Guide To Having The Perfect Open-Concept Kitchen
The kitchen is an important area of any home. Whether you spend hours in the kitchen cooking away exquisite cuisines for your family and friends or you are one of those people who just whip up a sandwich when they are hungry, a kitchen is bound to be one of the most visited areas of the home. Hence, it is prudent that the kitchen is functional, airy, and beautiful so you do not feel stressed while working there.
When it comes to kitchen renovation and remodeling, there are many different interior design styles and layouts that you can choose from such as Scandinavian design, minimalist design, Japanese zen design style, Bohemian interior design, eclectic interior design, modern interior design style and modern-luxury interior design style. Depending on the dimensions and other design preferences, you may choose a particular design style and implement it in the kitchen.
One of the most popular kitchen design layouts in Singapore is an open-concept kitchen. Here, we discuss everything you need to know about open-concept kitchens, what they are, what their benefits are, and the various tips and ideas to create the perfect open-concept kitchen in your home.
What is an open-concept kitchen?
An open-concept kitchen, as the name suggests, is open. It flows directly into the living room or dining room as there are no walls that separate these areas. Sometimes, there are three walls of the kitchen and the fourth one that joins the kitchen with the living area is removed. Alternatively, there could be one or two walls in the kitchen in some cases. In each of these scenarios, there are multiple access or entry points into the kitchen as compared to a normal kitchen that has a single point of entry through the door.
An HDB open-concept kitchen is an amazing design idea especially for smaller apartments since the open layout creates a larger visual space. Apart from this, there are other benefits of incorporating an open-concept kitchen into your HDB that are discussed in the next section.
Benefits of an open-concept kitchen
An HDB open-concept kitchen creates a seamless flow among the living space, dining area, and kitchen. That is why it is becoming increasingly popular among homeowners worldwide. Below are some of the benefits of an open-concept kitchen that can help you make the decision of whether this layout design is for you or not.
Bright and airy
In the absence of the majority of the walls, an open-concept kitchen makes the space airy where you do not feel cramped. Without the walls, it means that the lighting from other parts of the home will also merge into the kitchen area, making it bright and well-lit. Thus, in this type of kitchen, you do not feel limited because of the small space and the abundance of light also helps in creating a larger space effect.
No social isolation
In a conventional kitchen, you might feel cut off from the rest of the household when you are cooking there alone. In an open-concept kitchen, you can carry on with the social interaction with everyone in the house. Whether it is a toddler on which you have to keep an eye on or your guests whom you wish to interact with and entertain while you cook, the open-concept kitchen has got you covered.
Improved functionality
Because of the seamless flow between the kitchen and the living and dining space, there is better functionality and productivity in an open-concept layout. Because of the multiple access points, you can easily navigate through the space and improve your efficiency.
Better chances of keeping the kitchen decluttered
Let’s face it, when it comes to the normal walled kitchen, we often procrastinate cleaning because, at the back of our minds, we know that the space is hidden away from the rest of the household, so no one is going to notice the mess and clutter. On the other hand, an open-concept kitchen is visible to everyone all the time, so you have to keep it decluttered and neat as you go. This acts as a blessing in disguise since you clear up the clutter as it happens, so you are not left with a huge mess at the end of the day.
Things to keep in mind before remodeling your kitchen
Before choosing an open-concept layout for your kitchen, you must consider certain factors and only choose this layout if you think that they fit your requirements.
● An open concept design may not be for everyone because of the lack of privacy and openness.
● If you are renovating your existing kitchen, you will have to make structural changes. So always consult with your contractor first to see if this style can be implemented or not.
● You have the option of selecting the type of open concept kitchen from a variety of design options available like L-shaped, U-shaped, island, peninsula, and others which are further discussed in detail below.
Inspirational ideas for open-concept kitchens
The open-kitchen concept in an HDB or condo can be implemented in a variety of ways and styles. Some inspirational ideas about these different layouts are discussed below.
Single wall kitchen
One of the most common open-concept kitchen designs is the one in which there is only one wall where the kitchen fixtures and counters are attached, all other sides of the kitchen are left open. This layout design is ideal for small HDBs and studio apartments where you can basically create a kitchen using one wall or side of the living room. All necessary kitchen fixtures, counters, and appliances go along this wall and you can have the living room furniture and other accessories just in front of this wall. This layout design saves space and creates an open space with no barriers between the two areas.
As an inspiration, consider the following open-concept kitchen design where we can see the kitchen running along one wall of the living room. In front of the kitchen are the sofa and other all elements of the living room. Notice how such a small space has been utilized to offer the full fledge functionality of two rooms, all because of this open-concept kitchen layout.
