How to tie open-plan kitchen/ living/ dining room areas together?

9 years ago

Hi, does anyone have any low-cost ideas to make my living/dining/kitchen areas look more cohesive? I'm struggling to decorate around the very yellow-y cream units in the kitchen - I wish I had white units but don't really want to faff around painting them.
Thanks!

Featured Answer

PRO

Carte Blanche Decorative Painters

9 years ago

You've already started to tie areas with colour - the lime green is very good and I see splashes of it in the living room as well as in the tablecloth. I would suggest painting a wall in the sitting room with that sort of mid century green. and bring more of it into the kitchen. Some roman blinds at the windows would also bring the two areas together, and you can again use your accent colour. Look at Swedish fabric designers to get some ideas for something contemporary and would tie in with the feel you have started to create. I would look at Marimekko

Comments (13)

PRO
Oasis Interior Design & Property Styling
9 years ago
Oasis Interior Design
7:44 am
The look into the kitchen is lovely,I think but then looking into the living area there are too many pieces .. I would pan it down with one larger storage unit .. And keep the finish a soft timber. I like the contrasting pink. How about you paired it with yellow, too .. to draw in the colour of the joinery in the kitchen.
mcslw thanked Oasis Interior Design & Property Styling
Related Discussions
Help! Ideas on how to furnish an open plan kitchen living room?
Q
Comments (13)
You have a lovely home to work with. I would say don't underestimate mirrors for making a room look twice as big. Have you considered giant mirrors, or mirroring an entire wall? How about the curved wall? I would pay attention to lighting also, as great lighting can make your home look a million dollars and more spacious. I would make a focal point with television resting on a gorgeous storage cabinet, place wall picture frames on wall where tv is placed, this will draw attention to the art and cabinet rather than the tv itself. I would get highback armchairs and use them for both dining and lounge seating with a sofa. I like those Victorian card tables on wheels, that fold up, multipurpose. Only buy furniture you absolutely love, don't follow trends, follow your heart, after all you want to feel good at home. Don't be half-hearted follow your dreams, be confident. When you fully execute your interior passion you'll be happy and others who come to your home will sense you and credit your style as being authentic, true to you and they will love it as much as they love you.
...See More
Advice for Open Plan Zoning for Living/Kitchen/Dining Area!!
Q
Comments (32)
I'm doing all I can to stop it from crashing but no luck yet! I've lengthened the island from 3.2M to 3.6M to increase the storage for the kitchen but agree the island should be moved down slightly. I'd like a really large seating area but will have a play around to see how I can make this area work better as the settee is a little bit close to the island! I've always wanted a formal seating area and will have the space to do this but may be able to get away with 2 settees rather than the 3 I had my heart set on!! I'd put the TV on that wall so I could see it when I was in the kitchen cooking! But it would be better placed on the other wall for people sat at the Island to see. Your points are so helpful! This is the most productive day I've had in a while!! And I've just watched the George Clarke show 'Ugly House to Lovely House' to see the Crittall windows and I love them!
...See More
Kitchen or dining area at the garden end of open plan room?
Q
Comments (30)
Hello Colourwise Design, Thought I would give you a visual of what I had meant. I have used Jonathan's drawing as I use sketchup personally for spatial drawings in 3D. However this means you get to see the same kind of view though with his design and scale. Also offers me the chance to show you how the materials can effect the overall appearance as I have deliberately chosen a material colour to blend with the flooring (or as close to so you can see what is solid) which can be done in a myriad of ways so things appear less solid and thus give a more open room configuration ... Have copied Jonathan's chairs which I have slid under a little more. So you have flow and a very simple configuration which does not hinder the exit to the garden which I think you will want to retain personally. So it could be that the first section houses sink, dishwasher. FF could be in left corner where room opens out? Hob could be at dining end. So cook and serve idea. This also allows for the additional room where the area widens. You still have flow between task oriented routes ie sink to ff and ff to hob etc. Making use of height with a single width double ff and perhaps considering a wall oven and some wall hung cupboards on that wall to the right of the image. The dresser might be able to situate to the right of the window on the left of the image. Down draft on hob or overhead extraction and ceiling hung pans or a section underneath hob for pans etc.. So this idea could either be solid with build in cupboards which I would propose have sliding doors or at dining end taper off into a table top.. Its a quick rework to show you what I had envisioned as I saw it. Re the door in to kitchen, perhaps consider a door that is sliding for example a pocket door. : ))
...See More
Open plan kitchen living dining room how to choose colour.
Q
Comments (1)
Hi Susannah, I would advise you to get samples pots of all your choices and paint the relevant walls (large areas and in corners to check colours in shadow too). Make sure you judge the effect of each colour on the other in the room. Best wishes, JNSQ
...See More
boundsgreener
9 years ago
Well I think so much of your space is gorgeous and I love your decorative details and bold colours, but I see what you mean about the tone of the kitchen cupboards. Carte Blanche has great ideas. What about taking the doors of the rest of the upper cabinets in the kitchen? I see the one on the right is already open.... it would decrease the amount of yellowy beige and you could paint the shelves and/or backs in some of your highlight colours in the dining and living area (the green the pink and the yellow). Less faff than painting the whole lot.
mcslw thanked boundsgreener
PRO
Sandra Lawson Interiors
9 years ago
I too think your room is lovely but wondered if you would consider replacing the kitchen wall unit doors with glass ones? Ikea have silver edged opaque kitchen doors which would change the look of the top cabinets- they are the units in your line of sight. A modest expense and do-able DIY job.

