storage space, it also gives you the option of displaying your collections. A further advantage: This possibility of space separation, as well as setting up a table, is very cost-effective.

5. A windowed wall as a room divider

If the rooms are already separated, the question is not necessary. Often, however, there is a large residential kitchen and if you want a separation of the rooms, a windowed wall can be constructed. The window will give you what you want while still providing you the option for a bit of openness wherein you can still talk with the members of the family while preparing food. Thus, the large kitchen is turned into a separate unit, in which you can cook in peace, separated from the hustle and bustle of the living room.

The most important advantage of this complete separation is, of course, the fact that the odor or the smoke from cooking will not fill the other rooms. However, if you do not want to dispense with an open-plan living room and want to counteract the smoke during cooking, you should invest in a powerful extractor hood. In addition, there is the possibility to install sliding doors or a wall of glass, in order to maintain the open feeling of space.

6. Good reasons for an open living and dining area

Where formerly the strict separation prevailed through closed doors, nowadays openness is preferred. In the department of interior architects and interior designers, this is also called marginalization. Open living spaces are brighter and, above all, more inviting – they convey a feeling of freedom and space. And the connection of the functionally divided living areas allows the cohabitation of all residents, although they pursue different activities like cooking or television. Just take note of how the furnitures are arranged, here you'll see the sectional couch is facing the opposite direction, the couch allows you to also divide the living room from the dining area. You can create a great open living experience, which is separated from each other by small details such as this. This way the family members have more contact with each other, where cooking becomes a common experience, which can also be observed from the living room. And whoever does not like it at all – he simply gets himself back by simply pulling a partition into his old-fashioned kitchen, which is always welcome.

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