16 open plan kitchen diner ideas

Turning your isolated kitchen into a sociable kitchen diner won’t just transform your home. It’ll also transform the way you live, work and play. Here, we’ll share 16 open plan kitchen diner ideas that could completely change your life.

Open plan kitchen ideas

Your kitchen was made to be the hub of your home. So, if you’re looking to make it into a sociable space, open plan living may well be for you.

When it comes to open plan kitchens, there are three popular options:

• Open plan kitchen and living room
• Open plan kitchen and dining room
• Open plan kitchen, dining and living room

Here, we’ll take a look at some awesome open plan kitchen diner ideas. Plus, we’ll explore some ideas for those of you lucky enough to have space for a kitchen diner living room. Enjoy!

8 dining kitchen ideas

If you’re eagerly awaiting the day when you can eat and cook in the same space, we’ve got you covered. These dining kitchen ideas will have all the inspiration you need.

1. Create a classic kitchen diner extension

Willing to consider extending to get the kitchen of your dreams? Then we’d suggest taking a good look at this gorgeous kitchen diner extension. With bifold doors leading out onto the back garden and a gorgeous skylight to increase natural light, it’s exactly what many budding kitchen renovators dream of.

2. Invest in a built-in open plan kitchen dining area

If you’re keen to maximise your space at home, why not consider a built-in seating area like this homeowner’s? The built-in bench seating in this kitchen allows the dining table to tuck perfectly into the corner, without encroaching on the door or surrounding walkway.

As an added bonus, bench seating is perfect for entertaining as you can squeeze just a few extra people in without needing to buy additional chairs!

3. Keep your open plan kitchen diner light and airy

When you’re trying to squeeze more furniture into an existing space, it’s important to think of ways to prevent your kitchen from feeling overcrowded. This homeowner has painted their walls and ceilings white and added in additional windows. They’ve also opted for shelving as opposed to typical kitchen wall units, which is a great way to your open up your space and make it feel bigger.

4. Zone your open plan kitchen with a glass partition wall

Sure, open plan kitchen diners are great, but sometimes it can be nice to have a more private area to retreat to. That’s why we love this idea – the homeowner has built a glass partition wall, so that the cooking and dining areas are connected and sociable but still feel like separate spaces.

Just close the glass doors to enjoy the cosiest dining alcove while still getting plenty of light from the rest of the space.

5. Use a breakfast bar to achieve your open plan kitchen

If your kitchen is a little tight on space, you might find yourself choosing between a kitchen island and a dining table.

However, one practical solution could instead be to make a kitchen island that doubles up as a breakfast bar. That way, you incorporate a sociable dining area without having to reduce your cooking space!

6. Embrace minimalism for your open plan kitchen diner

Minimalistic open plan kitchens are great for creating a calm space that’s devoid of clutter and stress. This minimalist kitchen design incorporates plenty of cupboard storage to ensure it stays that way. We also love the black and natural wood colour scheme, which is perfect for tying the separate zones together with minimal fuss.

7. Connect your kitchen and dining room with an interior arch

You don’t need the space for a huge open plan kitchen diner in order to enjoy a more sociable kitchen. Instead, if your kitchen and dining room are located next to one another, why not simply connect the two with something as simple yet classy as an interior arch? Not only is it a practical move, but the dining area also makes the ideal focal point in this long, narrow kitchen.

8. Choose a conservatory for your kitchen diner extension

We love how this open plan kitchen diner has managed to squeeze in a loveseat as well as a beefy kitchen island-cum-breakfast-bar!

If you’re after a cost-effective way to extend and create your ideal open plan kitchen diner, consider a conservatory extension. Not only are they generally cheaper than typical brick-and-mortar house extensions, but they’re also a fantastic way to bring the outside in and brighten up the heart of your home.

8 kitchen living room ideas

If you’ve been graced with enough space for an open plan kitchen living room with a dining room included, you’re going to be on cloud nine after seeing these stunning kitchen living room ideas.

1. Open up the whole of your downstairs to create a big open plan living room kitchen

If you’re willing to fully embrace open plan living and get rid of any notion of a separate snug, you’ll love this idea. By opening up the whole of your downstairs, you’ll be able to enjoy one large kitchen living dining room with a whole load of extra light and easy flow between zones.

We love how this homeowner has opted for a glass staircase to avoid breaking up the space – as well as a pale tiled floor to really allow light to bounce around and travel through the room.

2. Extend your open plan kitchen by removing an internal wall

On the topic of removing your internal walls, that’s exactly what this homeowner has done. They’ve make two rooms into one in order to accommodate a kitchen island and sofa in the same space. By embracing a consistent colour palette of black, pastels and light neutrals throughout the space, the homeowner has created a real feeling of consistency and unity between the living, dining and cooking areas.

3. Explore ideas for a small open plan kitchen living room

This small kitchen diner is simple yet wildly effective. Not only is it aesthetically pleasing with its row of baby blue kitchen cabinets, oak worktop and eye-catching red fridge freezer, but it’s also extremely space efficient.

In order to accommodate a dining area, the homeowner has incorporated a breakfast station beneath the kitchen worktop – all you have to do is pull up a stool to enjoy eating in this tiny open plan kitchen living room.

4. Create zones in your open plan kitchen living room

In order to give the separate areas in your open plan living space a sense of purpose, why not work on zoning the spaces? We love how this open plan kitchen living room uses a rug, kitchen lighting and even an island cooker hood to differentiate the different areas in the room.

5. Connect separate spaces to create your open plan living room kitchen

If you’re already enjoying a kitchen diner, why not make it into an open plan living room kitchen by connecting it to your existing lounge? By creating a double doorway between the rooms, this home benefits from a sociable entertaining space with fantastic flow, while still maintaining a sense of privacy and cosiness in the living room. You could see it as the best of both worlds!

6. Create contrast in your open plan kitchen living room

This black and white kitchen is a fantastic example of how you can use kitchen colours to create contrast within an open plan living space. The cooking area is mostly black with white accents, while the living area is mostly white with black accents. And let’s not forget that gogeous parquet flooring running through the whole room to tie the two ends together beautifully.

7. Prioritise a sociable layout for your open plan living space

You might think that any open plan living space is going to be sociable, but some kitchen designs prioritise socialising more than others. If you’re keen to create the perfect entertaining space, take a leaf out of this homeowner’s book. We love how they’ve incorporated an L-shaped sofa that faces into the room, so that you can easily lounge on it while chatting to those sitting at the dining table or cooking at the kitchen island.

8. Work with the space you’ve got when creating your open plan kitchen

Every home is different and not every home will be the perfect blank canvas to accommodate your ideal new kitchen. This kitchen diner features a fireplace and chimney right in the heart of the home, making it near impossible to make a fully open plan living space. But instead of working against it, the homeowner has made it a central feature that marks the transition point between the living room and kitchen diner areas.

Open plan kitchen diner ideas key takeaways

• Embrace fully open plan living or create cosy zones and nooks to maintain a sense of cosiness.
• Pick the perfect paint colours to differentiate separate areas within the same space, or to unify them.
• Kitchen storage is key to reducing clutter in an open plan kitchen diner, so as to avoid overwhelming the space.

Ready to make your open plan kitchen diner ideas into a reality? Simply find a trusted kitchen fitter near you to kick off your kitchen renovation.