They say two rooms make or break a deal for house hunters; Bedroom and Kitchen.
Stuck between choosing an open plan kitchen and closed plan kitchen apartment?. Well, it’s not always easy especially when the benefits of both override each other. Let’s take a close look at the Pros and cons of each. Hopefully at the end you will be in a position to make an informed decision on what works for you based on your needs.
This can be considered the trendy style currently, preferred by most developers whether they are constructing for renting or selling. Why? Thanks for asking.
More Space Well, this design is preferred especially when you have small spaces. Opening up the kitchen to the living room, study area and sometimes dining, gives the illusion that there is more space where it would otherwise be deemed squeezed. Opening up the kitchen also gives more room for additional working space e.g., counter tops, an extended breakfast bar etc.
Lighting There is also the aspect of more lighting, when the kitchen is opened up, the rooms share more natural light from both windows. Who doesn’t want more natural light in the house?
Contact If you are a young couple, open plan kitchen apartment would also be ideal as you can both catch up whether one in the kitchen doing some culinary arts while the other is in the living room working from home.
Flexibility Do you have young kids with no nanny? Open plan kitchen also gives you the freedom to work from the kitchen while keeping an eye on your young ones playing in the adjacent rooms.
Oh, and you don’t have to end up running back and forth to serve dishes and beverages
Design This kitchen style can also give you some major points if you are the organized type as your guests gets to appreciate how neat your house is all through, immediately after walking into your house.
On the flip side, if you are not organized and plan to have guests over in your apartment every now and then, please refrain from choosing an open plan kitchen. I think this point is pretty much self-explanatory lol.
If you don’t like the aroma of the meals spreading all over the house- more quickly- or people seeing how diligent or otherwise you are when preparing the foods, this style is not for you either.
Ever heard of styles that are very old but has never gotten out of fashion? Closed plan kitchen is one of them.
This design is adopted in most modern homes and contemporary houses. The major benefit is separating all kitchen activities just for the Kitchen.
More storage -the closed-up wall can also be, and is highly utilized by adding storage cabinets high on the wall and counter tops below them, refrigerator space etc.
Privacy We can also compare this kitchen design to Rome, what happens there, really remains there. Guests have no reason to venture into your kitchen unless of cos, you invite them there.
Safety Remember when we said open plan kitchen helps you watch over your young ones? Well, if your young ones happen to be the extra active ones, you might consider getting a closed plan kitchen to protect them from sharp objects and flames in the kitchen.
Flexibility closed plan allows you to do different interior designs in the adjacent rooms that do not necessarily marry with the kitchen’s. If you feel doing a jungle green in the kitchen and a purple in the living room *shrugs*!
Closed plan is however ideal when the kitchen space is not limited, otherwise it would beat the logic. There are a lot of activities that happens in a standard kitchen and enough space and aeration should be considered.
This style also limits you from interaction with the guests or family members in the other adjacent rooms.
When you are looking for a house, serviced apartment, think about both your short term and long-term needs, your dreams and possible remodelling options and get one that fits your taste. If possible, jot down how you would benefit from each style and if it will still work for you 10 years from now.
If you are like me and wants to enjoy both, you could leave room to adjust the kitchen in the future or simply enjoy a closed plan for a planned duration and move into an open plan latter on
Kamake Gardens serviced apartments in Upper hill, Nairobi provides a choice of both open plan and closed plan kitchen options for the 2 bedroom serviced apartments. We understand that different guests have different tastes and needs.