Designing your kitchen can be such an exciting project to complete. You’re probably thinking about all the delicious meals you’ll make there, all the fun you’ll have with the family. To accomplish the task, however, you have to select the right kitchen interior design concept.
Kitchens have to be functional and roomy. Planning for the interior design really depends on the floor plan and the available space. Thus, you have two options – an open or a closed kitchen design.
What’s the difference between the two and which one will suit your kitchen? These are important questions you’ll need to discuss with your Singapore home interior design company.
The Differences between Open and Closed Kitchen Design
An open kitchen, as the name suggests, fits the open floor apartment concept. There are fewer walls and no feeling of the room being enclosed or physically limited.
Open kitchens tend to be bigger. They also ensure visibility to other parts of the apartment. As a result, many parents who have young kids will prefer the open kitchen instead of the closed one.
Usually, the kitchen in this scenario will open right into the living room or the dining room.
This design concept has been gaining a lot of popularity lately. According to the American Institute of Architects, more than 50 per cent of all design companies have experienced an increase in open kitchen design requests from clients.
A closed kitchen, on the other hand, functions as a separate space that’s completely detached from all of the other rooms in the apartment.
People often worry that this design will make the space look and feel cramped. This isn’t necessarily the case. A closed kitchen can be really cosy and roomy. When the right space saving techniques are employed, the kitchen will be free from clutter while still featuring everything needed to cook a meal and spend quality family time together.
The Pros and Cons of Open Kitchen Designs
Home Guide’s team has a lot of experience in residential interior design work and we can provide guidance on the right type of kitchen for your home. Open kitchens can be a great choice for many HDB flats but there are some instances in which the interior design concept isn’t optimal.
The benefits of the open kitchen are numerous.
It gives visibility into the apartment. This is a great choice for young families, as well as for people who love entertaining and bringing guests over.
Because it creates the illusion of space, the open kitchen design concept is a great choice for smaller apartments. This design can centre family activities around the kitchen, encourage communication and make cooking meals a collaborative, fun process.
On the downside, the open kitchen design reduces the amount of storage space. The absence of walls makes it impossible to mount a bigger number of shelves and cabinets.
A few other key downsides include the fact that smells and noises will easily spread throughout the house, kitchen appliances could cause disturbances in the apartment and everything taking place in the kitchen will be visible. If you enjoy a bit of privacy while preparing a meal, an open kitchen isn’t the right one for you.
The Pros and Cons of Closed Kitchen Design
The closed kitchen guarantees privacy. It’s a secluded space that a person can relax in while preparing a meal or having a cup of coffee.
Closed designs come with several other important benefits.
You have more walls, which means you can add a lot more storage space to the kitchen. Cooking odours and noises will be confined inside the room and the dining experience will be more formal when the dining room is completely detached.
On the downside, a kitchen that’s not connected to the dining room could make it more difficult to put a meal on the table. Traffic when the apartment houses a bigger number of people could also be an issue.
Finally, a closed kitchen concept makes the space more rigid. Open designs have a lot of space that can be utilised in numerous ways. With closed design, you have a limited amount of space and the home décor flexibility is brought down.
Choosing the Right Kitchen for Your Apartment
Determining which concept is better for your flat depends entirely on your priorities.
Do you want seclusion while cooking or are you looking for an apartment design that creates a more casual, open and friendly environment? How much space do you have for the kitchen and how much storage space are you going to need? These are questions you’ll need to answer before moving on to the design work itself.
Some people are looking for a hybrid, in-between solution. Experienced interior designers can execute by using an array of solutions.
The use of a glass door is one example of a kitchen solution that will contain odours and sounds without compromising visibility. In a sense, you will be getting the best of both worlds. Foldable doors could also be utilised to confine the kitchen or open up the kitchen space depending on the needs of the cook.
Having a small prep kitchen completely isolated from the rest of the kitchen is another hybrid solution that’s gaining popularity. The messy work can be carried out there while the rest of the cooking will occur in the common area.
Take some time to look for inspiration that matches the specifics of your space. Once you have a few concepts you like, you can discuss these possibilities with your interior designer.
Home Guide encourages all apartment home owners to explore multiple options and to think what’s most important to them. Knowing what you want to do in the kitchen can simplify and speed up the design work. If you have a concrete idea that you’d like to discuss, you can get in touch with us right now.
