Combining rooms – a kitchen and a living room has long been in vogue, but not every homeowner decides to combine these two different rooms. Usually, this step is resorted to by homeowners in old apartments or in panel houses, due to their small size and inconvenient layout. Consider all the nuances of such a reconstruction in this article.
The advantages and disadvantages of such a layout
Making a decision on redevelopment of premises is a very crucial step. Usually, people resort to such a step to improve their living conditions. The second reason is the presence of a free unused room. This link will tell you how to fit into the kitchen interior from Ikea.
By combining the kitchen and living room, you can expand the room where the family spends a lot of time, make it more spacious and original.
Most of the people who decide to rebuild, note a lot of positive moments from the work done. However, there are also disadvantages. A number of works related to the transfer of load-bearing walls and communications may require additional documents. The registration process is accompanied by considerable costs, both financially and temporally.
Possible solutions, how to connect
To carry out the idea of ​​reorganizing the premises, it is necessary that certain conditions are met:
- It is necessary that kitchen appliances (dishwasher, stove, other equipment) are above or below the level of the corridor, pantry or built-in furniture.
- Moving a kitchen room into a living room or into a corridor makes sense and is possible only if there is natural light in the room. Even if there is no window in the room, then it is necessary to arrange glass doors into the next room, which will successfully transmit light.
It is strictly forbidden to arrange a kitchen in dark rooms, illuminated only by backlights or electrical appliances.
Invalid actions
The homeowner has the right to independently decide how the apartment will be arranged, but there are several prohibitions that you should definitely listen to. We are talking about such actions:
- you cannot combine a kitchen with a bedroom, with a nursery or with another living space, if it has a gas stove;
- it is forbidden to clean the door in the kitchen if the room has gas equipment;
- it is important not to demolish load-bearing walls and partitions;
- it is possible to transfer the kitchen and all communications only by agreement, but above or below the level of a similar room.
There are many more requirements that must be met. In this case, it is worth being guided by the building regulations.
In what cases it is necessary to legalize redevelopment
When the apartment has a gas stove, it is unacceptable to combine other rooms with the kitchen. The demolition of the wall between these rooms is against safety standards. Despite such a strict ban, there is also a solution to the problem. You can expand the space around the door or move the partition to make the kitchen larger and wider. An interesting option is the use of sliding partitions between the kitchen and the living room, made of MDF or chipboard, glass or plastic. It is the sliding structure that can be an ideal option for a small kitchen and save you from unpleasant odors.
When starting a redevelopment, the landlord should understand that it is impossible to simply remove load-bearing walls or move communications. If handled incorrectly, there is a risk of collapse of the entire building. If the reconstruction is required very serious, then first you will have to contact the BTI with a prepared project and obtain the appropriate permission. Usually, a document is requested when:
- you need to move or demolish a wall, part of a wall;
- it is planned to combine the kitchen with a balcony or loggia.
Only residents of the first floor are allowed to move the kitchen to any part of the apartment, since they have the opportunity to conduct all communications correctly. For owners of apartments on other floors, this option is not available.
How to combine a kitchen and a room – coordination of rooms and design
When there is a desire to combine the premises of the living room and kitchen, then it’s time to take care of the preparation of all the necessary documents. In addition to documentation, it is important to take care of drawing up a design project and taking into account all the important nuances that will be discussed further.
It is much easier to agree on redevelopment in a new building: sometimes the approval of the developer or management company is enough, and some structural or engineering changes can be agreed with the chief architect or chief engineer of the project.
Depending on the shape and dimensions of the room
Each area in the room should be convenient, comfortable and stylistically verified. Taking into account the shape and size of the room, the following zones can be equipped in the room:
- You should not limit the working area in the kitchen to a few squares, because a person should be comfortable and comfortable there.
- An ideal solution for placing appliances and other devices in the kitchen – according to the rules of the triangle. Looks good option with placement in one line. The proposed schemes can significantly reduce the time of moving around the kitchen.
- It is worth abandoning the bar counter if the family has children or elderly people, since a classic dining table will be much more convenient.
- It is better to define a lighter area for the living room, and the remaining area for the kitchen.
- As a dining area, window sills or folding chairs can be a good solution. This step will help to cope with the lack of free space. During the feast, you can use a sliding transforming table.
- It makes sense to divide a narrow and elongated room in half, leaving the kitchen without natural light. But this scheme is more advantageous than if the living room is left without a window. Well-placed lamps and a transparent partition will correct the lighting situation.
- A square room will allow you to install an L-shaped set for the kitchen, and successfully use the rest of the room as a living room.
It is important to take into account the size of the room, but this is only the first step in remodeling. It is important to take into account many other factors, which are discussed below.
How to choose a style
It is important to equip the room not only rationally, but also stylishly. The room should be cozy and comfortable, so you should decide on the style in advance. For bachelor housing, minimalism and industrial styles may be relevant.
A good choice may be such a direction as modern classics. Practical furniture and natural textiles are the perfect combination.
Zoning methods
Since several rooms are combined in one room, it is imperative to take these factors into account. The total area should not lose its original function. This will help zoning. There are several options:
- decorate each zone in your own style;
- use partitions;
- use different colors or lighting.
There are other schemes, but such techniques are used by designers most often, since they are considered the most effective.
