How an Open-plan Kitchen can Benefit Your Family This Summer
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the kitchen is the heart of the home. As your family grows, expands and changes, so should your home. The space you occupy must be functional, operational, promote flow, and, most importantly, be one you enjoy using.
That’s why so many families are embracing open-plan kitchens, blending the living and dining areas into a cohesive hub for the whole family to congregate within. With over 50 years’ experience as kitchen builders in Sydney, we’ve helped countless families get the most out of their kitchens across the warmer months.
With summer coming up, there’s never been a better time to consider updating your kitchen layout to embrace open plan living. We’ve listed the top ways investing in an open plan kitchen design can benefit your family this summer.
Keeps it social
If you love to entertain, you’ll know all too well that often the host can get stuck in the kitchen, away from their guests as they prepare the food.
An open plan design can help to prevent the kitchen from feeling isolated from the rest of your house. Blending the divide between kitchen and living areas, or inside and outside, an open plan layout lets your guests come and go without getting under your feet.
A good layout will have multiple entry and exit points, keeping a flow throughout the kitchen – consider as well things like appliance placement, so your guests can easily help themselves to another drink from the fridge.
Stools along your island bench can provide an additional seating area while keeping your workspace clear.
Perfect for entertaining
Summertime is synonymous with entertaining in Australia – and an open plan layout lets your family make the most of the beautiful weather.
Bifold doors are a versatile addition to any kitchen, as they can be easily opened up to create one large space. This comes in handy if you’re carrying plates to and from an outdoor dining area.
Serving windows can also help to bridge the gap between indoors and outdoors. On the exterior side, giving your windowsill an overhang creates another seating area where your guests can sit and relax; while meaning you don’t have to continually travel back and forth when you have drinks or plates to serve.
More space for more people
As kitchen builders in Sydney, one of the most common requests we receive from families is to help them create more space in the kitchen.
Kitchens are the heart of the home, but can become cramped quite quickly when the whole family wants to be together.
Think about the main zones of your kitchen – where you prep, where you cook, where you clean up – and where these are located in relation to the main passageways throughout the space.
There’s nothing worse than constantly being interrupted by the kids trying to get into the pantry or fridge when you’re trying to cook – so considering how you use your kitchen when designing your open plan layout can take care of these pain points for you.
An island bench is often a staple feature of open plan kitchens. We love island benches for their versatility – an island can at once be great for additional drawers or cupboards, for keeping the kitchen open and easy to pass through, for an extra seating area or informal dining space and for some much-needed extra room for prep.
Lately, we’ve been adding in charging ports and powerpoints underneath island benches so that the kids can sit and do homework or study – another way that an open plan layout can help bring the family together, without sacrificing your feeling of space.
Ready to make the switch to open plan living this summer? Get in touch with our experienced team of designers at Apollo Kitchens for an obligation-free consultation.
