Well, small kitchens and living rooms have been combined extensively in recent times. While the kitchen living room open concept has been gaining popularity, it is equally difficult to design the space creatively for efficient use. And when it comes to contemporary houses and studio apartments where the space is confined, it is a greater challenge.
After this concept is adopted, it is now time to develop a strategic approach to make sure that every bit of the space is used well, especially if it’s a small space. As a final step, the design ideas for the kitchen living room open concept are endless; from color schemes to complementing color palettes to functional furniture pieces to aesthetic ones, it is important to imbibe something that makes you feel at peace in your space.
To help you make this possible, this article can be your guide to exploring the design ideas, narrowing down the list, and selecting the one for you.
1. Install Room Divider
Room dividers are a great and easy way to blend in your kitchen and living room open concept and yet elevate the look and feel of both spaces. The room dividers can be as simple or as aesthetic as you please or vibe with. These room dividers will act as the separation between both the kitchen and living room while also being a decorative piece. You can even get creative with your room dividers and find the ones with functionality that helps them to act as a gallery wall, bookshelf, etc.
If you get ample sunlight in any of these rooms, make sure to use room dividers that allow sunlight to make the most of natural light for both rooms. There are a number of options that you can use for room dividers, such as curtains, screens, shelving units, or plain ones. With the wide range of options available, finding the one that suits your theme might not be an issue.
2. Separate Using the Dining Table
This is perhaps the most popular way used for open-concept kitchen living room spaces for ages now. This method doesn’t require much creativity or space and also requires no additional decor pieces, furniture, etc. By using a functional dining table at the end of your kitchen space that connects to your living room, you’re separating your living space from the kitchen and setting the perfect layout.
This method is also economical as your regular dining table can be placed for the partition, and this requires no additional space, nor is there any wastage of space. This will allow an open feel while maintaining boundaries that are highly functional yet stylish, especially for modern lifestyles in confined spaces, studio apartments, etc.
3. Use No Partition
In this kitchen living room open concept, we can use the approach of presenting both the spaces as a whole with no furniture or decorative pieces used to separate the rooms. This method is quickly becoming popular in the contemporary setting for obvious reasons. This requires no additional furniture or pieces, making it economical, not occupying any more space, leaving ample space so the place doesn’t feel cluttered, highly functional, etc.
You can make this method a hit by blending the theme of both places by adding similar color tones and consistently similar furniture that makes the place look as a whole and spacious.
4. Kitchen Island Divider
A kitchen island is quite important and very useful in the kitchen for cleaning, organizing, cutting, and preparing your food and setting up your groceries. Since this is a highly functional furniture piece in the kitchen, it is present in most households and can creatively be used to divide both the kitchen and living space.
If you worry about privacy when the guests visit, you can place your sofa and seating area opposite the direction of the kitchen island so the guests won’t be able to see what you do continuously. This method is also helpful when you don’t have a lot of space, and this requires no additional furniture piece that isn’t useful for you in any way. Make sure to place them in a way that you won’t feel that the place is cluttered.
5. Color the Places the Same
In this kitchen living room open concept, you need no partition or additional effort and creativity to elevate the feel of the spaces. You can simply try and blend in both spaces and make them look continuous. This can be achieved by using similar color tones in both places.
You can either go for clean and light tones or earthy tones or experiment with bright colors. Instead, to make sure that the place isn’t boring, you can even use complementary colors that blend in together and make your place look complete. This will enhance the sense of unity and de-clutter the space.
6. Define Two Vibes
If you have been researching how to partition your kitchen and living room, then this is an approach for you. This experimental method is helpful when you don’t want to invest in any extra furniture or decorative pieces and yet would want to feel the partition of your kitchen living room open concept. Try and find two completely different themes or vibes that can be blended together to give you a sense of two different worlds.
This will make sure that you feel the separation of the spaces while retaining the space to use it more functionally. This can include finding different tiles, patterned rugs, and color tones for walls, furniture, etc.
7. Use a Decor Shelf
Blending a kitchen living room open concept can be a daunting task and requires tedious efforts if you wish for some aesthetics. However, using this one piece of furniture can make this transition of the partition smooth and easy without much effort. Try and find a wood decor shelf that blends in well with the theme and aesthetics of both your kitchen and living room.
Now, fill the space with all the decor items that you like, from pieces from travels, books, clocks, etc. This can even be two-sided if you have more space and can be functional for you to organize even your kitchen essentials in it.
8. Set the Lighting Tones
We have discussed using different partition products and even discussed creating two different aesthetics for both spaces so you don’t have to worry about finding the right partitions. However, both of these can be expensive ideas yet still be something you don’t wish to follow. At this point, you can play with the lighting at your place.
Try and find two or more sets of different lighting tones and different sources of light that look quite different from each other. This will help you to separate the place from each other while also making sure that they stay united with no extra space consumed.
