Allow me to say up front that at the great debate on open versus closed kitchens, I am firmly onto the open-plan team. I’ve helped dozens of layout clients tear down walls and open kitchens up to adjoining spaces, and demo day always brings enormous smiles as the homeowners obtain their first glimpse of what the newly opened-up kitchen is going to look and feel like.
However, after years of living with kitchens that are open, I realize there are many detractors amongst us. There are individuals who entertain and cook often and do not particularly like to have their own kitchen mess in open view of their guests. Some would rather not smell their dinner through the home long after it has been prepared and eaten. I propose that you can have your open-plan kitchen but use some suggestions to shut it off to conceal a mess, or to keep your guests from underfoot as you prepare your own feast.
Alan Mascord Design Associates Inc
Give Yourself Options
Consider installing a large sliding barn door or 2, to allow you the flexibility of having a spacious or closed kitchen. You can keep it available for everyday use — to delight in the open, expansive feel and circulation of light — while using the choice to close those doors if you want to keep children, pets out or visitors, or to conceal the prep mess while entertaining.
K.Marshall Design Inc..
Close off the part of the kitchen which sees the most action — like the area close to the primary sink or range. You can keep the rest of the kitchen, which perhaps doesn’t get overly cluttered, open and accessible to all.
diSalvo Interiors
If you want to have the ability to shut off the kitchen but still want to have an open atmosphere and light, put in a door made of a translucent material. You can close it to block out cooking scents or sounds without feeling entirely closed off from the rest of the home.
Allen Construction
These folding doors above the island are a brilliant way to produce a hybrid open-closed kitchen.
Bushman Dreyfus Architects
Visually Close It Away
That really is a cool option for a contemporary loft space. Metal mesh drapes installed on a monitor allow the kitchen to go from open to closed. The kitchen still has an open feel, but the drape can disguise any kitchen messes. It certainly discourages visitors from getting in the way while someone is elbow deep in meal prep, too.
Gast Architects
This kitchen combines closed and open in a means which allows the chef to still be a part of the party. A peninsula limits the circulation of traffic to the kitchen also creates more space for working cooking magic. Upper cabinets add to the partially enclosed effect.
Laidlaw Schultz architects
Raise Your Isle
If it’s not so much children or guests circulating to your kitchen area that disturbs you, but more a necessity to disguise meal-prep messes, consider increasing the far end of your island. It provides visitors a nice place to perch at as you work in the sink or cooktop, too.
Suyama Peterson Deguchi
Viewed from outside the kitchen, a raised island will obstruct the view to the kitchen work surfaces.
Loop Design
Insert a Half Wall
This kitchen opens to the adjacent dining area, but a half wall provides some separation. Additionally, it hides most of the work surfaces in the kitchen from perspective. This setup means someone can easily mingle together and serve guests without having the remains of their meal prep on full screen.
Vent the Smells
when you have an open-plan kitchen and cook often, I can not emphasize enough how important it is to put in a high quality, properly powered venting hood which vents to the outside. A recirculating blower simply will not cut it ; you need to receive the cooking smells up and out of your home.
Here is a guide to selecting and installing the correct vent hood to your kitchen.
Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
Invest in Quieter Appliances
you desire your port hood to efficiently eliminate kitchen odors within a spacious kitchen, and you also want it to be quiet. Some port hoods and dishwashers are so loud when they are running, it’s like you are hanging out on a aircraft carrier once you are close to them. Great sound-dampened appliances are going to cost you more, but they’re worth it if you are dedicated to an open-plan concept and do not want to listen to excess blower sound.
Inform us : Can you prefer an open or closed kitchen? What are your tips for making it work for you?
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