Open or closed kitchen? Know its advantages and disadvantages

February 06, 2018

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a home. It must meet all the conditions to be a functional space where you can cook, but also a place that invites family meetings. Because no matter how small it may be, it does not matter, if a party or celebration is held at home, everyone ends up there making the host company. Has not happened to you?


If you have to put a new kitchen and you are looking for ideas, from Conforma we want to help you with practical tips to design the kitchen of your dreams. Open or closed? This is the first decision you must make. If you still do not have it clear, wait to discover the advantages and disadvantages of each one.

Open kitchens

If you let yourself be guided by aesthetics, surely the open kitchens have a hole in your heart. They are beautiful and both the decoration magazines and the television programs have convinced us that the trend of open space is a good idea. They have many pros in their favor, we tell you!
  • Greater sense of spaciousness. If you add the ones in the kitchen to the kitchen, it will look much bigger. As there are no walls in between, the boundary between the rooms is not so clear.
  • Space full of light. In general, when sharing space with the living room, the kitchens tend to be brighter. It is a good way to distribute the natural light that reaches the room and get it to flow into the kitchen.
  • Ideal for small houses. In a home where there are not enough square meters, an open kitchen is the best option if you want to take better advantage of the space. A combination of kitchen, living room and dining room is the most practical.
  • You'll have everything at hand. Another advantage is that it facilitates some of the domestic tasks, for example, when putting or removing the table will be much faster if you have everything in the same room.
  • Perfect for family life. If there are children at home, surely you do not like to lose sight of them. You can be cooking while they play in the living room. Sharing the same space is a good way to strengthen family relationships.
  • Encourages conversation and participation. If you like to have guests at home, an open kitchen allows you to finalize the preparations without isolating yourself from the gathering. In addition, being more spacious invites you to cook in company or to give you a hand.

All these advantages should be added its high aesthetic potential, since most interior designers opt for the open concept due to all its possibilities. For example, unless you have a huge kitchen, this is the only option to enjoy a practical island. Although it takes up a lot of space, it is true that it is a great storage solution and will allow you to have everything in perfect order.

Also, you will gain on the work surface or you can even eat in it if you put up some stools. If having an island is among your options you should bear in mind that you have to leave around 90 cm of free space to be able to cook in comfort. Another tip so that it is not too big is to choose a countertop in light tones to gain more visual amplitude.

A variant of the islands are the peninsulas, since you can take much more space and even make a perfect connector between the kitchen and the living room. The main difference is that the latter are anchored to the wall. They offer the same storage capacity, but do not need to leave all the space around unused, which can make better use of the corners.

One idea to get more out of the peninsula is to create a small bar where you can have breakfast. Even, it's perfect for some casual dining. You can just put the countertop and leave empty space underneath or, if you need storage space, you can adapt a bar that fulfills the two functions.

We already know all the good that an open kitchen can give us, but there are also small disadvantages for which many people still are not convinced. First of all, there are the smells of the food that adhere to all the textiles in the room and for many this is a big problem. Another thing that does not like is the noise, which when it is cooked is inevitable and can interrupt the tranquility of a room.

As for the islands and the peninsulas, another common fault is that you can not put storage in the upper space. And finally, forces you to have everything more orderly yes or yes, unless you want to sit on the sofa to observe everything that you have left to collect.

Closed kitchens

If you define yourself as a practical person, maybe for you the most comfortable thing is to have an independent and closed kitchen. It adapts to the traditional structure of any house and as they say: "if it has always been like that, it will be for something". Yes, it also has its advantages and we tell you:
  • Greater privacy. Do you have pots in the sink? Well, in this way you will not be in such a hurry to remove them if you have a visit at home. You can close the kitchen door and forget about it. You will not have the pressure to see it from the couch.
  • Mix decorative styles. There is no aesthetic dependency with the room, so you can decorate each room as you like without taking into account that the whole set should create a harmony.
  • Less investment in decoration. With a closed kitchen you will not be forced to have to panel the appliances to maintain the aesthetics. This is something that will be noticed in the budget.
  • Isolation of noises and smells. The room will not be filled with smoke or steam when you cook, so it will stay clean longer. The grease also evaporates and reaches all corners, so if the kitchen door is closed, it will prevent it from spreading throughout the rest of the house.

Take the measures well to make the most of the space. In Conforama you can find models that will adapt perfectly to that dream kitchen you have in mind. Take a look at our ANNUAL GUIDE and remember that good planning is the basis of a beautiful and functional kitchen. If it is independent, you must take this into account so as not to overload it with too many furniture. One of the cons is that you can not put islands or peninsulas unless the kitchen is very large. You will always have the option of adding a table and chairs.

Semi-open kitchens

Halfway, we can also find other options to enjoy the advantages of having a closed and open kitchen. For example, you can put a window at half height that communicates with the room. The space is delimited, but it allows you to interact with the other room and let the natural light flow freely.

You can also open a direct passage to the living room, but respecting the different spaces for each room. It consists of opening only a part of the wall.

Finally, you have a much more discreet and very versatile option that is to put walls or glass doors between the kitchen and the living room. You can leave them open to enjoy a feeling of greater amplitude, but close them when you are cooked to prevent odors and noise from passing through. They have everything!

Already clear? Open, closed or semi? Be that as it may, in Conforama you will find the kitchen of your dreams and discounts of up to 40%.

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