Kitchen-living room with a breakfast bar: design features, photos

Kitchen-living room or kitchen-studio today is a very popular solution for organizing living space. If earlier such combined rooms were possible only after redevelopment, today in the market there are a lot of finished houses with similar layouts. The kitchen-living room gives more space for the implementation of any ideas. However, it also requires careful study of the design, arrangement of furniture, zoning in order for the room to be functional and cozy.

Pros and cons of the design of the kitchen combined with the living room (photo)

This option is ideal if you are the owner of a very small kitchenette of modest size. The combination of these rooms will allow you to get much more free space in which you can place a large working area and a full dining table.

If you often receive guests, the combination of cooking and eating areas will facilitate serving and serving dishes - you don’t have to run after the missing spoon or a new dish between the rooms.

If you like to watch TV while cooking, you do not need to have two of them - a large screen in the living room will be visible to everyone.

Perhaps one of the main advantages - the kitchen-living room will be the heart of the house where the whole family can gather. Moms engaged in households will be able to take an active part in the lives of other family members - children playing in the living area, doing homework at a large table or watching movies together with dad.

Disadvantages of this layout are also present - if you are limited in the amount of housing, then sacrifice, for example, your bedroom for the sake of the living room is definitely not worth it. Also, many may not like the smells of cooked food, which one way or another will be present in the living area. However, a powerful hood will help solve this problem.

The counter between the hall and the kitchen - correct zoning

Since the kitchen is multifunctional, it is important to properly zon it. The main design techniques to visually divide into zones:

• bar counter;
• sofa (how to place it read here) and a dining table behind him;
• different floor coverings, for example, porcelain tiles in the kitchen area and laminate in the living room;
• multi-level floor - for example, the kitchen area is raised above the rest of the room;
• multi-level ceilings;
• different lighting in each zone;
• color schemes that clearly divide the room into parts.

Often, several of these techniques play a role in zoning.

Separating the kitchen with the bar

This is the most frequent and appropriate option of delimiting the space between the hall and the kitchenette. It is perfect for both large rooms and very modest rooms. The plus is its versatility, because it not only visually complements the space, but can also serve a work surface, a dining table or a place for a light snack, when serving food at a large table is not time.

It can be mobile (in the form of a small console, for example, on wheels), but more often it is made stationary - freestanding, wall-mounted or combined with furniture.

In small rooms, the rack can be very narrow and short, about 30-40 cm wide and 60 cm long. Behind it will fit only one person, but this is ideal for a small bachelor studio. For larger rooms where a large family gathers, the island will be an ideal solution - this is a large freestanding structure with a width of at least 1 meter and a length of about 1.5 meters. Often cabinets or even household appliances are built into it, making it a continuation of the workspace.

When is a bar not needed?

Very often chasing after style and interior “like from a magazine” the owners and designers are trying to accommodate everything that is possible in the design of the room, thereby cluttering up the space with furniture.

This often happens with the stand, which in addition to zoning does not carry any function.
How to understand that you can do without it? If the kitchen worktop is spacious enough, and the family members have enough time to eat at the table, rather than on the run, then perhaps it will not be used often. Also, it will be superfluous in houses where it is customary to gather at the table with the whole family.

It is also difficult to sit on a high bar stool with comfort, even if it is equipped with a back and armrests. This is especially true for older people and children. Such families are also better off saving space and setting up a full dining table.

Which option to choose 

First of all, when choosing, you need to pay attention to the size of the room. If the room is small, then the rack should be no more than 60 cm in length and about 30 cm in width. For large rooms - from 1.2 meters in length and 60 cm in width. However, for a large room, a small counter is possible, intended only for zoning the space, for a morning cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

Its height depends on the functionality and configuration. If it is part of a kitchen set, then its height will be flush with the countertop - from 85 to 90 cm. But there may be high ones - their height can reach 130 cm.

It is important to choose the material. Often it is the same as that of kitchen furniture. For example, if the stand is a narrow tabletop on a chrome support, it can be made of chipboard or MDF.

A more thorough option, for example, based on a pedestal, and not on a thin support. Then it can be artificial or natural stone, wood (read also Wood decoration).

And more options: