Keeping Your Kitchen's Floor Plan Open During Your Next Remodel

Designing a kitchen with an open floor plan is a popular option for homeowners. Most often with this concept the kitchen, family room and dining area are unified into one large space. This brings family and friends together in a way that is not possible when each room is compartmentalized. By incorporating smaller rooms into one large one, you create an inviting atmosphere for entertaining or just relaxing. Here are some of the other advantages to remodeling your kitchen with an open floor plan.

Create a Spacious Feel

Even if your home is on the smaller side, you can create the feeling of a larger space with an open floor concept. By removing the visual barriers of interior walls the home will appear spacious. Each room will flow into the next, connecting the space together. Consider high or vaulted ceilings which will also add to the effect.

Great for Entertaining

These days the kitchen has become the focal point of the home when entertaining. Cooking in a closed off kitchen, when you have a house full of guests, leaves you left out of your own party. With an open floor plan you can prepare the meal and still be part of the conversation or the special event. One unified space allows everyone to mingle and socialize together. While the space is larger, it will still feel intimate because all of your guests are within view.

Adds Natural Light

Eliminating interior walls will allow natural light from windows in other rooms to shine through. This will brighten up the space and make it more visually appealing. This also works to bring together the interior and exterior spaces of the home. You will have views of the outside from many angles. Adding a window or patio door to the kitchen area will give you access to the backyard, as well.Natural sunlight will also heat your home during the day, lowering your energy cost. Not only will the space be brighter, but so will you. Natural sunlight boosts serotonin levels in the body, making you feel happy. With all of the bright light in your home, you will be energized and ready to start the day.

The Safety Factor

With compartmentalized spaces you never know what might be going on behind those walls. An open floor plan gives you an uninterrupted line of sight into several rooms at once. This concept works well for those with small children or pets who need to be supervised. You are able to prepare a meal in the kitchen while children play a game or watch television in the living room. An island with stools works as a great place for homework while you finish cooking dinner.With the amount of multitasking that you do these days, an open floor plan will allow you the opportunity to check everything off of your to-do-list and still have time to watch the big game. By opening up and unifying rooms into one large area, you create a space that brings everyone together.