Kitchen-living room: everything about combining a hall and a kitchen in one room

Layouts of apartments with a combined kitchen and living room are just beginning to come into fashion. Modern developers have even come up with a new name for such layouts - "euro-two-room" or "euro-treshki", although in this case the seller only means a one-room or two-room apartment with a spacious kitchen.

Modern interior designers are trying to make an attractive and comfortable space for living even from an apartment of the old fund., contriving and implementing sometimes the most daring decisions. For example, one of these is the unification of the kitchen and a small part of the bathroom and the corridor, or an increase in the area due to a non-functional balcony. Such projects really look more advantageous and rational, in comparison with the available tiny layouts.

Until recently, architects offered apartments with small kitchens of 5-7 sq. m., where, at best, you could put a refrigerator, a hob and several drawers. One could not even dream of accommodating a dining table for 4 family members, a washing machine and a dishwasher in such a tiny space. Therefore, many housewives, sacrificing comfort and functionality, try to at least squeeze in the necessary minimum of household appliances.

Often, combining the kitchen with the hall is the only option to expand the capabilities of a small apartment. The living room area may not meet all the requirements of apartment owners in terms of comfort. And as a result of combining, you can get a spacious and bright room, where it is convenient to place not only the kitchen and living room, but also the dining room. But creating a cozy and comfortable interior is not an easy task. To do this, you need to have design skills and certain knowledge.

The designers even gave a new name for this layout - "open-plan kitchen". This speaks of a harmonious addition to the kitchen and living room.

The kitchen-living room helps:

• make the living room area more spacious;
• increase the work surface in the kitchen;
• place more functional and convenient storage systems for kitchen appliances and utensils;
• provide a place for a dining room.

There can be many reasons for combining a kitchen and living room. For example, for a one-room apartment with a large kitchen, this is the only option that allows you to equip a separate room into a bedroom. Or the kitchen has a large area, and the owners of the house consider it unreasonable to use a large space for storing dishes and household appliances. Owners of studio apartments have no other options for housing arrangement.

Sometimes a kitchen is too small to create a comfortable and functional space. Such a feature is in the "Khrushchev" and "Brezhnevkas". After all, it is often impossible to squeeze all the necessary equipment into an area of ​​6 sq. m., and in this case, combining the two rooms will easily solve the problem.In addition, when redeveloping a typical apartment of the old fund, it becomes possible to use small pantries in the living room or in the kitchen reasonably. Often, architects in the 60s and 70s of the last century equipped a small cubicle like a wardrobe in the living room. And in such a niche in the living room, you can fit a refrigerator or hide a washing machine.

With some apartment layouts, the kitchen and the adjacent room may have poor geometry., and to correct the situation in order to get a suitable shape, for example, a square or a rectangle, only the combination of rooms will help. For the kitchen-living room, it is wiser to choose the largest room in the apartment. Often, in order to get the desired area, it is necessary to use the territory of the balcony, bathroom or corridor. The creation of such a redevelopment will provide not only comfort and space, but also allow rational use of the rest of the apartment space.

Sometimes combining a living room and a kitchen is the best solution for arranging a space. And there are many supporters who approve of such a decision, but there are also those who think otherwise. Let's figure out the advantages of combining space.

• Instead of two small rooms, you get one large comfortable space in which you can put a dining table and a sofa.
• By combining different rooms, the number of windows increases, due to which there will be more light.
• Children can be supervised while adults prepare lunch. Also, during the reception of guests, the hosts do not have to leave loved ones alone, and you can cook together.
• In the spacious kitchen, you can install additional household appliances that previously did not fit in a small area: a washing machine, a dishwasher, a microwave oven, a coffee maker and a juicer.

• Extroverts who do not feel comfortable in a secluded and cramped space choose a large open space.
• Three zones can be placed in the kitchen, which smoothly passes into the living room: for cooking, for dinner with a large family circle, for rest and leisure.
• While preparing dinner, you can chat or watch TV with the rest of the family without leaving the stove.
• Possibility of saving on appliances in the connected kitchen and living room - in a large room, one TV can be installed in the living area.

Despite the large number of advantages, one cannot fail to note the obvious disadvantages.

• The smells of food will settle on the furniture in the living room, so it is necessary to correctly approach the choice of household appliances, in particular, it is worth considering a powerful hood near the hob.
• Not all housewives like to cook in front of their guests. They feel confident and comfortable without watching them while cooking. In this case, you should not combine the space, or you need to choose a more suitable option, say, with sliding blackout shutters.
• An open space needs a competent design - different functional areas should look holistic and unified.
• The kitchen located next to the living room is the source of various sounds: the noise of water and operating equipment can interfere with the rest.
• The work area in the kitchen must always be kept in order so that the effect of chaos is not created.
• There is a need to purchase silent household appliances and appliances, which increases costs and expenses.

