The open-plan kitchen, handling the floor and the transition

The kitchen open onto the living room (or the dining room) has become the standard for the last 20 years. It opens up the space, encourages conviviality, allows cooking without isolating yourself. But it poses a visual challenge, how to prevent the kitchen from invading the living room.

Without treatment, the open-plan kitchen produces two negative effects. Visual, the living room is constantly "polluted" by the functional elements of the kitchen (dishes, appliances, utensils). Olfactory and acoustic, cooking smells and the noise of the dishwasher invade the living space.

Three levers allow creating a clear transition between the two zones.

The floor. A change of material on the floor (tiles in the kitchen, parquet in the living room) separates visually without partitioning.

The island or the crittall screen. A physical element (island, bar, glazed crittall screen) creates a light visual barrier, without closing off.

Powerful ventilation. A high-performance extractor hood (which extracts at 600-800 m³/h minimum) prevents smells from migrating.

Lever 1, the floor.

Three possible treatments.

Identical floor throughout. Parquet or tiles over the entire space. Maximum opening effect, but no visual separation. To favour if you really want to unify.

Bold change of material. Tiles in the kitchen, parquet in the living room. Sharp visual separation effect. Limit, do not multiply the breaks (two materials maximum, not three). The dividing line must follow the separation of the zones.

A rug delimiting the living room. The floor is identical throughout, but a large rug under the sofa delimits the living room zone. Subtler effect, works very well.

Lever 2, the island or the crittall screen.

The central island. The most effective element for separating kitchen and living room. It becomes a functional and visual barrier without partitioning. Kitchen side, standard worktop at 90 cm. Living room side, either the same 90 cm (continuity), or a raised breakfast bar at 110-120 cm that hides the dishes in progress (see variation).

The crittall screen. Glazed partition with black metal or brass structure. Separates visually, lets light pass through, can be opening (integrated sliding door). Higher cost (£1,300 to £2,500 according to dimension), but strong architectural effect.

The high bar. For small kitchens, a 90 cm bar with a drop towards the kitchen can act as a screen while keeping the table function.

Lever 3, ventilation.

A powerful extractor hood (650-800 m³/h minimum for a kitchen open onto a living room) is essential, not optional. Without it, smells migrate throughout the living room and impregnate the textiles (sofa, curtains, cushions).

Brands to know. Falmec, Elica, Faber, Miele, Novy (premium). Cost, £350 to £1,300.

Special case, the kitchen highly visible from the entrance.

If on entering you see the kitchen rather than the living room, it is poorly organised. Three solutions. Either move the kitchen (renovation), or create a screen (crittall screen, open shelving, claustra) that directs the eye towards the living room, or commit to the kitchen and treat it as the main room ("showroom" kitchen).

In a small interior. The island takes up too much space in a studio. Favour the crittall screen or simply the change of flooring. Invest in a very effective extractor hood, this is non-negotiable.

Pierre Yovanovitch often works open-plan kitchens with monumental islands in raw stone or patinated wood, which act as a reception table at the same time as a worktop. Kitchen and dining room merge.

Joseph Dirand uses very pared-back crittall screens to separate kitchen and living room in Haussmann-era apartments. A recognisable visual signature that respects the spirit of the building.

A practice in vogue, the closable kitchen. A system of sliding doors or pivoting panels that allows fully closing the kitchen during meals served in the living room. Open kitchen by day, closed in the evening. High cost, but maximum flexibility.