When planning a kitchen remodel, it can be difficult to know what kind of design would work best for your space while also suiting your lifestyle and meeting all of your needs. In this article, we will discuss two different bases for designs, open kitchen vs. closed kitchen, and outline each of their pros and cons.
Key Takeaways
Open kitchens have no walls or barriers separating the room from the rest of the house
An open kitchen is good for small homes and creating an informal atmosphere, but it’s always visible and there can be limited storage space
Closed kitchens are more traditional and have separation from the rest of the house with a wall and door
A closed kitchen is good for privacy and increased storage space, but creates a more formal atmosphere and is bad for small homes
What is an Open Kitchen?
As the name would suggest, an open kitchen has no walls or barriers. It is an open concept with the entire space left visible for everyone to see.
The following outlines the pros and cons of open kitchen designs:
Pros:
Good for small homes — Having no barriers makes the room seem more spacious than it actually is.
Creates an informal and friendly atmosphere — When you have guests over, you can still interact with them as you work in the kitchen.
Space for multiple cooks — With an open concept, more than one family member can prepare food in the kitchen at the same time.
Opportunity for an island — With the lack of a fourth wall enclosing the kitchen, there is increased opportunity to add an island in the centre of the room as the walking area won’t be disrupted.
Cons:
Always visible — Because there is no wall blocking the kitchen from the rest of the house, the room is always visible, which means that cleanliness becomes a priority, especially if guests are over.
Noise travels — With any use of loud appliances in the kitchen, the noise will travel throughout the house, potentially disturbing family members in other rooms.
Heat travels — The kitchen also tends to generate a lot of heat, which will then spread to adjacent rooms.
Limited storage — Since an open concept means having less walls, this could result in limited cabinet storage.
What is a Closed Concept Kitchen?
A closed kitchen is a more traditional concept, with a wall and door separating it from the rest of the house.
The following outlines the pros and cons of enclosed kitchen ideas:
Pros:
Great for privacy — If you are someone who sees the kitchen as their own personal sanctuary, a closed kitchen is the perfect concept for increased privacy, allowing you to cook in peace.
No need to clean right away — With the increased privacy of a closed concept kitchen, you also don’t need to clean up after yourself right away. Since the room isn’t visible to the rest of the house, guests won’t be able to see any of the mess made and you can leave cleaning for later.
Noise is confined — Unlike an open concept, because a closed concept has four walls, any kind of smells, noise, and heat are confined to the space and won’t disturb anyone else in the house.
Increased storage — With an additional wall, there are more opportunities for cabinet space and other types of storage.
Cons:
Creates a formal atmosphere — Being an isolated space from the rest of the house, a closed kitchen can create a formal atmosphere, which makes it difficult to interact with family and friends while preparing food.
Interrupted access to the dining table — A barrier between the kitchen and dining table means that uninterrupted access is lost, once again making it difficult to interact with friends and family while preparing food. This can also add challenges to bringing the food to the table, particularly in needing a hand to open the door which means more trips back and forth.
Bad for small homes — A closed kitchen reduces sight lines, making the room, and thus your home as a whole, seem smaller.
Final Thoughts
Throughout this article, we have discussed the differences between an open vs. closed kitchen, outlining the pros and cons of each concept. As seen in the names of these designs, the main difference between the two is that an open kitchen does not have a fourth wall or door, while a closed kitchen does. At Top Home Builders, we offer kitchen remodeling services, providing you with a new kitchen design that fits your needs and lifestyle. Contact us today to learn more and receive a free estimate on your project.
FAQs
An open kitchen does not have a wall or any barriers separating it from the rest of the house, whereas a closed kitchen does. This means that an open kitchen has a more informal atmosphere, while a closed kitchen feels more formal.
With an open kitchen, your home seems bigger than it is. There is also more space for multiple people to be in the kitchen at once and an opportunity to have a kitchen island that won’t disrupt the walking area of the room.
Open kitchen designs are always visible which makes cleanliness a priority, especially if guests are coming over. Noise and heat travel throughout the house due to the lack of barriers and there is limited storage space.
With a closed kitchen, you get more privacy, which also means that you don’t have to clean up right away as people won’t necessarily see the mess. As well, there is increased storage space and any noise or smells from cooking are confined to the room.
Enclosed kitchen ideas are bad for small homes and mean that there is a barrier between the kitchen and dining space.
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