In apartment buildings equipped with gas stoves, it is unacceptable to combine a kitchen with a living room. Thus, the demolition of the wall is prohibited.But you can expand the door space or move the partition, thereby increasing the area of ​​the kitchen. Another option is to use sliding partitions. They can be made of chipboard and MDF, glass, plastic or wood.

In any case, a sliding design will be the best option., since, if necessary, you can close the kitchen space and limit the spread of unpleasant odors throughout the apartment. But, starting any redevelopment, it is necessary to obtain permission from the BTI. And this applies even to those moments when only part of the wall needs to be demolished.

If the kitchen is adjacent to the balcony, you can insulate the loggia, and at the expense of it organize a cozy kitchen-living room. In this case, part of the balcony wall can be used to create a bar counter. This option of unauthorized redevelopment must also be agreed with the BTI.

Since the kitchen is considered a "wet" area, it is also unacceptable to transfer it to the residential part of the apartment. Only the residents of the first floors will not have problems, in which case the owner has the right to transfer the kitchen to any part of the apartment, the main thing is to correctly bring all communications.

When developing a design project, much depends on the characteristics of the premises. If the kitchen has a large area, you need to try to fit all functional areas in one room without moving the partition. Thus, you can leave an additional isolated room for a bedroom, nursery or study.

Some apartments have a large living room that can be reduced slightly by offsetting the wall, which will increase the area of ​​the kitchen that can accommodate the living room. At the same time, several square meters will remain free in the next room.

Also, a lot depends on the lifestyle of the owners of the house. A free girl or a young man at a young age, most likely, does not need a large work area and an impressive amount of kitchen appliances. It is more reasonable to allocate most of the room for the living room and place a modest bar counter instead of the dining table, which can also be used as a working area.

But if the owner of the apartment is a real gourmet who loves to experiment and create new unique author's dishes, then the kitchen should have almost the main place in the house. In this case, you can sacrifice a few square meters of the living room to free up more space for preparing gastronomic delights.

Successful planning and competent zoning of the premises help to make each separate zone of the optimal area as isolated and comfortable as possible. When dividing a room into several zones, several points must be taken into account.

• Several people should be comfortable in the kitchen near the working area at the same time, so the area should not be limited to a couple of square meters.
• Household appliances and appliances should be arranged in a triangle or alternately in one line to reduce movement in the kitchen.
• The bar counter cannot replace the dining table in a family with children or the elderly.
• A spacious and bright area of ​​the room should be allocated for the living room.
• The dining area can be compact in size and located at the separation of the living room and kitchen.
• As a dining area in a small family, you can use the potential of a window sill and folding chairs - this is a great option if there is no free space even for a compact, but full-fledged table.And during family holidays and feasts, you can put a sliding transforming table, which, when assembled, will take up a minimum of space near the wall.

A narrow and long kitchen-living room can have only one window, and then a reasonable question arises, which place is more reasonable to allocate for receiving guests. The elongated space will have to be divided almost in half, and then the kitchen area may be left without natural light. But this option is the most advantageous in comparison with the fact that the living room will remain without a window. For a workspace in the kitchen, well-organized lighting with spotlights and an LED strip above the countertop is quite enough.

Equipping a living room with a kitchen in the same room is an easy task for a cottage, but for a small-sized apartment it is necessary to connect not only imagination, but also to study many design techniques. If the partition between the kitchen and the hall is moved, allowing the room to be enlarged by only a few meters, then the room remains with one window.

It is necessary to take care of high-quality artificial lighting of the space. In the kitchen area, you can install spotlights on the ceiling and additionally illuminate the worktop. And connect a beautiful chandelier or pick up a floor lamp above the seating area and receiving guests. In this case, it will also be possible to visually divide the space with light, turning on the light in only one functional area.

Planning the future space of the living room-kitchen is one thing, and quite another is to equip the space stylishly and rationally. In order for the interior of the room to look holistic and unified, it is necessary to determine the style in advance. Each subsequent step in creating an interior will be based on a style solution, from the choice of materials to the presence of decorative elements.

It is believed that the easiest way to decorate the interior in a classic style. Calm tones, the ability to use various materials and textures, and complement the space with decorative details play a big role in this case.

Modern classics are a kind of fusion of classic and minimalism. Furniture should be practical and simple, without eye-catching elements and details. Recently, English-style interiors are gaining popularity. Preference is given to calm and beige tones, natural wood furniture, decorative finishes and textiles with a red check.

The high-tech kitchen-living room looks good - a glossy surface, metallic sheen of details, modern technology and ergonomic furniture will make the space stylish and modern. In the kitchen-living room in the art deco style, it is imperative to allocate a large place for a dining table and beautiful chairs with upholstered upholstery.