L-shaped kitchen
Another design style of the open-concept kitchen which is also quite popular is the L-shaped layout. As the name suggests, this kitchen features kitchen counters and fixtures in an L-shaped pattern. Therefore, two walls are used for this kitchen which makes for the L shape. The other two walls of the kitchen are removed to create an open-concept kitchen. This kitchen layout can be implemented in slightly bigger spaces where you have at least that much space reserved for the kitchen in order to create kitchen counters and cabinets in an L-shaped pattern. Depending on the amount of space available, you can have both lengths of the counters be the same size or one side longer than the other in an L-shaped pattern.
A similar L-shaped open-concept kitchen has been designed in the following portfolio by AC Vision. The kitchen counters are created along two walls of the kitchen in the shape of an L. These counters provide enough storage and display space for the kitchen appliances and accessories while the remaining area is open and flows freely into the dining space. You have the option of fixing the refrigerator along this L shape, or if you have a larger room, you can place the refrigerator in the open space of the kitchen. This kind of open-concept kitchen creates an airy and bright space that is connected to the rest of the house.
U-shaped kitchen
Another type of open-concept kitchen is the U-shaped layout. In this kind of kitchen, the kitchen counters are created in the form of the letter U. Usually, you would see such counters designed in a normal walled kitchen. What makes it different in this case is that usually, two sides of the letter U are constructed alongside two walls whereas the last side of the U-shape and the open end of the letter U is the space where there are no walls. Hence, this creates an openness in the space. Moreover, you still get a greater number of counters and their placement in the shape of the letter U gives you ample counter space to boost functionality and storage.
The following image of an open-concept portfolio will make it easier to understand this layout. As seen in the image, one side of the kitchen counters and another side from the viewpoint of the camera is alongside the walls of the kitchen. The third set of counters you see make up the last length of the letter U which is parallel to the living room in an open-concept. Hence, there is plenty of storage space in this kitchen and the big counters provide you with ample productive space. The openness of the layout prevents it from making it feel limited and cramped, thus creating a win-win situation.
Kitchen island
A rather contemporary yet amazingly functional and productive twist in an open-concept kitchen design is the addition of a kitchen island. A kitchen island is a counter/cabinet that is fixed in the middle of the kitchen so you can move freely around it. Such a counter allows you the liberty of using it in a variety of ways. You can use it as a chopping station, as a set-up station, or simply to sit and relax while you wait for the dinner to cook away. You can have storage options on this island and you can also place kitchen stools or chairs with it to make it a small dining table. This type of kitchen island is usually incorporated into a single-wall open-concept kitchen. Since you only have one set of counters along one wall, this island provides you with added counter and storage space. Thus, it is a functional and elegant open-concept kitchen design.
The following design portfolio further describes this concept. As you can see, a kitchen island in an open-concept layout provides more counter space along with adding a touch of elegance and sophistication to the interior. The kitchen still flows seamlessly into the living area to create a bright and spacious interior.
Kitchen peninsula
One variation of the kitchen island is a kitchen peninsula. Just like a peninsula is covered from one side with land and the other areas are surrounded with water, a kitchen peninsula is fixed on one side against a wall whereas the other three sides are open to freely move around. Since a kitchen island requires more area so that there is enough space around it to allow movement, this is not a good option for kitchens that are not that spacious. However, a kitchen peninsula can be the answer to this problem of lesser space. A peninsula only needs to allow movement on three of its sides, so you can easily incorporate it along one wall of the kitchen and get all the extra counter space you want. The overall layout is still open-concept, so you get a spacious kitchen that flows into the living room.
This layout has been depicted in the following design portfolio where you see an open-concept kitchen with a peninsula that allows much more storage and space options.
Create zones in the open space
One more idea for an open-concept kitchen is to dedicate specific zones in the open space for different functions. Since the whole living space, dining area, and kitchen could be one large area, it can create chaos and confusion where literally everything flows into each other. In such a situation, it is better to create zones in that area so that although there are no barriers between the spaces, the areas are still defined to create some sort of discipline and structure in the kitchen interior.
These zones can be created by allocating different color themes for these specific areas, or by using rugs to define these zones or choosing different interior design styles for each of these specific areas. As shown in the following design portfolio, different color themes are used to define and create these zones to create well-defined areas in an open-concept design.
All these tips and ideas for open-concept kitchens can inspire you to create a unique and beautiful open-concept kitchen in your home. Browse through our blog pages to find useful articles such as bedroom interior design ideas, kitchen renovation ideas, ways to improve your living room interior design, creative toilet interior designs and even HDB interior design ideas such as 4-Room HDB interior design, 5-Room HDB interior design theme and condominium design styles. Contact AC Vision today for more of such inspirational interior design ideas and advice.