Partitions between the living room and the kitchen: types and materials

The lack of a full-fledged wall between the kitchen and the living room in recent decades can be considered a real fashion trend - representatives of the younger generation look differently at the principles of housing planning and prefer large free spaces in the form of studios. With all the convenience of such a solution, even they often admit that some kind of partition, even if not in the form of a real stone wall, is still needed. If you, too, are thinking that your apartment lacks something like that, you should learn more about such partitions as such.

It would seem that if the owners, of their own free will, demolished the wall between the living room and the kitchen, then why then install some other partition in its place? In fact, this design has many reasons for being popular and is most often credited with several useful features.

• Space zoning. It so happened that a person likes to divide his home into certain functional zones - here I sleep, there I rest and receive guests, and there I cook and eat. This allows you to maintain a certain order not only in the apartment, but also in your own head. You should not take zoning purely as the construction of walls - in the same nursery, a recreation area is distinguished, as well as a work and play area, and even in a hall combined with a kitchen, this is all the more appropriate. Differentiation only by decoration is often not enough, and a translucent decorative structure transmits light and clearly marks the border.
• Separation of rooms. In some cases, the wall is removed only in order to add light to all rooms, but in general there is no talk of a full-fledged integration, because the partition, albeit glass, is completely sealed. It is not difficult to understand such a decision, because the kitchen is a specific place with its own special smells and noise. All these kitchen factors can interfere with the normal relaxation in the living room, and many owners will not give up some kind of obstacle for them. In addition, some people are uncomfortable not only in an enclosed space, but also, conversely, in an open, excessively large space, where one feels like in a gym.
• Decorating. This, of course, is a rather strange use, but sometimes the partition is used purely in order to once again decorate the apartment. Ordinary drywall, stylized as brickwork or decorated with drawings, can become a kind of art object within the apartment. Even more attention is attracted by metal and wooden screens, as well as glass structures, on which a volumetric pattern is applied.
• Special functions. The fact that the partition itself is capable of playing the role of a "highlight" in the design of the room has already been said above, but its functionality does not end there either. Someone uses racks as a barrier, which means that it will be convenient to store certain things inside the structure. If an aquarium serves as a partition, then there are pets, a means for relaxation, and definitely the main attraction of the home.

There are many ideas of what exactly to partition the combined space of the kitchen-living room with, and a person who has never seen anything like it before does not even imagine how many there could be. Nevertheless, this is a matter of originality and aesthetic appeal of your apartment, which means it is worth understanding this topic.

• Sliding design is one of the most popular solutions, the demand for which is based on practicality. In the open form, you get the much-desired common space, an abundance of light, the ability to communicate, being in different rooms, to watch TV located in the living room from the kitchen. Close the doors - and you immediately solved the problem of culinary odors and unnecessary noise when someone casts a spell over the stove.

• Partition cabinet - another option for the practical use of the space under the former wall. Most often, the rack is made through - it does not have a back wall, its contents are visible and can be removed from both sides. When empty, it is just a frame, when filled, it is an exhibition of souvenirs and decorative items, constantly working for two rooms at once.

• Decorative partition - this is a special kind of such structures, since globally any of them already has a certain decorative function. This category includes original design solutions that are difficult to attribute to any specific category and which are distinguished by an emphasized beautiful design. In a constructive sense, it can be absolutely anything.

• Curtains - perhaps the simplest, and maybe one of the cheapest options for dividing a room. In terms of advantages, it is very similar to the sliding structures mentioned above - you decide at any time whether you need to combine or separate functional areas and then you can change your mind again.

• False wall It may seem illogical: why demolish the capital wall, if instead of it another will be erected anyway? The difference lies in the fact that the "fake" can be easily customized to suit your own requirements, including decorative ones.So, it itself can be thinner or thicker than the original, have a completely different edge shape in the aisle, and most importantly - have built-in niches for the same TV or light bulbs.

• Screens have been undeservedly forgotten for a long time, but in recent years they are increasingly returning as partitions between the kitchen and the living room. This collapsible lattice structure is both a concrete fence and a weightless structure that separates as much as it unites.

Theoretically, any of the modern materials can act as a raw material for the manufacture of a partition, but you need to understand that when choosing, you should focus not only on aesthetic preferences - it is important that the design also fulfills the practical tasks that you assign to it. Most often, several options are used as a material.

• Glass panels or blocks most often used in small apartments or apartments suffering from lack of sunlight. In many ways, such a choice is due to severe necessity - the owners probably would not have thought about demolishing the wall, because even in fact, an obvious barrier between the kitchen and the living room remained, but it was too cramped or too dark for them. Glass solves both issues without overloading the interior.

• Plasterboard constructions are probably the most popular today, since it is from this material that all false walls are made. The crazy popularity of drywall sheets is quite understandable - the best varieties of this building material are not afraid of fire or water, but they lend themselves perfectly to molding and allow you to give the wall structure the most unexpected look.

• Wooden structures do not lose their popularity, even though mankind has come up with many alternatives to natural wood. Whatever one may say, but only a natural product gives the inhabitants of the home an imperceptible feeling of comfort and warmth, not to mention the fact that a real tree is environmentally friendly, unlike too many current competitors.

