Open Plan vs Closed Plan Wirral Kitchens

If you’re currently planning on revamping your existing Wirral kitchen or building a new one from scratch, you’re going to have to choose between a classic closed plan option or a contemporary open-plan design.

Below is a detailed explanation of what either option includes, plus the pros and cons of open plan and closed plan kitchens:

Closed Plan Wirral Kitchens

True to their name, closed plan kitchens are closed from all sides, meaning that they are constructed with the traditional four-wall room style. Despite being used for centuries (that’s right!), the closed plan kitchen has remained popular throughout the ages till date.

Part of its popularity stems from the closed plan kitchen’s ability to maintain the smells and aromas associated with cooking within the kitchen’s four walls – an ability that open-plan kitchens simply cannot afford. Unfortunately, if not well ventilated, closed plan kitchens can start to feel stuffy after a while.

On the bright side, though, closed plan kitchens afford more privacy than their open-plan counterparts, as well as offer more storage space because they have at least one extra wall (and plenty of extra wall cabinets!)

Additionally, closed plan kitchens are preferred in houses built in orthodox architectural styles. Older homes typically have metal beams running throughout the house’s frame (underneath the concrete), hence demanding that multiple walls be added to help cover these beams. Because closed plan kitchens have many walls, they can easily conform to this demand.

So, before you consider blasting your kitchen’s fourth wall away to convert it into an open plan setting, be sure to ask a professional whether or not your house’s internal metal structure can support this decision.

Open Plan Kitchen

Open-plan Wirral kitchens are significantly newer than the traditional closed plan style, which is why they’re more commonly found in freshly built homes rather than older ones. Such kitchens do not employ all four walls, nor do they have a separate doorway entrance. Instead, you can easily glide into them through the space that’s “missing” a wall.

Open-plan kitchens are ideal for smaller homes because they reduce the amount of space needed for construction. They are also less stuffy than their closed plan counterparts but don’t do much to help contain kitchen smells within their space, so you’ll need plenty of ventilation to prevent your home from smelling like food all of the time.

Although these kitchens do look fantastic, they don’t do much for privacy. This can, however, be a good thing if you’d like to be able to interact with your family (seated outside the cooking space) while working you work within the kitchen.

Open-plan kitchens don’t allow for as much storage space as closed plan ones do, which is why they may not be suitable for larger families. Still, you can always make adjustments to overcome this drawback – by installing deeper cabinets, for example.

Despite their differences, both open plan and closed plan kitchens are wonderful options. However, before choosing an option, be sure to analyze its pros and cons to help you decide which plan is best suited to your needs.

Contact us for a free consultation on planning your next Wirral kitchen.