I agree that a blind in a cheerful fabric above your table would be an attractive diversion from the units.

As for colours you will have to incorporate the colour of the kitchen units as a background, but using bright accent colours across the whole space will diminish its impact.
mcslw thanked Sandra Lawson Interiors
PRO
MadeUp Design
9 years ago
I think what's stopping the two areas looking cohesive is the lack of wood finishes in the kitchen, unlike the rest of your space which has wooden floors, furniture etc. If your budget would strec
PRO
MadeUp Design
9 years ago
I think what's stopping the two areas looking cohesive is the lack of wood finishes in the kitchen, unlike the rest of your space which has wooden floors, furniture etc. If your budget would stretch you could consider replacing the black worktops for wooden ones (Ikea does some good ones). Even just on the breakfast bar would help. It would bring the same warmth to the area which you've managed to create elsewhere and you could then bring in some of the same accent colours to tie it all together. I don't think you'd notice the cream cupboards then!
mcslw
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you everyone for your helpful and kind comments :)
Monacarlyle I think you have got it spot on! I have always found the kitchen a little cold and sterile and now that you say it, I think that is due to the lack of wood (which I love, as you can see from the rest of the house!). I'm off to have a think about how I can introduce more wood, and splashes of colour.
PRO
MadeUp Design
9 years ago
Ah, glad to have said something useful! Good luck with it.
PRO
Carte Blanche Decorative Painters
9 years ago
I think you have found your solution with Monacarlyle's post, however I have been looking for days for this image that I thought was a good example of what I was talking about and suddenly I found it today...so I will add it anyway. I liked the splashes of colour in the clinical kitchen but most of all I loved how they had used the books as sculpture and the follow through of colour in the lighting treatment and the pops of green and pink that are consistent throughout that are similar to your own colours.....may not be pertinent now, but I thought I would add it in.
mcslw
Original Author
9 years ago
Carte Blanche, that is gorgeous! Thanks for posting :)
willscott175
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I agree with many of the suggestions above, especially that there's too much furniture in the living room. You're going to hate me for saying this but I think there's too much clutter and busyness overall for such a small space. I'd radically reduce the number of pictures and knick-knacks in both rooms – especially the living room – and move the ones you keep to less prominent places. I'd also take the coat rack and cookery bookshelves out completely, and replace the busy parquet flooring with either not-busy plank laminate or a simple-patterned or solid rug. Finally, I like trees but that spidery palm tree is hideous IMO.
User
3 years ago
you're 6 years too late!
willscott175
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It's never too late to declutter.

How to tie open-plan kitchen/ living/ dining room areas together?

Carte Blanche Decorative Painters

Comments (13)

Oasis Interior Design & Property Styling

Related Discussions

boundsgreener

Sandra Lawson Interiors

MadeUp Design

MadeUp Design

mcslw
Original Author

MadeUp Design

Carte Blanche Decorative Painters

mcslw
Original Author

willscott175

User

willscott175

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How to tie open-plan kitchen/ living/ dining room areas together?

Comments (13)

Related Discussions

mcslwOriginal Author

mcslwOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

mcslw
Original Author

mcslw
Original Author