How to separate the kitchen and living room: light in the living room combined with the kitchen, how to zone in the studio

A small kitchen can be cozy, but the lack of space makes it difficult to create culinary masterpieces or dine with the family.

The way out can be a combination of two rooms: a kitchen and a room that acts as a living room.

Living room combined with kitchen

The lack of space does not allow making the interior of the kitchen the way we would like, besides, the abundance of kitchen appliances clutter up the space even more, narrowing the kitchen to a minimum size.

Combined kitchens are fashionable, stylish and modern

The option of combining the kitchen and living room is especially popular with the owners of “Khrushchev”. In such apartments, the kitchens are so small that it is very difficult to create a decent interior in the room.

Pros and cons of a studio kitchen

Among the advantages of combined kitchens are:

• The overall look of the apartment changes, the room seems spacious and more modern.
• The dark living room immediately becomes brighter due to the fact that the window in the kitchen adds additional lighting.
• This redevelopment option looks very stylish, in such a kitchen you immediately want to start cooking interesting dishes or get together with friends over a glass of wine.

Disadvantages of combined kitchens:

1. When cooking, smells will spread not only to the kitchen, but also to the living room. This disadvantage can not always be solved even by a good hood.
2. If you plan to relax in the living room, the sounds of working kitchen appliances may interfere.
3. Another disadvantage is the need to legitimize the redevelopment, not every design decision will be approved for implementation.

A working microwave, dishwasher and even a refrigerator cannot work silently, so if the living room is planned as a sleeping place, you should remember that while someone is in the kitchen, you will not be able to relax.

Redevelopment nuances:

Such a room looks modern and stylish, and the combined kitchen brings its own zest.

Kitchen combined with a room

If the kitchen is planned to be combined with a room, the entrance to it will have to be done by knocking out a wall between the two rooms. Then there will be a second entrance leading to the kitchen from the corridor. This space can be closed using the free space as you wish, for example, to place a refrigerator in it. You will have to refinish the walls – you can read about this in our article.

Do not forget that the switch in this case will need to be moved to a new entrance, which means that you can not do without rewiring.

Kitchen with balcony

Balcony – a great solution to make the kitchen more spacious

The kitchen, combined with a balcony, automatically becomes lighter and more spacious. But it is worth considering that during redevelopment, you will have to transfer the batteries and insulate the windows well.

Also think about whether to give up the balcony, because you will lose a place where you can dry clothes or store vegetables. It will be inconvenient for smokers to lose the balcony as a smoking area, because it will need to be equipped in the kitchen.

Kitchen-studio project: space zoning techniques

Zoning with light will help focus on the desired section

If you decide to combine the kitchen with the living room, do not forget that each of these rooms has its own purpose. If you do not know where to start repairing your own hands – you will find the answer here.

When redevelopment, you need to properly consider the zoning of the kitchen and living room, clearly dividing the cooking area and the recreation and eating areas. So, although you will lose the partition that separates the rooms, you will separate the kitchen from the living room using modern methods of space zoning.

Zoning with light

Zoning with light is quite simple to do. With the help of drywall above the working area in the kitchen, where the stove and countertop are located, a box with abundant spotlights is made. When you turn on the light, this area is well lit, while the living room remains in soft light.

In the living room, it is better to make two or three areas of lighting. It can be a sconce over the bed, color illumination over the computer desk or TV, a chandelier over the bar, or a dining table in the dining area.

By turning on one or another light, you will highlight a specific area that will be used at the moment for its intended purpose.

You should not divide the room into more than four zones, as it will seem too cluttered.

multi-level floor

Between the kitchen and the room, you can make a threshold, visually zoning the space. The threshold acts as a step that raises the kitchen to the podium. This solution is for you if you want to put a floor in the kitchen that is different from the floor in the room.

For example, in the living room, you put laminate on the floor and tiled the kitchen floor. Often the height of the floor in the kitchen is higher due to the fact that the floor is insulated.

Zoning with furniture

With the help of furniture, you can also zone the space, highlighting the desired zones. For example, a dining area might be marked with a table and chairs around it. You can separate the recreation area from the working kitchen area with a sofa or a bar counter.

Bar counter, screen, rack

The screen will help separate the kitchen and the living room, and if you approach it with imagination, you can get a rather original interior.

For convenience and space-saving, instead of the usual dining table, you can use a narrow bar counter, which is installed between the kitchen and the room. It can be static, or it can be laid out, freeing up even more space. The screen will clearly serve as a separator. The rack can be used to store the necessary things.

With a screen or shelving set perpendicular to the entrance to the kitchen, you can easily separate the two zones without much effort.

Zoning with color

Underline with color different zones of the combined room

Color zoning is successfully used in studio kitchens. Be sure to choose colors in the interior of the kitchen that are in harmony with each other. If you want to finish the kitchen in a light color, and paint the living room in warm colors, use similar colors or play with contrasts.

In the kitchen of the studio, you can use several methods of space zoning at once, it all depends on the preferences of the owners and the advice of the designer. One of the best styles for combined kitchens is the loft.

The lighter the colors of the walls, the more the space will expand, keep this in mind when choosing not only the color of the wallpaper or wall paint, but the color of the curtains and ceiling.

Equipment for the kitchen-studio

Appliances for the kitchen studio should be compact and functional.

1. Choose only the necessary devices for the kitchen.
2. When choosing a hood, pay attention to the power, because it has to cover a large room.
3. A gas stove is not suitable for cooking; it is better to install an induction electric stove in a studio apartment.
4. Such a factor as noiselessness during operation should also be taken into account when choosing equipment, because noisy devices will interfere with rest in the living room.
5. It is worth taking a closer look at such models of kitchen appliances that combine several devices at once. For example, a food processor that, if necessary, performs the function of a blender and an electronic meat grinder, or a slow cooker with a double boiler function.

Do not clutter up the space in the kitchen, for which you had to combine two rooms. An excellent option would be a built-in hood or other appliances that will be hidden in the furniture.

Arrange the kitchen wisely and the room will not seem cluttered

Using the space of the kitchen studio rationally, and with a little imagination, you can make this room very cozy. Before starting repairs, you must clearly imagine the future appearance of the rooms in order to take into account all the nuances of redevelopment.