The Benefits of an Open Concept Kitchen and Living Room
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Open floor plans have been a popular trend for the past few years – and we can understand why. An open floor plan connects the kitchen and living room area, creating one great room for entertaining or family time. This type of open plan kitchen and great room makes even smaller homes with less square footage feel grand and spacious. There are a variety of open concept kitchen and living room plans. Most ideas that depend on the supporting structures of your home moving. For example, wanting to remove a wall between your kitchen and living room. Likely, they are load bearing walls. Therefore, opting for a half wall or breakfast bar. As a result, you can see into your living room without compromising the structural integrity of your home. There are many creative opportunities and benefits to creating an open floor plan, including entertaining, family time, and more natural light.
One of the most obvious benefits of an open concept kitchen is the ability to entertain flawlessly. Rather than being stuck in the kitchen with food preparation or cooking away from your guests, you can continue conversations and cooking at the same time. An open floor plan allows you to interact and entertain guests with ease and peace of mind that everyone is having a good time. In one of our remodels, we were able to create a homeowner’s dream kitchen and connected it to their living and dining space. French double doors on either side of the room and the fireplace as a focal point across from the kitchen, this great room was the perfect space for entertaining and hosting parties. The warm gray and white tones added an elegant touch and a feel of luxury.
One large room where everyone can have a good time
Another great reason to combine the kitchen and living spaces is to keep an eye on the family. It’s difficult to make sure everyone is behaving while you have to cook in another room. Not to mention, missing out on family time! An open concept kitchen and living area design helps to solve this problem by creating one large room where everyone can have a good time. Parents can fix a meal or snack while watching the kids. While the kids and pets alike can enjoy playing in a large and open space.
We were able to help a family create such a “great” room by removing the masonry fireplace dividing the family room and replacing it with a gas fireplace on the exterior wall. There was plenty of space for adding more storage and bookshelves, along with pantry cabinets that had easy rollout trays. The kitchen was opened up to look into the living room with a breakfast nook to the side.
Bring in the Natural Light
Open kitchen floor plans also create a fantastic opportunity to bring in more natural light. Since the interior walls are removed or partially removed, it allows light from the windows to brighten up more of the space. There’s nothing that says open and spacious like lots of natural light. We created a naturally lit kitchen for a homeowner; by removing an awkwardly placed fireplace and the interior walls to allow the light from the skylights to reach the entire space. We exposed five rustic beams, accentuating the vaulted ceiling and complementary skylights. Most noteworthy, the space has a completely different feel. Now it’s design is open and brightly lit.
Seems like creating an open concept kitchen & living room layout may be a large undertaking; but our design team At CQC Home we have you covered. Take a look at our gallery of kitchen projects to see our work and experience. We are dedicated to helping you create your dream kitchen with functionality and style in mind, from the concept design to the countertops. We remodel kitchen and dining areas in Durham, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, and Cary. Contact us today and let’s get started making your dream a reality!
