Indoor-outdoor kitchens add versatility to your living space with more room when it’s fine outside and the impression of limitless space when it’s not.
And according to Michael Wright, of Yorkshire-based Michael Wright Kitchens and Interiors, this design is the perfect way to make the most of a fabulous view, or to give light and space to smaller rooms.
Said Michael: “Indoor-outdoor kitchens allow the room to be flooded with light which can give smaller rooms the illusion of space. When the weather is nice the kitchen extends to the outdoors with ease, making the most of whatever space is available.
“The secret to achieving the look is through a ‘wall of glass’ which keeps you snug and insulated in the winter and opens up in good weather to marry the indoors with the outdoors, seamlessly. The use of sliding patio doors or fashionably popular bi-folding doors can both make it work.”
Michael had the following tips for creating the look:
- Use simple tricks like continuing the same flooring from the kitchen to the immediate outside to draw the eye and extend the horizon of the kitchen. A uniform expanse of stone, ideally without a threshold, makes it feel like a never-ending room.
- Add interior-style touches to the outside space – such as a cooking counter with built in BBQ using materials which link visually to your kitchen furniture. This helps blur the lines between inside and out.
- Outdoor lounging furniture also makes your terrace feel like an extension to the room, especially when the form or colour reflects some of your interior furniture choices. Add upholstered cushions for a finishing ‘interior’ touch.
- Avoid having furniture against the glass wall if you can as this helps the visual flow between the two spaces. This will help the kitchen to work well when the doors are closed and when they are open.
- When considering the frames of French and bi-fold doors, there are no hard and fast rules that dictate wooden frames suit more traditional interiors and steel or aluminium frames suit more contemporary spaces, but this does tend to be the case. It may come down to cost, but consider the elevation of the opening and the weather conditions it will face as wood can weather more easily and require more maintenance over the years.
- All the frame finishes offered should be durable, so it’s really a question of choice about whether you want the framing to stand out or disappear. If you want it to stand out to delineate the space when the doors are closed, go for a contrasting, dark colour, but if you want the lines to be blurred, select a colour that matches or blends with the walls and ceiling inside as this will make the framing as invisible as possible.
Expert comment from living and interiors specialist, Michael Wright, of Yorkshire-based Michael Wright Kitchens and Interiors. The company is synonymous with the design and delivery of exceptional contemporary living spaces.