An open-concept kitchen has become the most popular choice for homeowners over the years because of the ease with which traffic moves and the additional options for use it provides. If you’ve been thinking about doing some remodeling in your home, it makes sense to consider how an open-concept kitchen might be right for you. Here’s what you need to know.
What It Means
Open-concept means what the name implies: the kitchen has no barriers in the kitchen or dining area, and is often open to the living areas as well. Some call this design a great room design as well because the entire food preparation, eating, and socializing area is one open space. This is different from older designs in which walls, beams, or other barriers compartmentalized each space individually. Here are some reasons that people doing Orange County remodeling are choosing to go with open-concept kitchens.
Larger Feel
A major benefit of an open floor plan in general is the fact that the area feels more spacious than it really is. So even if you feel like you currently don’t have a large kitchen, dining, and living area, by removing barriers you’ll automatically feel like the same amount of square feet is much larger.
In addition to making the room feel larger, you will actually gain more space as well. Removing walls will make it easier to fit a kitchen island or larger dining table that previously would’ve been impossible. That facilitates larger group gatherings without feeling crowded and cramped.
Better Traffic Patterns
An open concept creates better traffic patterns as well. It’s frustrating cooking and socializing in a kitchen that only has one place for traffic to move. With open concept, you can have numerous people working in the kitchen without constantly being in someone’s way. This is especially true when you’re able to have one central island that a lot of people can sit or stand around to either talk or prepare food.
Easier Socializing
The kitchen is almost always the hub of any social gathering, whether you’re getting together with your immediate family in the evening or hosting a larger gathering with extended family or friends. Socializing with many people at once is difficult in a floor plan that cuts up the space into individual rooms.
By removing the barriers, people are able to communicate more easily and you can bring more people into the center of all the action. There are comfortable places to sit in the dining or living area that are in close proximity to where the food preparation is happening, making the experience more enjoyable for everyone.
More Natural Light
Since the room is opened up you’ll enjoy a lot more natural light with an open-concept kitchen. You can get this natural light at any time of day because there are windows facing all different directions with no barriers to keep the light from penetrating through the open area. This is good for aesthetics, but natural light has also been shown to be beneficial for mental and emotional health as well.
Higher Home Value
Finally, doing a kitchen or bathroom remodel in Orange County will increase your home value, but it increases even more when the end result is an open-concept kitchen. These have been popular with buyers for years with no indications of the popularity waning. Paired with stylish cabinets and countertops, your home value will skyrocket. Contact Preferred Kitchen & Bath today to learn about your remodeling options.