The popular minimalism style also does not lose its relevance this year. More and more owners of miniature apartments prefer neatness and consistency in interior design. There are several reasons for this. First, minimalism favorably emphasizes the freedom of space. And secondly, it helps to avoid clutter and mess.Extreme conciseness, clear zoning, the absence of unnecessary details in the decor and household trifles in a conspicuous place, thoughtfulness and functionality - these are the main criteria for the minimalism style.

The interior in the Scandinavian style is characterized by lightness, conciseness and comfort. The interior uses warm and light colors, natural materials and bright decor. As decorations, it is allowed to place paintings on the walls and indoor flowers on open shelves and window sills.

Recently, designers have been giving preference to calm or rich colors when decorating interiors. And in the coming years, the trends will not change. In addition, the light palette remains relevant at any time, which is especially important if you need to visually enlarge the space.

For a small apartment, you should choose light and calm shades. Combinations of gray, milky, beige, pale yellow are considered ideal options for limited space. In a light interior, the white glossy facade of the kitchen unit, reflecting the sunlight, looks almost weightless and light. You should not use a large number of color contrasts, and colorful and bright accents need to be dotted so that the interior looks more lively and boring.

The interior looks beautiful and stylish in turquoise and beige tones, in this option it is appropriate to choose a headset in one color, and upholstered furniture for the living room in another. You can also add a bright kettle, crockery, blue pillow or vase in the living area. Such a design will look fresh and attractive.

Contrasting combinations remain in trend. Such an insignificant element as the orange upholstery of the chairs will also add expressiveness and originality to the light interior. White walls and furnishings are perfectly combined with natural wood patterns and greenery. The semblance of eco-style has recently been gaining popularity among many furniture manufacturers.

Note that it is quite easy to combine different colors with white. All shades can be used from black and graphite to beige and cream. Dark elements will help to place accents in the interior, and bright ones will add expressiveness.

In limited space, it is also worth choosing glossy elements. Reflecting natural or artificial light, they visually expand the space. And in this case, you can use not only white, but also beige, gray, sand. The combination of cream and brown will create a cozy and warm atmosphere.

Gray is versatile and suitable for many styles. It is often used to visually increase space. Noble, and at the same time calm, this tone looks balanced and easy in the interior. The combination with white allows you to achieve stunning success.

The doors of the lower part of the headset can be matte gray, and on the upper tier - calm white. This option does not look cumbersome and heavy, but, on the contrary, allows you to "stretch" the space and add more air. And to make the interior seem warm, it is allowed to dilute it with natural wood shades, which can be used as a laminate on the floor.

When organizing space in this case, it is necessary to take into account many nuances, ranging from sources of electricity to beautiful design.And it is especially important that both functional areas are harmoniously combined and decorated in the same style. You can visually divide one space into several zones using different techniques.

The use of bright and dim light in the same room for different zones will not only visually separate the rooms, but also create a special atmosphere of comfort. Smart lighting can work wonders even in a small space. Only in this case, it is necessary to illuminate not only the working area of ​​the kitchen and the sofa in the living room, but to think over the complex lighting of all corners - then the space will seem larger and wider. Use various sources of artificial light: spot built-in ceiling spots in the kitchen, LED strips above the countertop, chandeliers or several lamps above the dining table, a floor lamp or sconces near the sofa.

Color zoning is a great way to divide a room, but you shouldn't use two bright shades, one tone must be calm and neutral. The selected colors can overlap in different areas.

To create the visual effect of dividing the space, you can tiled the floor with ceramic tiles from the kitchen side, and lay a laminate in the living room area. Different materials may differ in texture and texture, but should be as compatible as possible in color.

Even a slight rise of one zone by several centimeters looks aesthetically pleasing. And the extra space under the floor can be used effectively, say, to hide communications.

A bar counter, dining table, kitchen island, or sofa can accentuate separation. A kitchen island is rarely used in apartment buildings, since it is a complex element for communications, and also requires a lot of free space. It is wiser to install a kitchen island in a large country house. But a dining table or bar counter is perfect for dividing space, even in a small studio. This separation does not weigh down the room. The separate dining area can have additional lighting in the form of a ceiling chandelier.

Perhaps this is the easiest way to close the space. Mobile structures allow you to combine and divide zones depending on your desire. Thus, it is possible without difficulty in one case to obtain a single space, and in the other - separate rooms. But the separation is mostly superficial. This method is chosen by the owners who have not yet decided finally whether they want to combine the kitchen with the hall or not. You can also make a full-fledged partition with a large doorway or drywall arch.

