Loose living

Free at last! Kitchens have been given an all access pass and are bursting out into new spaces, redefining open-plan living to the max.

While the consumer has just got to grips with opening up the kitchen into a free-flowing hang-out for eating and socialising, so today’s kitchen gurus, designers and manufacturers are taking this all-embracing concept one step further.
Yes, kitchens are now merging into the living zone too, creating a 21st century multifunctional hub for relaxing, watching TV, catching up on emails and entertaining as well as food preparation and dining.
It’s definitely the dawning of a new era in interior design, as kitchens take on more and more roles to become the true centrifugal force in the home.
Hailed as the next big thing in kitchen culture, this design ethos – dubbed the living-room kitchen – started life largely as a European trend but is gradually seeping into the UK psyche, suiting large and small spaces alike, and most budgets to boot.
Marks Evans of Mark David is in no doubt that living room kitchens are gaining in popularity: “The kitchen has always been the heart of the home but opening up the living space and allowing the two areas to combine is a constant dream of the consumer which is becoming more and more often a reality."
“Our modern lifestyles are becoming so busy and fragmented that we are finding it harder and harder to get together as families,” explains Robert Laurie, marketing director of Poggenpohl UK. “However, we are herding animals with a deep-rooted desire for one another’s company, so we need to get together at some point to be happy – and people are starting to realise this. Luckily, the one thing we still all have to do is stop and feed ourselves, so the kitchen has become one of the main social centres in the home.”
This year’s trade shows have been all about kitchens masquerad­ing as living rooms, with top-end brands such as Rational launching a new sliding door system to hide away kitchen clutter and function­al elements – crucial to the open-plan vibe – and Snaidero unveiling its versatile, modular Code range with cubby-hole cube storage. Leicht’s offering centered on open-plan living too, as its 2010 kitchens have focused on atmospheric lighting, neutral tones and suspend­ed wall units which could combine oh so harmoniously with sofas, dining tables and comfortable seating.
“Consumers have accepted the idea of the combined kitchen and dining area wholeheartedly due to the more social side of today’s modern living,” adds Karen Ferguson, Nolte’s UK country manager. “The open-plan design incorporating the living room is the next natural progression, bringing together the rooms in the house where busy modern families are most likely to interact. On an architectural level, combining these areas is also a very practical solution for smaller living spaces.”
Kitchen experts concede that this type of layout requires really careful planning and a meticulous eye for detail to meet the wishes of each individual and their space. This is not only in terms of function and defining zones, but also how the kitchen needs to merge seamlessly with other living and relaxing areas and not clash with the aesthetics.
An understated and minimalist vibe is the favoured look here, using muted, neutral tones – grey, white, even black – and handleless doors which can flow into one another and blend well with other modern furniture. It’s all about building in comfort and feel-good factors using soft, calm colours and textures, with finishes typical of living rooms: think high-gloss lacquers, curvy contours, low-slung storage and the occasional jolt of bold tones for an eyecatching accent.
“Kitchen cabinetry has evolved in such a way that it no longer needs to be hidden away, but can become an integral part of the living space,” puts in Danny Lay, Caple’s sales director. “Quieter appliances and improved extractor performance have now made it possible to blend the different spaces of the home together without interference.”
Peter Loftus, sals and marketing director of William Ball, agrees: "The key to getting the living room kitchen right lies in specifying furniture that works equally well in the living area as it does in the kitchen. There is an increasing amount of low-level cabinetry, floor-to-ceiling units and island/breakfast units on the market to help consumers at all levels pull off this look."
Other key design elements include built-in appliances for a sleek, uninterrupted line plus good low-level mood and directed task lighting, and great storage to keep clutter hidden. Consumers may opt for a single, statement appliance, in either a bold colour or a burnished metallic, to inject personality into the room.
And this new-and-improved kitchen lifestyle isn’t simply the preserve of the top-end market.
As more and more brands across all price brackets develop flexible and adaptable ranges which work equally well across kitchen and living areas, then living room kitchens are becoming a concept for all to explore. “This look holds many benefits for the smaller kitchen: by merging the two spaces, it is possible to create a much grander feeling of space which works brilliantly in petite homes,” adds Caple’s Lay.
“While some consumers will opt for tailormade furniture, particularly when wanting to fit cabinets and furniture into awkward spaces, many manu­facturers are now offering a range of furniture as standard which sits comfortably across both kitchen and living spaces,”
points out Eamon Donnelly, Uform’s md. “The kitchen living area is particularly suited to homes where space is at a premium, and this is a very effective way of opening up an otherwise restricted kitchen space and giving the illusion of space.”