In recent years, open concept kitchens / open floor plans have become increasingly popular. A rising number of home buyers are choosing open floor plans. Is the open concept kitchen really that appealing? What are the advantages of the open kitchen design? Is an open concept kitchen a proper fit for your home? Are there any tips or notices for open kitchen design? Here, we will provide all the answers to these questions. Keep reading!

What Does Open Kitchen Mean?
Open concept kitchens break down the barriers between the cooking area and other rooms, as opposed to closed kitchens, the old-fashioned separate kitchens. An open floor plan allows the kitchen to be mixed with other rooms, such as combining with the living room for an open kitchen living room, or combining with the dining room for a kitchen dining room combo. As a result of an open kitchen, the kitchen becomes a small part of the great room and is no longer a private area.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Open Kitchen?
Pros: Without separating the kitchen from the other rooms, the open kitchen facilitates socializing and entertaining with families and friends while preparing meals. Additionally, an open kitchen enhances the functionality of the living room and enlarges the floor space. 
Cons: Even so, there are still some disadvantages to this open kitchen design. For instance, the mess could be excessive since the kitchen is located in the living room. Furthermore, without barrier walls, the smoke and cooking odor will spread throughout the entire living room.

Is the Open Kitchen A Good Choice for Your Home?
In order to determine if an open kitchen will work in your home, here are three questions to ask:
1. How do you cook?
In our discussion of the cons of an open kitchen, we stated that odors and smoke can be outspread, even when the range hood is in use. Hence, if cooking creates a lot of fumes or grease, maintaining an open kitchen can be exhausting. In addition, if you use mixers or grinders as part of your food preparation, the cooking noise can also be an issue.  

2. How much storage space do you require for your kitchen?
Due to the absence of partition walls, an open-plan kitchen has fewer storage cabinets than a closed kitchen. Thus, if you want plenty of kitchen storage space, the closed kitchen is the one you should choose.  

3. How often do you clean your kitchen?
An open floor plan kitchen is always visible, as opposed to a kitchen with a closed door. Therefore, if you do not maintain your living space as neat and tidy as possible, it will be a horrendous experience for every guest who enters your home. 

Open Kitchen Design Ideas and Tips:
Although open kitchens offer a casual and modern lifestyle, there are a few aspects of open kitchen design that should still be highlighted. Following these suggestions, you can get a better sense of open floor plan ideas.
Tip 1: Select the right color
Since open-plan kitchens are basically part of the living room or dining room, it would be wise to choose the color scheme discreetly, otherwise an inharmonious color scheme would ruin the overall appearance of the room. Be careful with those bright and cheerful colors, as they may work great for a closed kitchen, but are a disaster for an open one. Our recommendation is to use white, gray, black, or woodgrain as the key tones for your open kitchen. Colors of this range can be matched with many kinds of modern décor styles.

Tip 2: Ensure adequate ventilation
While designing a kitchen with an open concept, ventilation is one of the most important considerations. Since the kitchen is located in the living room, a poor ventilation system would lead to serious health issues for families. So when designing an open kitchen layout, set the kitchen adjacent to a window in order to provide good ventilation and natural light. This will greatly enhance your daily experience.

Tip 3: Think about your storage needs
There is less storage space in open kitchens compared to closed designs, so a comprehensive storage solution is essential. It is possible to maximize the use of storage space by adding kitchen organizers and dividers. In the case of an open kitchen that is located on two adjacent walls, a corner storage solution will be useful. 

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