9. Set Boundaries
One of the most common and major issues with having a kitchen living room open concept is that the space will soon be cluttered. The items from both sections will be all over the place in no time, even though the place is organized from time to time. To make sure that this isn’t an issue for you, it is important to make sections and set boundaries.
You can perhaps have your kitchen items to the extreme left while leaving room for living space on the right side of the place or vice-versa. This will also make sure that the place isn’t too crowded, at least on one right and one left side, since it isn’t used to create boundaries. This must be planned strategically for better usage of the space.
10. Flexible Table
One thing about a highly functional kitchen living room open concept is that you need to keep it minimal and super flexible. It is important to suit your changing needs. Perhaps, a flexible table can be of big help in this area. If you are working with limited space, perhaps find a table that can be used both as a kitchen island or dining table and for working or reading and writing.
This can be achieved by going for a table for wheels where the size can be adjusted according to the preference. This will help keep ample open space to maintain your peace, even in combo rooms.
11. Breakfast Table Partition
Breakfast tables have become a necessary thing in contemporary households, it consumes less space and is used for all meals throughout the day. However, you can get creative and use this breakfast table to create a partition in your kitchen living room open concept.
These breakfast tables are usually taller than regular dining tables, and even the chairs that complement these tables have high seating. This alone creates a great look for the place, and you don’t have to limit this to kitchen use. These tables can be used throughout the day to work and prep your meals.
12. Statement Floor Pieces
Floor pieces for the home can include flooring, tiles, carpets, etc. All of these pieces can be used to complement the theme well as well as to make a statement using bold and creative patterns. Now, you can even use these pieces to create a partition in your kitchen living room concept visually. You can choose two different patterned floor pieces of the same color or find two different colors.
This will automatically create a distinction between the spaces. However, this method can easily make the place feel confined. So, be sure to use floor pieces that are distinct from each other yet complement well.
13. Aesthetic Divider Furniture
If you feel that you need a break from your kitchen living room open concept and want a partition that almost makes both places look like different rooms, then this is the right option for you. You can opt for aesthetic furniture that is style and designed to blend in with your theme while also acting as a wall and divider for the room.
The beauty of this is that you can shape it as you like, from a full wall to half wall and decor shelves. These are becoming increasingly popular in modern households because of their multi-purpose uses as walls, shelves, interior pieces, etc., and due to their ability to secure privacy between both spaces.
14. Go All White
Going for an all-white tone for your house is a great idea that yields great aesthetics, and there’s no doubt about the capabilities of this color. In this method of kitchen living room open concept, you can go for an all-white color tone in both your kitchen and living room that can extend to color on walls, furniture, decor pieces, floor pieces, etc.
This all-white color will create a visual that your place is more spacious and bright and allows all the light it can get. This will make the place look as a whole and white, a perfect way to use and blend in the style while also keeping the place neutral.
15. SideBoard Storage Unit
These days, it’s super important that your place is super functional, even with limited space and confined rooms. While the kitchen living room open concept is already a great way for the usage the space, you can go the extra mile with this one piece of furniture. Get a simple sideboard storage unit that acts as a partition space between your kitchen and living room.
This is also a good way to store your things to grab easily, and again; this can even be used to stand large TVs on it with a few decorative pieces. This can be your statement piece while also acting as a way of providing you privacy for working in the kitchen.
16. Transparent Glass
While having a kitchen living room open concept is great for the space, the drawback of privacy has always been a reason for people to hold back too. In this method, you can try and overcome the issue of privacy by adding a transparent glass wall while leaving open space for only a door for people to pass in. You can leave the space without a door or add a statement-colored door to it.
To now cover the transparent glass, you can be as creative as you can. Opt for using lightweight paintings to make it a gallery wall or add stickers, and magnets, to it to transform this place into a wall of memories of your travels, milestones, etc.
17. High and Low Ceiling
While walls, floor, and furniture can be some of the ways to create a partition in your kitchen living room open concept, the ceilings can help too. If you wish to show a difference between the both, then you can have a high ceiling for your living room and a very low ceiling in the kitchen area.
This will help create a sense of partition between the open concept of the living room and kitchen. Moreover, you can still keep the color tones and furniture similar in both spaces to make sure that you still feel a sense of unity.
Summing It Up
All in all, the kitchen living room open concept can be your idea because you love the approach, or that was a must because of your limited space and light issues. Whatever the reason may be, the design ideas will not disappoint you with any outlook that you have in mind.
While the whole process may look overwhelming, sticking to a plan and focusing on the basics will get you through it and assist you in making both your spaces highly functional and aesthetic. The primary importance should be given to the layout of where to place your major pieces of furniture and how to separate the spaces.
Then, on the focal point about lightning, fireplaces, and finally on the designs and patterns that you choose and how you use them, consistently or unique for all.
