The type of kitchen is one of the most important decisions when buying or building a house. Both a kitchen annex and a separate kitchen have their pros and cons, which you can compare HERE. The following article is for those who have decided on a living room with a kitchen annex. We suggest how to arrange such a room to maximize comfort and create a beautiful, cozy space – the heart of the home, where residents will spend many moments together.
The living room and kitchen are one room
Remember when arranging that the kitchen annex is actually part of the living room.
Therefore, even if you decide to separate it with a counter or an island, the kitchen decor should be consistent with the living room.
A living room with a large decorative sofa and wooden, carved furniture won’t particularly match a white, minimalist kitchen finished in high gloss.
If you have a dominant or complementary color, use it (or its shade) in the kitchen as well.
Despite having two completely different functionalities, your living room and kitchen are one room, so remember to ensure the styles and colors do not clash.
Zoning areas
There is nothing stopping you from subtly separating the kitchen area from the relaxation area while maintaining style consistency.
You can use the floor to achieve this by laying tiles in the kitchen area.
However, keep in mind that divisions on the floor can visually reduce the space (we discuss space-enhancing tricks HERE).
Currently, it’s becoming more common for the floor in the kitchen annex and living room to remain the same.
The market offers a wide range of waterproof vinyl panels that are also suitable for high-traffic areas.
Tiling the kitchen walls is a very practical idea that also delineates the area.
You can also use furniture, a table (with a folding top in smaller spaces), a high bar counter with stools, serving as additional workspace, or backless shelves that can be used from both the kitchen and living room sides.
Lighting
If you’re in the midst of renovation, you probably know that the most user-friendly lighting is diffused light, which has many sources, and each zone should be illuminated separately (e.g., a study area, a reading area before bed, or a wardrobe area in the bedroom).
Here, too, we need to remember about appropriate lighting.
One ceiling lamp may not be enough.
The kitchen annex should have its own light sources to make food preparation and cleaning comfortable.
LED lamps mounted directly above the countertops will work best (when planning the fixtures, remember that standing at the counter, you can easily block improperly planned light), as well as a larger ceiling lamp illuminating the main table where meals are consumed.
Furniture arrangement
When planning furniture in the kitchen annex, it’s worth remembering the work triangle, consisting of three basic zones: cooking, washing, and storage, which should be spaced apart from each other. In the most popular kitchen layout, the L-shaped one, the oven, sink, and refrigerator are located at the vertices of the triangle.
The furniture should not be directly adjacent to each other, and the comfortable distance between them should be at least 120 cm.
This provides space for worktops, which are ready to use when taking out multiple items from the fridge, washing dishes, or transferring dishes from the oven or stove.
A kitchen annex in the shape of a triangle is extremely practical when preparing meals with multiple people.
It’s definitely easier to create natural pathways then when working at countertops arranged in a single row.
Storage
In the kitchen, we store the most products and need the largest number of utensils.
That’s why it’s incredibly difficult to maintain order; it often feels like clutter builds up on its own.
While in a separate, enclosed kitchen, you can afford to display spices or decorative dishes, in a living room with a kitchen annex, it’s better to have these accessories hidden.
Therefore, built-in cabinets reaching to the ceiling and concealing all appliances in custom-made furniture are excellent solutions.
Drawers with organizers inside can help store spices or cutlery.
Increasingly popular are also shallow tip-on cabinets above the countertops, imitating a wall, where you can store handy groceries.
Kitchen annexes are the most commonly encountered form of kitchens in modern homes.
At Novisa, we build functionally and modernly – our over 23 years of experience allow us to create excellent and comfortable homes where residents create family memories.
Check out our offer of houses and apartments with kitchen annexes and choose your new home!
