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Open Kitchen or Closed Kitchen: Which Is Better for Indian Homes?
Open kitchen concept has become very popular these days. Open kitchens are being featured in new house designs as well as old home remodeling projects around the world, including in Indian. A lot of Indian home owners that we interact with prefer an open kitchen concept for their home. But, there are many homeowners who are not quite sure about which kitchen style to choose – an open kitchen or closed kitchen. They get stuck between an open kitchen and a closed kitchen when buying a house or constructing a home.
If you are building a house or planning to buy a new house, if you are unable to decide whether to have an open kitchen or closed kitchen, then I have got you covered. Today, in this post I am sharing everything worth knowing about the open kitchen concept. I will also talk about the benefits and advantages of an open kitchen concept over a closed kitchen room design. I will also talk about why and when to choose an open kitchen over a closed kitchen room.
What is an open kitchen concept?
An open kitchen concept is a kitchen that does not have any barrier to the surrounding area like the dining area, hall or the drawing room. There is no door to open and close the kitchen and hence the name open kitchen. Since the kitchen remains open to the hall and dining area, it opens up the space. Even smaller open kitchen will look larger, more accessible and allows anyone cooking in the kitchen to interact with the person sitting in the dining area or the hall. So, while you are cooking in your open kitchen, you can actually keep an eye on your kids who may be sitting in the hall.
However, in case of a traditional Indian kitchen room, the kitchen room is separated with the surrounding areas like hall and drawing rooms with walls and a door. It kind of offers some privacy, and restricts the view to the rest of the areas in the house.
Open kitchen or a closed kitchen which one to choose may be a tough call. But, it depends on many things, including the size of the kitchen space, your lifestyle and preferences.
Why choose open kitchen over closed kitchen?
As I said, both open kitchens and closed kitchens have their own advantages and disadvantages. But, which kitchen type will work well for you? Well, that depends on your lifestyle, priorities, kitchen size etc.
However, I can help you choose a kitchen type.
Here are a few reasons to choose an open kitchen over a closed kitchen.
Opens up the space
In an open kitchen concept, there will be no extra wall and door and that opens up the space. Even though the kitchen size is small, the open kitchen concept creates an illusion of a larger space. Because of the openness of the space in an open kitchen, it becomes much more accessible.
However, in case of a closed kitchen, if the size of the kitchen is small, it may appear too small, and you may have to compromise with the accessibility.
Helps collaborate better
Kitchen is no longer a place to be used by ladies for cooking. Times have changed and for good. Today, cooking has become a special skill for both men and women. Cooking together in family gatherings helps create a different kind of bonding. Open kitchen concepts help do it right, because of a wider area and no barricades. Even though one can collaborate in a closed kitchen room, especially in a large size kitchen, the level of engagement because of open view in open kitchen concept is different all together.
It’s more engaging
Today, all of us are leading a busy and hectic life. Timetable and routine of our family members are not the same. We don’t really get the time to eat all our meals together, especially during the weekend. However, if you have an open kitchen it will help engage with your family much better.
For instance, if you are cooking in the kitchen, you can still talk to your spouse who is having his lunch in the open dining area and also with your kid who is sitting in the drawing room, doing his homework. Since there is no separation of kitchen with other areas, it helps you engage better than a closed kitchen. In the case of a closed kitchen, you can’t really talk to your kid in the drawing room and spouse who is eating in the dining area, unless you come out of your kitchen.
Looks contemporary
Although we want the entire house to look good, the kitchen has to look even better. The open kitchen simply makes that happen. The open kitchen layout looks more modern and contemporary while a closed kitchen looks more traditional. So, if you are living in an urban area, and you want the space to look modern, then an open kitchen layout should work well for your home.
Why choose a closed kitchen layout over an open kitchen?
Since ages, we have been building kitchens as a separate room. Although the open kitchen concept is gaining a lot of popularity in India, for the majority of Indian homes, a separate kitchen room is still very important.
However, it’s a personal choice and here’s why to choose a closed kitchen layout over an open kitchen for your home.
Separation
Kitchen is a special place, and even today, in some parts of our country, you are not allowed to the kitchen with your shoes and slippers. In fact, in some places, people don’t even enter the kitchen without taking a bath. Needless to say, they need a separate kitchen room. So, it’s more about an individual’s belief and what works well for their family and tradition.
Privacy and tidiness
A separate kitchen room offers you privacy, which may be of highest importance for many of us. Since it’s a different room, the person working in the kitchen can work freely without any concern or disturbance. Another advantage of a closed kitchen room is that you can just close the door and you won’t have to worry about cleaning the kitchen right after cooking. So, if privacy and tidiness in the kitchen is important for you, then a separate kitchen room will work well for your home.
Smell
Although cooking smell can easily spread across, a separate kitchen room can help contain the cooking smells to an extent. In the case of an open kitchen concept, cooking smell can spread quickly across the house. If that’s a concern for you, then a closed kitchen may be the right choice for your home over an open kitchen concept.
Conclusion
An open kitchen layout looks more contemporary and modern than a closed kitchen which looks more traditional. Open kitchen concepts help make the space look bigger, it is more accessible, efficient and engaging than a traditional style separate and closed kitchen room.
If you like these benefits of opening the kitchen layout, and you are not quite concerned about the privacy in the kitchen room then choosing an open kitchen layout may be better than a closed kitchen room.
But still, consider all the advantages and disadvantages of both the kitchen types and concepts and take professional help from an architect before choosing the perfect kitchen type for your home.
What else do you think one should know before choosing an open kitchen concept over a separate kitchen room?
