Open Plan Kitchens vs Closed Plan Kitchens
There are many factors to consider when planning the layout of your kitchen. A question we are frequently asked is “is it better to have an Open Plan or Closed Plan Kitchen?” whilst neither is objectively better than the other, it is important to first understand what you are looking to get out of the space.
Open plan kitchens have become increasingly popular throughout the past decade owing to their optimization of space. Below are some of the advantages of opting for an open plan set up.
1. As touched on previously, open plan kitchens help you get the most out of tight spaces, due to the lack of barriers like walls and doors. This in turn makes the room feel more spacious.
2. Brighter spaces. Once again, the reduction in barriers allows light to flow between the kitchen and adjacent rooms leading to the space looking brighter. Couple this with lighter colored wall coverings like white and cream, and you end up with a lively vibrant feel to your kitchen and living spaces
3. One of the best aspects of having an open kitchen is that it allows you the ability to go about your cooking but still have an overall presence in the area. Whether it’s socializing with house guests or watching over your little ones in the next room, you can literally be in two places at once.
Traditional closed plan kitchens are as the name suggests, closed off from the rest of the home, similar to a bedroom. They are surrounded on all four sides by walls and connected to neighboring rooms via doors or passageways. Whilst considered by some to be outdated, here are some advantages to enclosed kitchens.
1. With a closed kitchen, the noise and fumes given off when cooking are restricted to the kitchen themselves, meaning you don’t have to worry about when you can use a blender or open every window in the home the day you cook fish.
2. Having an extra wall in the kitchen can contribute to extra storage space. It is one more surface where you can place a cabinet or cupboard. When used effectively closed kitchens will give off an aura of being neat and structured workspaces.
3. Kitchens can be untidy places, especially when hosting guests. With enclosed kitchens, you can hide away all the mess from your guests or anyone else.
There are a whole host of possibilities when it comes to choosing a kitchen layout, but closed and open plan kitchens are just two ends of a non-binary spectrum. There are a lot of ways in which you can get the best of both worlds. For example, if you want a closed space to cook, but still keep an eye on your children, why not have an open style plan which is partitioned from the next room by some indoor plants, The options to experiment are limitless!
