Ideas & Tips for Designer-Quality Open Concept Kitchens
Open concept kitchen ideas are in demand. While you may see picture-perfect kitchens in magazines or online, you may be struggling to create the perfect open-style kitchen design in your own home. Working with a designer does not have to cost a fortune. It may require some investment, but can actually help you save money during construction or remodel. Designers can also help you bring your ideas to life in a seamless manner. For kitchen remodel ideas, small kitchen ideas with an open concept, and more. . . keep reading.
What makes a kitchen an open concept?
The two main types of kitchen floor plans are open and closed concepts. An open concept floor plan has recently become very popular. In an open concept kitchen, essentially no walls are separating the cooking area from other dining and living areas in the home. This can make these areas of the home feel more spacious. A closed-concept kitchen floor plan is a more traditional style that makes the kitchen closed off from the rest of the house. Usually, a door or small opening goes between the kitchen, dining area, and living room.
What are the advantages of open concept kitchens?
There are many advantages and disadvantages to having a home with an open concept kitchen. There is more space, often more lighting, and you can have quite a large kitchen island to provide more seating and prep space. Some of the disadvantages though include reduced cabinet space and increased noise. Let us take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of an open concept kitchen.
Advantages:
- More space: Not having walls or doors removes barriers that make a space smaller.
- More social: For the chef in the family, having an open concept kitchen allows for them to participate in family conversation while attending to the food being cooked.
- Group cooking: If several people wish to participate in the cooking of a meal, having an open concept kitchen allows this to happen more easily because of the extra space.
- Ideal for a kitchen island: More space means you may want to consider a large kitchen island to add seating, prep space, and additional cabinets.
- Great for multitasking: An open concept kitchen allows you to multitask while you cook. You can watch television, supervise your children, or entertain guests while cooking.
- More light: Not having walls to block out the light from other rooms can help create a bright space that contains enormous amounts of natural light.
Disadvantages:
- Lack of privacy: An open concept kitchen does not allow for privacy as whatever is happening inside the kitchen is constantly visible by everyone else in the house.
- More noise: Anything that is happening in the kitchen can be heard in all the other adjacent rooms. Using a blender, food processor, or other noisy appliances can annoy guests or family members trying to watch a movie.
- Less cabinet space: The lack of the additional wall means less space to have cabinets installed.
An open concept kitchen is not for everyone, so you may want to consider all of the advantages and disadvantages of possessing an open concept kitchen before purchasing a home with one.
What are the different styles of open concept kitchens?
When you hear the phrase open concept kitchen you may be thinking that there are not many layouts that you can choose from when the kitchen is being designed. That is not true. There are dozens of different types of layouts for open concept kitchens. Here is a list of a few of the most popular and common open concept kitchen layouts.
- One-wall open kitchen
- Large open kitchen layout
- Seamless open kitchen design
- Open kitchen and dining space
- Modern open kitchen
- L-shaped open kitchen
- Open kitchen traffic flow
- Small open kitchen layout
- remodeled open kitchen
- Casual kitchen dining area
- Furniture style features open kitchen
- Modern open kitchen and dining room
- Open kitchen entry
- Open kitchen color scheme
- Creative kitchen redo
Each of these styles has its own unique personality and twist on the open concept kitchen layout. If you are considering a full kitchen renovation that involves removing walls to create an open kitchen, you may want to consider enlisting the help of a professional kitchen designer who can walk you through these 15 style concepts and dozens more.
Does an open concept kitchen increase home value?
If you are looking to renovate your kitchen and use an open-concept kitchen floor plan, you should prepare yourself for a bit of sticker shock when it comes to the overall price of the renovation. Removing walls can increase the price of your kitchen renovation significantly. Even more so if there happens to be a large amount of HVAC, plumbing, or electrical infrastructure inside of the wall.
Additionally, if the wall is load-bearing, it can be up to 10 times more expensive to remove it than a wall that is not. For these reasons, the overall value of your home may increase when you create an open concept kitchen, however, the chances that you will make a profit or even break even on your investment are slim to none.
Are open concept kitchens expensive?
The short answer is yes. Removing walls has the potential to be very expensive depending on if it is a load-bearing wall, and if within the wall, there is a lot of infrastructure like electrical wiring, pipes, and air ducts. If the wall is non-load bearing, it can cost as little as $300 to remove it. If the wall is in fact load-bearing, you could be looking at closer to $3,000.
Other costs associated with creating an open concept kitchen include patching the ceilings, patching the floors, and installing new cabinets. Patching ceilings typically cost around $50 to $75 per square foot. The floor repairs can cost anywhere from $200 to $800. New cabinets can be very expensive as well, depending on whether you choose custom cabinets or pre-fabricated cabinets. Custom cabinets can cost as much as $1,200 per linear foot, depending on the materials and craftsmanship. The average cost for an open concept kitchen remodel is $25,640 in the United States.
What open concept kitchen ideas are trending right now?
The interior design industry has seen some exciting trends come out so far in 2021. Many of these trends can be applied to either an open or closed concept kitchen layout. However, when these trends are applied to an open concept kitchen layout they can provide a spacious and modern-looking kitchen that is fitting for the times. Here is a breakdown of some of the trends we have seen so far in 2021.
- Smart kitchens: Kitchen appliances have gotten pretty advanced in recent years. A smart kitchen incorporates convenient and advanced technology into almost every facet of the kitchen.
- Dark colors: Kitchens in the past really liked the use of white and other lighter colors. 2022 is the year for dark cabinets and dark walls.
- Effective and creative storage space: Cabinets are crucial in any kitchen, however, how they are designed to save space can be a game-changer.
- Kitchen islands: Kitchen islands are more popular than ever, and if you have an open concept kitchen, you are going to want a kitchen island to bring the space together.
This is just a small example of some of the most popular open concept kitchen trends in 2022. These trends are not only for open concept kitchens. They can be applied to almost every type of kitchen floor plan.
Is it better to hire a professional to design an open concept kitchen?
Hiring a professional to design your open concept kitchen may be one of the best decisions you make. Having a professional who is experienced in designing kitchen floor plans may expose you to design concepts you could never have thought of on your own. It may also actually save you money in the long run, because the professional design will be accurate and prevent any errors from occurring during the renovation.