• Bamboo trunks can hardly be considered a full-fledged partition - rather, they are a formal space divider for those who do not like the absence of walls, and an interesting decoration for everyone else. Stylistically, this is one of the most original moves, emphasizing the uniqueness of not only the design of the apartment, but also your taste.

• MDF panels are sawdust pressed under high pressure, and the manufacturers vow that this is not chipboard for you - there are supposedly no toxins here, and the strength is much higher. Usually, such a solution is chosen by those owners who would like to acquire natural wood, but cannot find the money to buy solid wood products. At the same time, MDF is often painted, due to which the panel loses its woody appearance.

• Plastic partition in terms of functionality, it is very similar to the aforementioned glass, and in appearance it is a fencing of shower stalls. This is a good move for a minimalist space without any fancy.

• Textile solutions in the form of curtains, they are usually used by those who want maximum weightlessness for the partition and the ability to remove it at any time. It is difficult to overload the interior with such an element, but you can decorate it. This is the easiest option in terms of installation and replacement, and caring for it seems simple.

• Steel structures are used relatively rarely, and this is where their "trick" lies - if you are largely chasing after the originality of the interior, then this option may turn out to be one of the most appropriate.Here you need to understand that in certain styles one and the same product will look very refined, while in others, "warm", it is completely tasteless, therefore such experiments should be carried out with a share of healthy criticism at the planning stage.

When deciding how your partition will look like, you must give yourself an answer to the three most important questions: what functions should the structure perform, in what style the room will be decorated after renovation, and what is the budget for your apartment renovation.

If we talk about functions, the most "stupid" are screens and racks. The first ones are good for their aestheticism, the second ones - for the ability to store things in them, both cope with the visual limitation of space, but that's all: neither one nor the other interferes with the penetration of smells, and the situation with noise is not much better. In addition, the lighting level with their help is not so easy to adjust.

Stylistic compliance also requires careful adherence. A plasterboard false wall can be considered a completely universal solution, because it still requires additional external finishing and can be disguised as anything. For the rest, you need to adhere to the general rule according to which classic styles are incompatible with ultra-modern materials, and a warm and such a home tree does not fit into an emphatically cold hi-tech or futurism.

The financial component is of great importance in the event that you predictably started a rather serious repair, and did not limit yourself to just installing the partition. As you know, an estimate of repair work should always be made with a large capital reserve, otherwise there may not be enough money to purchase the last elements, and the cheapest alternative to the original idea simply will not fit into the repair that was started specifically for this partition.

It is difficult to orientate on prices here, since everything depends on the degree of decoration of the product and the quality of a particular material, but in general, you can expect that a plastic structure or MDF shelving will cost less than stained glass, forged metal grill and solid natural wood.

Sometimes you can separate rooms with something that is not perceived as a wall at all, but is great as a visual border, creating additional comfort. The options for such a division are worth considering - suddenly one of these solutions, in your opinion, turns out to be optimal.

• Bar counter or dining table Is a great way to separate the kitchen area from the living room and combine them at the same time. On the one hand, you cannot walk through such a piece of furniture, which means that it is suitable as a visual border, on the other hand, it is a useful addition to furniture, allowing you to solve the issue of the dining area without occupying additional space.

• Aquariumif it is in the apartment, it is probably one of the favorite pastime for all household members - calmly swimming underwater inhabitants have an extremely positive effect on the nervous system and are a much better way to relax than the same TV.It is logical to place such an accessory in the living room, but at the moment when you do not want to cook, and just want to relax, you will be glad that you can admire the calm pets directly from the kitchen.

• Green spaces - another way to divide the kitchen and living room so as not to interfere with the penetration of light, but at the same time clearly show the edge of the two zones. The presence of plants in a dwelling is, in principle, useful - they not only emit oxygen, eliminating carbon dioxide, but also improve mood, especially if severe Russian frosts crackle outside the window. When you eat, the sight of houseplants will stimulate your appetite; in the relaxed setting of the living room, the eye can rest on the greenery of their leaves.

The photo shows a frosted glass sliding partition on a frame, stylistically very reminiscent of traditional Japanese houses. For room design, this is very a fresh and non-trivial solution that allows both the combination of the kitchen and the living room, and their isolation.

There is a combination of false walls with green spaces. The owners did not dare to demolish the wall completely, but found useful use for its remains, thanks to which they breathe cleaner air than the average modern city dweller.

This photo shows a beautiful idea - turn the false wall into an art object. It is decorated with a painting in a modern style, while it is itself specially decorated with imitation brickwork to be a good backdrop for ostensibly street art. Maybe not everyone will like it, but it’s definitely not boring!

In this option, the owners decided to mount the aquarium directly into the false wall - this is a productive option when you cannot afford a reservoir of hundreds of liters, but you want to have fish. As a result - and light passes almost freely, and the nervous system recovers faster from stress.

You will learn more about the zoning of the kitchen-living room using a partition with a TV niche.