With so many homes featuring an open floor plan today, figuring out how to transition your living space becomes an essential part of creating attractive, functional rooms. In particular, blending a kitchen that freely opens into the dining room without any wall barriers can be a tricky process.
Choosing the Breakfast Bar | The style of breakfast bar you choose often determines how it will be used. Ideally, the bar should offer usability for each room. Plus, it will serve as a divider between the two living spaces.
Blending with the Dining Room | Tying the presence of the breakfast bar with the dining room is as simple as asking your interior designer to assist you in selecting tall chairs that go with the furnishings in that room. You’ll want to stick with the same style, such as traditional or modern, and select colors that are complimentary with the décor in the dining room itself.
Coordinating with the Kitchen | Many built-in breakfast bars are designed to offer two individual heights – one for the kitchen side of it and the other height for the dining room side. Typically, the kitchen side is lower and used for work space. As a result, you don’t need to place any chairs here. Your interior designer might have some ideas regarding the color and style of tile for this work surface. The goal is to match it to the kitchen’s décor.
Blending the Kitchen and Dining Room in an Open Floor Plan | Ideally, your cabinetry, bar stools/chairs, and the base of the breakfast bar will match in coloring and type of materials used. This strategy creates a visual transition that ties the two rooms together while also being easy on the eyes. Another strategy that you can use is to choose accessories, countertop appliances, and wall décor that have similar patterns or colors so that you create a flow from one area of the room to another as well as into the adjoining area. Be sure to ask your interior designer for tips on additional ways to tie the two rooms together.
Written by Virginia Liberato | (908) 665-7997 ext.20 | Send Virgina an Email
