It can feel incredibly frustrating to be cut off from the rest of your home, from guests and family, while preparing a meal that everyone is meant to enjoy. Walled-in kitchens cause this isolation, when in reality, you should be able to connect with others in your home.
A great deal of time is spent in your kitchen, so it shouldn’t be a place that aggravates you. It should bring you joy and allow you to relate and socialize with your family and friends. If you are frustrated with your current kitchen, then having your kitchen renovated to your specifications, with Lakeside Renovation & Design, is the way to go.
An open concept kitchen renovation is the perfect solution for those kitchen woes. So, let’s dive into what exactly an open concept kitchen renovation is and the many benefits you’ll experience by creating one.
What Is an Open Concept Kitchen?
An open concept kitchen comes as it sounds—at least partially if not totally open to other spaces in the home. Modern homes commonly have an open concept kitchen, living, and dining space, where all three rooms are open to one another without obstructing walls. A well-thought-out design will designate and distinguish each space while also allowing them to flow freely into one another.
How to Achieve It
When it comes to open concept, walls are going to have to come down. Your kitchen space should be easily accessible from the other rooms in your home.
This typically manifests itself as a one-wall kitchen. In this layout, you replace one wall of cabinetry for an island that overlooks the other spaces of your home. Your larger kitchen appliances and cabinetry are all moved to a single, opposite wall. Smaller appliances like your dishwasher, sink, or stovetop can sometimes be located on the outward-facing island.
Search for a team that has a design expert to help maximize the space and flow of your open concept kitchen remodel.
The Benefits of an Open Concept Kitchen
With the right design behind your renovation, open concept living is one of the best decisions you can make for your home. Here are some of the greatest benefits it brings.
Socialization and Entertainment
The number one reason for creating an open concept kitchen layout is the socializing aspect. When kitchens were predominantly designed as walled off, separate rooms, it may have isolated the cooking and smells, but it also isolated anyone in the kitchen from the rest of the home.
If you enjoy entertaining, socializing with family, or being able to keep an eye on your kids or pets while cooking, then an open concept kitchen is the right fit for your home.
Brightens a Room
Any room that is isolated by walls in a home will feel cramped and dark. This can be especially frustrating in a kitchen, which is utilized frequently and for a variety of purposes. Kitchens not only look beautiful when they contain plenty of light, but it also helps you accomplish those detailed tasks like chopping onions. While there are a variety of ways to add lighting to your kitchen, making your space more open concept will add the most natural light and make the room feel brighter than nearly any other option—including adding more incandescent bulbs.
Make a Small Space Feel Bigger
Many times, home builders and homeowners alike tend to close off kitchens to attempt to maximize storage space. They wall in the room with cabinets and shelving without even realizing that this hinders the flow of a home and makes the kitchen feel far smaller than it is. Opening walls and connecting rooms make a home feel bigger, and this is a bonus in both large and small homes.
To recover some of the storage space you feel you might be losing, add a large island (or even double islands) with plenty of cabinetry or install a walk-in pantry. If you lack the space for a pantry or extra wall cabinet, talk to your contractor about the potential of a bump-out addition.
Greater Home Enjoyment
It is important to love your home— the space you spend the majority of your life in. Open concepts foster a greater appreciation for your space. It becomes more of a lived-in home rather than a use-related house. It creates an atmosphere of socialization and togetherness, and they tend to look the most beautiful and bright of home layouts.
While an increased dollar value is important in a home, even greater is the joy you experience within its walls.
Increased Home Value
Open concept homes are an extremely popular trend in modern-day house designs for all of the reasons above—they make a home brighter, more functional, more efficient, and easier to enjoy.
And because an open concept brings so much function to your home, it also brings increased value. Potential future homebuyers love to see modern trends in a home, especially one that lends itself so well to overall family enjoyment.
Stop Feeling Walled In
When you are over the frustration that a closed-off kitchen can bring, our Lakeside Renovation and design team wants to help you create the perfect layout for your family.
Our team consists of an in-house design staff and a highly-qualified team of craftsmen. Together, our design-build team can create a beautiful, functional, and well-executed open concept home. If you want to learn more about how our kitchen renovation team can completely transform your home, contact us to get a free consultation.
