Dreaming of turning your kitchen from tight and stuffy to open and airy?
Open-concept kitchens are the ultimate design goal for most homeowners. After all, nothing is better than cooking, socializing, and living all in one shared space. An open kitchen allows you to enjoy:
- Seamless traffic flow throughout your house
- Increased natural light flow
But wait…
Turning your kitchen into an open concept space isn’t as simple as you might think. Sure, removing a wall will physically open up a room. But, there’s a lot more to an open-concept kitchen that works well. You need strategic kitchen remodeling services to handle both the technical and design aspects.
Otherwise, you’ll end up with expensive mistakes and buyer’s remorse.
The good news? 43% of homeowners have reported they are making their kitchens more open to the rooms around it. This renovation trend is stronger than ever, which means kitchen remodeling Portland experts are in high demand.
Working with the right remodelers means the project will look great and function for decades.
Ready to explore strategic kitchen remodeling techniques that make open concepts work?
Let’s get to it!
What you’ll discover:
- Why Open-Concept Kitchens Are Back In A Big Way
- Essential Structural Considerations Before You Start
- Strategic Design Elements That Make Open Kitchens Work
- Smart Storage Solutions for Open Layouts
Why Open-Concept Kitchens Are Back In A Big Way
Open-concept kitchens can make your home and lifestyle better in so many ways. In case you were thinking about opening your space up to other rooms, consider these three benefits.
Create Natural Entertainment Hubs
Your kitchen becomes the natural center of the social universe when you open it up to other rooms.
By breaking down walls between living spaces, your kitchen instantly becomes an open and natural gathering area. You can hang out and chat with your guests while cooking. The kids can do their homework at the island while you prepare dinner. Holiday parties and family events feel more inclusive.
The logic here is simple: open-concept designs remove the isolation and segmented living that closed-off kitchens create.
Maximize Natural Light Flow
One of the underrated but essential benefits of open-concept kitchens is how they handle light. Breaking down walls lets natural light from windows in other rooms flow right into your kitchen space. This dramatically brightens up and opens up the entire main floor.
The kicker:
If your kitchen feels like a dark and cramped cave, removing walls to open it up to other rooms is an inexpensive fix.
Boost Your Home’s Resale Value
Guess what may shock you?
Kitchen remodels are 29% of all interior remodeling projects. It’s the number one most popular renovation pick of homeowners because it offers the best return on investment (ROI).
Want to know what most buyers want more than anything else?
Open-concept floorplans. Homes with open layouts have increased square footage (even if they don’t) that buyers love. Open-concept kitchens are open, modern, perfect for their families, and represent the lifestyle that home buyers covet.
Essential Structural Considerations Before You Start
Remodeling your kitchen into an open-concept layout is unique from regular renovations. You are potentially knocking down walls and reconfiguring your home’s structural layout.
Which means knowing:
- Which walls are load-bearing and which aren’t
- Relocating electrical and plumbing
- Modifying your HVAC system
- Building permits and building codes
The big thing most homeowners don’t realize? Removing the wrong wall or not understanding changes in your home’s structure can put your home’s integrity at risk. Think tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.
Strategic Design Elements That Make Open Kitchens Work
Now for the fun part: strategic design techniques professional remodelers use to create workable and beautiful open-concept spaces.
Define Zones Without Walls
There’s a lot of truth to the design cliché about zoning in kitchen design… even in open concepts.
Why? The most effective open kitchens are the ones that create clear areas for different activities even without physical walls between them. You still want distinct cooking, prepping, and social zones in an open concept kitchen that flow well together.
Professional designers use kitchen islands as one of the most popular zoning tricks. Islands provide extra counter space and storage for essentials. They create casual seating areas facing the living area. And, they act as visual “walls” that define your kitchen’s zone.
One of the biggest rookie mistakes homeowners make with open-concept design: open doesn’t mean blended together. Successful design creates flow but maintains purpose.
Use Consistent Materials and Finishes
Extend your kitchen materials into the adjoining rooms to create flow. Choose materials and finishes in other spaces that complement the kitchen.
Two of the best design tricks:
- Flooring consistency
- Coordinated color palettes
Extend Your Kitchen Flooring
Matching your flooring throughout the open-concept space helps create one long uninterrupted visual line. The eye can’t “stop” at flooring transitions, which makes the area feel more open and cohesive.
Choose a Coordinated Color Scheme
Colors, cabinets, wall finishes in your kitchen should coordinate with other spaces in the open area. Choose different shades of the same color family or complementary colors that work together.
Plan for Proper Ventilation
Ever wonder what can kill an open-concept kitchen faster than anything?
Cooking smells that permeate everywhere when the kitchen is open to living areas. When you take down those walls, you have to plan to deal with smoke, odors, and fumes.
Professional kitchen remodeling services handle it by:
- Installing a powerful range hood that vents outside
- Adding makeup air systems for larger vent fans
- Positioning where cooking happens strategically
One thing most people never think about:
The modifications you make in your open kitchen likely mean your HVAC system needs tweaks to deal with circulation. That’s why it’s important to work with professional contractors.
Smart Storage Solutions for Open Layouts
Storage is even more important in an open-concept kitchen because it is visible from everywhere.
How does it work? You still need frequently used items at hand but hidden from sight when you have guests. Focus on three areas:
- Maximize vertical space with tall, floor-to-ceiling cabinets
- Kitchen islands with built-in storage
- Appliances that blend in with cabinetry
One of the best tricks to open-concept storage is everything has a “home” and there’s a place to put it. When everything is out of sight, your kitchen is always ready for company.
Use Multi-Functional Furniture
Kitchen islands that have wine storage, built-in trash compartments, charging stations, etc. serve multiple functions while maintaining clean lines. Dining tables that have storage in the base are great for maximizing multi-function without visual clutter.
Create Hidden Pantry Zones
Open-concept layouts still need designated pantry areas that don’t break up visual continuity. Floor-to-ceiling pantry cabinets, walk-in pantries that are off to one side of the main kitchen area, and built-in storage walls let you hide supplies.
Amazing right? The best open-concept kitchens look effortless, but include meticulously planned and executed storage plans.
Wrapping Things Up
Now you have the strategic remodeling techniques that create an open-concept kitchen that actually functions in real life. The reality is successful open-concept kitchen design takes careful planning, structural know-how, and smart choices.
Don’t have the know-how?
Lots of homeowners lack the technical knowledge to safely do structural changes on their own. That’s why they hire professional kitchen remodeling services who get both design and engineering aspects of these complex projects.
But don’t forget… Before you start demo, make sure you have a detailed plan that takes structural needs, building codes, and long-term practicality into account.