The combined living room and kitchen is a huge field for the creativity of designers and the work of craftsmen. Renovation work is costly and time consuming. You should not clearly delineate the boundaries of different zones in a single space. Unity and harmony are the main directions that should be present in the interior not only in design techniques, but also in finishing materials. And visual zoning should be everywhere: when decorating walls, ceilings and floors.

When choosing a floor covering for a separate kitchen and living room, it is possible to choose different options. For example, ceramic tiles, which are resistant to moisture and heat, are most suitable for finishing the floor in the kitchen. And for the living room, it is more appropriate to choose a carpet or laminate. A good option for a living room floor is varnished oak boards. This coating is easy to clean and is not afraid of moisture. And in the case of a single space, the materials should ideally match and complement each other. We have to select similar textures, which at the same time will perform the function of both unification and visual separation of space.

When choosing a material for wall decoration, it is also necessary to combine different textures and shapes. The kitchen set must necessarily have an apron that will protect the walls in the cooking area from splashes and drops. It can be glossy tiles, varnished films or panels. For some graceful styles, a glass backsplash with a mirror finish and patterns can be used. For the living room, you need to choose wallpaper, decorative plaster or paint. It would also be nice to decorate the interior with a brick wall. Bricks of different color and pattern will relieve the interior of monotony. The white painted brick wall complements the modern style.

It should be understood that, ideally, different sources of lighting should be placed on the ceiling: built-in lamps, chandeliers and hanging lamps. In this case, the best option is a stretch ceiling or multi-level structure. The latter, in turn, will also solve the problem of zoning the premises, and will help to visually divide the space into several sections. In addition, all communications can be successfully hidden behind the plasterboard ceiling structure and ceiling lamps can be installed.

To separate the kitchen from the living room, you can use the bar counter, it is important that it is made in the same style as the kitchen set. It will be a kind of feature that unites two functional areas. At the bar, you can have a cup of coffee in the morning, check the accumulated mail in the afternoon, and also receive guests in the evening. This functional space serves as an additional work surface and a full dining table.

As for upholstered furniture and textile accessories, it is more reasonable to choose synthetic fabric for a combined space with a kitchen, since it absorbs odors and moisture less. This is especially important if upholstered furniture becomes a dividing element between different areas. A linear or corner sofa plus a couple of armchairs or a pouf are perfect for this role. And if the upholstery of the sofa looks unpresentable on the back side, then it can be closed with a low rack or a long curbstone.

The best way to avoid clutter in the living room-kitchen is to use built-in furniture and multifunctional structures. Also, do not choose open shelves for storing dishes, unless you are decorating the interior in the Provence style. In the large kitchen-living room, you can allocate a place for a headset. There may be an oven, storage systems and a wide work area. The surface of the countertop must be made of the same material as the countertop of the kitchen unit. The same rule applies if you decide to install a bar counter instead of a dining table.

The bar counter can also be used rationallyFor example, the space under the countertop can be used to store dishes or appliances behind closed doors. After all, storage systems, even in a large house, are not superfluous. In a confined space, try to remove household appliances and utensils from the working area of ​​the kitchen table - a large number of details will create the effect of chaos and disorder. Also find a convenient organizer for household cleaners and sponges near the sink. It is important to understand that in a combined space, some household details can look sloppy.

And if the planning features do not allow combining the kitchen with the next room, then you can consider expanding the space at the expense of the hallway.This option is considered even more successful if the rest of the rooms in the apartment do not differ in space. But then the storage system will need to be compactly transferred to living quarters.

If the owners of the apartment like to receive guests, and often prepare a variety of dishes, then it would be wise to visually combine the kitchen and the adjacent room with the help of large sliding partitions. Various screens, tall cabinets, plasterboard structures, furniture or curtains can act as such a visual barrier-separator. Tinted glass is more appropriate in this case. On the one hand, the space remains visible and additional lighting penetrates both rooms. On the other hand, you can slide in the partition and create a closed area.

A large dining table, at which large companies can gather, is not necessarily a luxury. You can easily equip a spacious dining area in the combined area. A beautiful massive table made of natural wood will perfectly fit into the bright interior of the kitchen-living room. And in this case, the owners of the house were not afraid to diversify the modern interior with massive stools made of natural wood.

With the task of visually dividing a room into certain zones, materials of different textures do an excellent job - here the designers used different materials for the ceiling. At the same time, the color palette of the room remained the same and unchanged. It is wiser to allocate a place for the living room near the windows - here you can receive guests or relax after a hard day with a cup of tea and an interesting book. Or chat with your family on soft sofas.

In a typical small apartment, the demolition of a wall in which is impossible, it is permissible to go for a trick. In this project, the designers did not move the wall, but only added a small window to create a bar counter. Thus, in one space, it was possible to accommodate not only a working area and a place for rest, but also a place for eating.

For information on how to combine the living room with the kitchen, see the next video.