Can an open-plan layout really work in a small space? Will a tiny kitchen be able to function perfectly and still look amazing stylish while sharing its space with a dining zone? The answer to both questions is YES!
We know we sometimes focus on larger properties, but today it's the turn of small, modest homes that have used open-plan kitchen ideas and we're confident you'll love every one of them!
Each has been carefully coordinated by a kitchen planner, but you'll be able to glean some amazing ideas to help improve yours, so check out some of our favourite open-plan kitchen diner ideas.
This blue kitchen opens out into a dining room and has a mere glass sliding door through to the rest of the space.
We love how this kitchen is completely open in the room. Not even a worktop separates it!
A splash of dark and brooding colour is all that defines this lovely corner kitchen.
The energy here is so positive and, by having no top cupboards, this kitchen blends wonderfully into the surroundings.
The all-white cabinets almost make this kitchen disappear from sight, instead shifting our focus to the diner section in the front!
Only one non-load-bearing wall stands inbetween this modern glossy kitchen and the corridor, but the floor beautifully defines where one space ends and the next start.
With all-white everything (including the fitted kitchen), the pink accent splashback is gorgeous and perfectly ties in with the sofa cushion!
This wonderfully zingy space gets better the more you look at it.
See how to make a small kitchen design work? With all the full-height items at one end of the kitchen and perfectly-sized furnishings on the living/dining side, this use of space is inspired.
It looks like the mice have been at this kitchen! With such a bold colour choice, it's great that the wider living area is white and offers no dramatic contrast.
Part of a fabulous loft conversion, the simplicity of this set up is what makes it work so well.
See? Tiny kitchens with minuscule breakfast bars really can work and look great as part of an open-plan space. Notice how the traditional wood cleverly boxes out and frames different areas.
Upon first sight this looks like a large home. However, after you realise this is everything, you see it differently! A narrow but wide open-plan kitchen uses the space most effectively.
When an open-plan space is too fussy, it can look small and pokey. Fortunately, this version is so simple and fluid (just look at the worktop-to-table connection) that it works.
Wood cabins always look phenomenal left open-plan. It's due to the warmth of the wood making every facet of the space look cosy and inviting… like this kitchen!
Exactly like this! We adore this space-savvy cube of a kitchen.
A bit of a trick of the eye, this kitchen is actually sunken down from the floor. Note the ingenious matching of the wooden floor with the cupboard tones.
In a pale, open-plan space, a darker kitchen offers beautiful contrast.
We'll always love a white, open-plan kitchen.
• Boosts entertaining, with guests and hosts seamlessly communicating with one another from the kitchen to the dining- and living areas.
• Stimulates use of more space. Certain rooms, like formal dining rooms, may not get used that often. But start considering open-plan kitchen ideas and you can more easily (and more often) make use of all your indoor space.
• Enhanced views and natural lighting. Fewer walls means more to look at, especially if your adjoining diner / living room has glass doors that bleed out onto a patio or balcony.
• Messiness from cooking/baking, especially a small kitchen, is more visible from the living/dining area.
• Noise levels from one end of the open-plan design to the other are increased.
• Lack of privacy. Some people prefer cooking in silence with nobody nearby watching TV or working/doing homework at the nearby dining table.
Now that we’ve (possibly) convinced you to give the open-plan look a try, you may want to sneak a peek at these 11 nifty tricks to make your kitchen look more expensive.