A kitchen-living room is often considered as an option, more suitable for owners of large areas - apartments or private houses. When starting to combine the living room and kitchen into one space, you should think about possible scenarios for arranging furniture and harmoniously selected materials. In general, the conceived interior should be fully adapted according to the lifestyle of the owners, and, of course, the chosen interior style.
Eco
The choice of natural materials is expressed in the creation of residential interiors for connoisseurs of “living in urban comfort, but closer to nature.” To embody eco-style in the kitchen-living room, designers use complex shades given to us by nature: sand, wood, stone, foliage, etc. Kitchen facades, as a rule, are finished with veneer of various types, marble, slate or porphyry. At the same time, a kitchen equipped with appliances should have an abundance of natural light and no clutter with unnecessary elements for free movement. You can also imitate natural textures by choosing a composite that fully complies with safety certificates. Lightness, the use of plant elements and ease of movement are important features of eco interiors for the kitchen-living room.
Loft
Residents of the megalopolis, as world designers suggest, highly appreciate one of the most modern styles in design - the loft. To create it, you need large footage, wide windows and high ceilings. A kitchen-living room in this style looks like a place for creative self-expression, where culinary masterpieces are created against its background. Materials for decoration in this style are suitable for the most non-standard and even a little brutal approach: vintage metal, a variety of rough textures (wood, shabby brick, oxidized copper), like the scenery of the former factory life, but with a modern technological look and comfort. Instead of a standard chandelier, groups of light sources are welcome.
Retro
The influence of the aesthetics of the 50s of the last century is clearly observed in the kitchen-living room interiors. The presence of retro styling is felt in the floor and wall coverings, furniture used, in a number of decorative accessories and lighting fixtures. Most modern manufacturers offer versions of the original retro kitchens as if descended from the pages of magazines. High-legged kitchen sets, thin metal frames, coffee table options and comfortable shelves. Just go to homeydesignstore and see for yourself how many items can support your choice of style. Color combinations resonate with ornaments, inventive sources of lighting are welcome - multi-arm chandeliers, floor lamps. At the same time, retro styling does not argue with the functionality of the zones: the kitchen is fully equipped with smart appliances, and the living room is elegant and cozy.
Modern kitchen-living room design
The modern image of the kitchen-living room should be integral and uniform in style, and not fall apart into different parts. The course towards laconicism in design is expressed in almost everything - straight lines, neutral tones, smooth facades textures without decor prevail. The furniture also has clear geometric shapes and is restrained in color. Keep in mind that you need to select only one area: the kitchen or living room, leaving the other laconic and discreet. Most often, designers choose the option of a kitchen without an accent and with facades painted in the color of the walls or a shade similar in tone. Superfluous details also faded into the background - the hood and sink are hidden, the handles are hidden.
As a result, the furniture actually merges into one whole with the walls and the living space immediately becomes light. Disguised kitchen cabinets and shelves create an invisible kitchen effect, but at the same time, the living space remains spacious and functional. Here you can use completely non-standard materials - metals, concrete or stone.
Focus on finishing materials
Of the materials popular today for finishing facades, several basic ones can be distinguished: textured wood, stone, glass, ceramics, steel. Steel kitchens are increasingly appearing in modern living spaces, embodying the image of a professional culinary laboratory. Concrete (or its imitation) is no less popular - a brutal building material for finishing facades and countertops. For modern countertops and a backsplash, choose marble, steel or brass. The use of veneer is appropriate if it is combined with the panels or flooring in the living room. The usage of a composite that is completely safe in a residential environment will help in imitating the natural textures of wood, marble or cement.
Visual unity
Clear zoning is in the past: you can harmoniously combine the space with the help of correctly selected finishing materials. Through flooring, you can, for example, transfer the stone to the living room, using it partially near the entrance to the kitchen or around the perimeter of the room. The same wall decoration in the kitchen and living room will create the effect of a single space, and their borders can be emphasized by arranging the facades of furniture, an apron, lighting, etc. Creating a multi-level podium base is a great way to visually highlight a kitchen unit and unify space. Its height can be the smallest, the main thing is to get used to it.
Smooth facades
Matte textures, natural shades and a minimum of panels are in trend now. Matt lacquer for kitchen facades more harmoniously combines non-trivial materials in the form of concrete, stone or vintage wood. Also, the matte surface makes it much easier to build the look of the kitchen set when combining different shades for the top and bottom rows of cabinets. Glossy surfaces are gradually being abandoned for obvious reasons: soiling and inappropriate reflections in a particular interior.
In line with the island
The demand for the kitchen island has grown significantly. The main condition for its application is the availability of a sufficient number of square feet. Such a technique in the layout of the kitchen, combined with the living room and dining room, makes the transition of zones more harmonious. The island can play an auxiliary role or the main one - a working area for cooking or a sink is directly built into it, and an extractor hood is mounted on top. All household appliances and other kitchen accessories should be hidden behind the smooth facades of the island, the volume of which provides additional storage conditions. At its ends, you can arrange special roomy shelves for fans of souvenirs and magazines. It is important to create the most harmonious set by making it "invisible," but at the same time, all kitchen furniture should support the chosen style of living space. Thus, the kitchen island becomes a kind of the center of the kitchen-living room and a connecting element.