Lighting
It is not difficult to equip a room in which a living room and a kitchen are combined, however, in a small apartment you will have to work hard. There is not very much space in such a room, which means that you will have to think through every detail. The lighting of the room is of particular importance. You can use bright light in one room, and dim in another. This will make it possible to divide the rooms into parts.
It is good to use different types of lighting fixtures, for example, LED strips, spotlights, built-in spots or floor lamps, sconces near the sofa.
In the kitchen area, it is imperative to illuminate the countertop, which means that it is worth using spotlights.
Color solutions
In recent years, designers have preferred to choose calm or, conversely, rich shades for decorating a room. Trends are unlikely to change anytime soon. Ideal combinations include:
- for planning a kitchen-living room-dining room, combinations of white, gray, milky or pale yellow will look good;
- for a bright interior, it is worth choosing a set with glossy facades;
- you should not use a large number of contrasting shades, as well as many variegated shades, since this will make the interior chaotic;
- the combination of turquoise and beige looks great. You can choose upholstered furniture in one tone, and a set for the kitchen, in another.
Different shades look good in combination with white, but it is important not to overdo it so that the apartment does not begin to resemble a hospital room.
For small rooms, it is worth choosing glossy elements that visually expand the room. In addition to gray, a sandy shade looks good.
Floor coverings
To divide a room into zones, it is worth considering using different materials for finishing the floor. For example, the kitchen area can be laid out with ceramic tiles, and for the living room you can use a laminate with a water floor under the bottom. An alternative option is to use materials of different colors and textures. For example, carpet or oak boards, varnishing are well suited for a living room.
Podium
Experienced designers advise using a simple technique – raising the floor in the kitchen area by a few centimeters. The elevation will make the interior more interesting, and the zones will be effectively separated. Even a few centimeters will allow you to somehow separate the kitchen from the living room, at the same time, preserving their unity.
Screens and partitions
A fairly simple option to divide the space is to use special screens or partitions. These accessories can be made of absolutely any material, but it is necessary to select them taking into account the general situation.
Furniture
Dividing a common area into zones can emphasize furnishings such as an original bar counter or dining table, a kitchen island or a sofa.
For a studio apartment, a bar counter and a sofa will be an excellent solution.
A kitchen island is a decoration that is suitable for a country house. In the dining area, you can place a beautiful chandelier, or complement the design with lamps above the bar counter. There will not be enough space in the apartment for such a situation. This material will tell you about replacing facades on a kitchen set.
Walls
The finishing material for the walls should be chosen with great care, since it is necessary to combine the colors, textures and shapes of the furnishings.
You can offer the following options:
- in the kitchen unit area, it is a good idea to equip an apron that will protect the walls from splashing during cooking. Tiles or varnished films look beautiful. Today on sale there are special panels made of plastic or glass;
- to decorate the living room, you should choose wallpaper, decorative plaster or special paint;
- a good solution is to decorate the interior with a brick wall, and bricks can have different colors, shapes, patterns.
Painting a brick wall with white paint looks very creative. This will make the room look bright and modern.
Ceiling
The ideal ceiling solution is neat finishes and multi-level lighting. A stretch ceiling or a multi-level structure is perfect for this purpose. The latter option will help to further resolve issues with zoning and will contribute to the visual division of space.
It is quite possible to hide all irregularities, wiring and other defects behind drywall. It is important not to be mistaken with the color. For the living room – light shades, and for the kitchen, you can choose something brighter.
Moving the kitchen to the room along with communications
There are several communication networks that require mandatory migration. It’s worth mentioning here:
- ventilation;
- water supply;
- sewerage.
The reorganization and transfer of the kitchen to the corridor and living room entails the mandatory transfer of all these systems, although homeowners remember this only at the last moment. There are no problems with water supply, since water can pass even through small pipes, but with sewage, everything is much more complicated. The device requires a pipe with a diameter of at least 50 mm. You should definitely think about ventilation, otherwise cooking odors will remain in the room.
Combining with an electric stove
There are no rules limiting the conduct of such a redevelopment. Moreover, the reconstruction may well be carried out by arranging an opening in the wall between two rooms, or by demolishing the wall.
To implement such a project, the homeowner will first have to obtain a special permit to dismantle the wall, since it may turn out to be load-bearing.
How to combine with a gas stove
In the position number 1508, in paragraph 10.17 it is stated that it is strictly forbidden to combine rooms with a kitchen, where there is a gas stove. Even an opening in the partition, between these, a room cannot be arranged without a door.
It is because of this point that permission for reconstruction is often denied. These rules apply only to the combination living room + kitchen. Other options, for example, kitchen + corridor, are quite acceptable.
Connection with replacement of gas for electric
To simplify the procedure for obtaining official permission for the reconstruction of an apartment, the owners are striving to replace the gas stove with an electric one.
The easiest step is to replace the gas with a conventional, low-power two-burner stove. This does not require any complicated approvals, and it is cheaper at a price. When the replacement is made, then you can think about agreeing on a project for redeveloping the premises.
conclusions
- Combining a room with a kitchen is not an easy procedure, since there are permissible actions, but there are activities that require permission from the authorized department.
- When designing a combined room, it is worth considering its area and configuration, and then, think over in what style it will be performed.
- Do not forget about zoning with the living room and other rooms. It is recommended to divide the room into zones using standard techniques so that the room does not lose its functionality.
- A kitchen with a gas stove cannot be combined with other rooms, but you can use an electric stove.