Kitchens in older homes are often treated like Cinderella – the unwanted stepchild. In the past, kitchens were hidden from the more formal parts of the home. Families today want more open, casual home designs that enable communication and connection among family members. Open kitchens are a perfect way to integrate the kitchen into the rest of the home.
Two Ways to Integrate Your Cramped Kitchen:
- Islands allow cooks to connect with family members with bar seating – and a fully open wall to an adjacent family room or dining room. Kitchen islands also offer additional work and storage spaces. These islands offer a perfect way to break out of a cramped galley kitchen floor plan.
- Pass-throughs and half walls also open kitchens to adjoining rooms. At the same time, they preserve the formality of the dining room or living room on the other side of the wall. Pass-throughs help retain some of the storage in the original kitchen by leaving space for cabinets. Half walls can include bar seating without the need for a large kitchen island.
Considerations:
As you plan your new open kitchen remodel, it’s important to consider storage, workspaces and lighting. Open kitchens can be great for natural lighting – bringing in the light from windows in the nearby rooms. They can also add extra workspaces. Depending on the original kitchen floor plan, cabinets can be a challenge in some open kitchen designs, though. Homeowners need to think carefully about their storage needs in any new kitchen layouts.
Our design team has decades of experience with open kitchen designs. Ask us how we can help you break out of your cramped old kitchen. We can transform your hidden workspace into an integrated part of your new home remodeling project.
