The Pros and Cons of an Open Plan Kitchen/Living Room
It is becoming more and more popular all across the country to create open plan living spaces when doing home renovations, with many homeowners tearing down walls to combine the kitchen and living room into one larger room. Of course, this is one of the biggest changes that you can make to a property, so you need to make sure it's the right option before you go ahead and make those changes.
There's really no right answer, but you can use the general pros and cons associated with an open floor plan to decide whether it is the best option to meet your needs.
The Advantages of an Open Plan Kitchen/Living Room
The most compelling reason to create one larger kitchen/living room is producing a space that encourages a more social atmosphere. This is why open plan living is so popular within family homes; everyone can hang out and relax without sequestering themselves in separate parts of the property. Open plan kitchen/living rooms are also ideal for homeowners who have younger children since you have the ability to keep an eye on what they are doing in the living room while you are whipping up their meals.
The social advantages also pay off when you're entertaining. Dinner parties can be nicer since you won't constantly need to go to a room other than the kitchen to have the meal sorted, and parties work better in larger and unbroken spaces.
Finally, this design choice creates more interesting rooms that can make a strong visual statement, and they are a perfect idea if you live in a smaller property with lots of tiny rooms.
The Disadvantages of an Open Plan Kitchen/Living Room
Probably the most important disadvantage is a lack of privacy. If one person wants to watch a film in the living room while the rest of the family want to eat and chat, open plan living is not ideal. This is why homes with older children usually benefit from separate rooms; your teenager and their friends probably don't want to sit in the living room while you're in the kitchen without a dividing wall between you.
You'll also need to deal with the fact that noise and smells won't be kept within the kitchen. Cooking is often noisy, which can make it hard for people to relax in the living room portion of the room. Additionally, it will take longer to remove the smells created when cooking more pungent dishes, such as fish.