Kitchen Design
Decorating Guides
How to Blend a Kitchen Into an Open Living Space
Check out the tricks designers use to keep the kitchen from grabbing all the attention in an open plan
With many of us choosing open-plan layouts in our homes, designers are finding ways to help our kitchens blend in. Opting for flat-front cabinets that fade into the walls, units that resemble period furniture, and walls that are lined with texture and artwork are just some of the tricks they use to create a kitchen that feels more like part of the living space than a functional room on its own.
Create a Recess
This one-wall kitchen has so much storage that you would expect it to take over the space. In fact, it does the opposite. The pale units line the walls but recede into the background.
There are a couple of clever tricks that help accomplish this. First, the band of floor tiles moves the cabinets back from the wooden floor. Second, the central cabinets are recessed, pulling the kitchen deeper into the wall.
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This one-wall kitchen has so much storage that you would expect it to take over the space. In fact, it does the opposite. The pale units line the walls but recede into the background.
There are a couple of clever tricks that help accomplish this. First, the band of floor tiles moves the cabinets back from the wooden floor. Second, the central cabinets are recessed, pulling the kitchen deeper into the wall.
Find a kitchen designer near you
Take Inspiration From Architectural Features
The steel-framed doors in the dining area are the starting point for this elegant design. The kitchen replicates the contrast of white walls and black lines with its jet-black island and minimalist white cabinetry. Even the tall cabinets on the left feel seem barely there. To link the spaces even more, the BTL Property team lined the wall with attractive black sconces.
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The steel-framed doors in the dining area are the starting point for this elegant design. The kitchen replicates the contrast of white walls and black lines with its jet-black island and minimalist white cabinetry. Even the tall cabinets on the left feel seem barely there. To link the spaces even more, the BTL Property team lined the wall with attractive black sconces.
Find black wall lights in the Houzz Shop
Work the Woodwork
The use of wood in this kitchen is key to its integration into the open plan. The Indie & Co. designers used a simple palette of white and gray throughout, but it’s the natural finishes that really tie the areas together.
The minimalist kitchen cabinets fade into the background, merging with the walls and floor. This lets the beautiful wooden cabinetry become a feature that harmonizes with the natural elements elsewhere.
The use of wood in this kitchen is key to its integration into the open plan. The Indie & Co. designers used a simple palette of white and gray throughout, but it’s the natural finishes that really tie the areas together.
The minimalist kitchen cabinets fade into the background, merging with the walls and floor. This lets the beautiful wooden cabinetry become a feature that harmonizes with the natural elements elsewhere.
Curate a Display
Another smart way to integrate your kitchen into an open plan is to display things as you would in your living room. In this walnut kitchen by Naked Kitchens, for example, a long shelf provides a place to show off attractive objects and artwork. This makes the cooking area feel less utilitarian and more harmonious with the living space as a whole.
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Another smart way to integrate your kitchen into an open plan is to display things as you would in your living room. In this walnut kitchen by Naked Kitchens, for example, a long shelf provides a place to show off attractive objects and artwork. This makes the cooking area feel less utilitarian and more harmonious with the living space as a whole.
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Highlight Texture
In this kitchen by Matthew King, pale flat-front units line the lower part of the walls and help set off the marble above. These surfaces combine with other interesting elements, such as the light fixtures.
In this kitchen by Matthew King, pale flat-front units line the lower part of the walls and help set off the marble above. These surfaces combine with other interesting elements, such as the light fixtures.
Change the Focus
If you want your wall storage to fade into the background, it helps to give the eye something else to focus on. The blue kitchen island and base cabinets in this remodel by Ross Taylor Homes provide a low framework for walls that look more like those of a living space than a functional kitchen.
Simple shelves and wall lights flank the metallic backsplash behind the range. The millwork reflects the room’s period details, helping the kitchen blend in even more.
Tell us: Are you planning a kitchen that blends in with your living space? Share your ideas and experiences in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Open vs. Closed Kitchens — Which Style Works Best for You?
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If you want your wall storage to fade into the background, it helps to give the eye something else to focus on. The blue kitchen island and base cabinets in this remodel by Ross Taylor Homes provide a low framework for walls that look more like those of a living space than a functional kitchen.
Simple shelves and wall lights flank the metallic backsplash behind the range. The millwork reflects the room’s period details, helping the kitchen blend in even more.
Tell us: Are you planning a kitchen that blends in with your living space? Share your ideas and experiences in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Open vs. Closed Kitchens — Which Style Works Best for You?
Find an interior designer
Shop for kitchen products
In this project by Mimodo Architects, the designers connected the different zones of this space by repeating the finishes. Some of the kitchen cabinets are covered in a natural wood that reflects the brown tones of the sideboard, shelving niche and exposed bricks opposite. There’s more wood in the seating area beyond, helping the kitchen tie in to and feel part of the whole.
Meanwhile, the island’s white finish links to the walls in the rest of the space.