The kitchen, with its inherent atmosphere, has always been a special place for the hostess and her family, regardless of size. After all, the room is designed not only for cooking various dishes, the culinary skills of all family members are manifested here. The family spends a lot of time in the kitchen for a common meal, evening gatherings over tea, conversations, discussion of family issues.
Therefore, a great gift for the whole family is a spacious kitchen with a large area, well-equipped and divided into certain zones, such as a cooking place, a living and dining area.
Rules for zoning
When dividing the space by functionality, it is necessary to take into account that the design of the entire kitchen should be made in the same style. Decoration, furniture, accessories should not conflict with each other. Don’t try to divide the space into zones with different styles, no matter how much you like them.
The design rules provide:
- The choice of style for all zones, which should unite the common kitchen space regardless of its functionality, and not separate it.
- Household appliances should be decoratively hidden. It should not violate the overall style of the room.
- Each zone should be equipped with its own lighting. The living area and dining room are shared, the area of the kitchen furniture complex is dotted. Brighter lighting is installed above the work area, and soft, muted lighting is installed in the rest area of the meal.
- When starting to develop a design, it should be remembered that for kitchens of any size, it is necessary to provide no more than three basic colors and their shades. They can accentuate zones that differ in functionality. The larger area will be executed in lighter colors in relation to the smaller one. For small rooms, it is better to completely choose light shades.
- Do not use bulky furniture to divide the room space, which will take up most of the free space.
- In addition to furniture, thread curtains can be used in zoning. Dividing and window curtains made of the same material, similar texture, and a common range of colors look beautiful.
- For long, narrow kitchens, zoning is done with furniture (tables, sofas) in a transverse direction in width. This will help visually divide the elongated kitchen into square rectangles. If kitchen sets, cabinets, seating places are placed along the walls, this will further lengthen the already narrow kitchen.
A small kitchen is more difficult to divide into functional zones due to the limited space. But with the use of design techniques, it is still possible.
Zoning Ideas
Zoning methods are divided into visual and functional.
- Visualization assumes: each separate zone should be executed in its own color, individual materials and texture should be used in the surface finishing, which will not be applied in other places of the kitchen.
- In the functional version of the division of space, light building elements, arched structures, kitchen furniture are used. Combining functional zoning with visual elements, we get a winning option in terms of expressiveness and emphasizing its purpose. Or vice versa, one way will soften the other.
Zoned space functions
If desired, the kitchen space can be divided into several zones according to their purpose. Kitchen set are installed in the cooking area. There are stored kitchen utensils, some food products that do not require refrigeration conditions. The golden triangle zone has not been canceled, where everything should be located nearby, within 1.5 meters: a kitchen sink, an oven with burners, a refrigerator.
The size of the cooking zone can be of different sizes and depends on the preferences of the hostess. Some make do with several pots and pans, preferring to use semi-finished products, others have a whole arsenal of household appliances and dishes.
But no matter what preferences a place for cooking is allocated, it must be equipped with an extractor hood to purify the air from combustion products.
The dining area or tea area can be shared or allocated separately. For example, breakfast and morning tea can be held on a bar counter or a special elongated window sill with high chairs attached to it, lunch and dinner at a small dining table.
The recreation area is equipped with a cozy sofa. Sitting on it, you can eat. Watch TV programs from the TV set installed in front of it. When unfolded, the sofa can serve as a sleeping place.
In fact, the kitchen space is divided into 2 zones, a work area and a place to relax, combined with a dining room. But there can be many options. Some people prefer to do without a dining table at all, preferring a wide bar counter that serves as a dividing strip of the kitchen into zones.
Right behind the bar, you can arrange a relaxation area with a sofa, a low table, where it’s nice to sit over a fragrant cup of tea or coffee, have leisurely conversations with family or friends.
Zoning methods
There are many ways to divide the kitchen space into separate zones:
- Partitions, which, like any walls, can divide the space into several isolated parts. Partitions can perform the functions of a home miniature gallery, contribute to the support of the ceiling.
- A bar counter capable of taking over the functions of a dining table. Transformer furniture is very convenient for kitchens with limited space. For example, a bar counter can simultaneously serve as a place for eating, a delimiter and a festive table for receiving guests in the unfolded form.
- Curtains that can be made of thread, fabric, or other materials. Long flowing curtains look beautiful. Curtains made of thread with beads, shells, beads, wooden and other decorative elements look original.
- Sliding modules with a separator function. Sliding doors, Japanese screens, frosted glass or transparent partitions, as well as wooden, fabric, plastic barriers can serve as dividers.
- The floor covering, where the work area is covered with tiles, and the recreation area is laminate. In this case, the functional purpose is combined with the visual one. The kitchen area looks original, divided into zones by floor covering lines at different angles.
- Furniture with different zoning methods. With the angular method, 2 walls are used to install the kitchen set. With the help of a corner sofa, armchairs and a coffee table, you can form something in the form of a kitchen island.
- Wallpaper of different colors. They do not necessarily have to match in pattern and texture. The living room can be made in light beige or blue tones, and in the work area – imitation of brickwork.
The kitchen area, in addition to the dining room, can be divided into a study with an armchair, a desk, necessary equipment or a workshop area. There is rarely a sleeping place in the kitchen. It certainly cannot be equipped with a bed. But a folding sofa that will serve as chairs at the dining table, and if necessary, replace the sleeping place, is quite appropriate.
Advantages and disadvantages of zoning
The advantage of dividing the kitchen space into a work area and a living room area is that the hostess will be near the guests all the time, take part in a general conversation, without being distracted by absences to the next room.
The disadvantage is that even the most powerful air purification device will not help to get rid of food odors. When household kitchen appliances are turned on, the TV will be hard to hear. And you will have to clean up in the kitchen, where family members are constantly present, much more often.