Limited square footage and small spaces can pose several design challenges. However, these obstacles can also lead to endless possibilities. There are loads of interior design ideas out there to help you conquer a large open space and create the kitchen and living room design that works best for you.
Below, you’ll find a list of the most inspiring kitchen-living room ideas to help you get started on the interior design of your dream home.
An Open Concept Living Room With a One-Wall Kitchen
This kitchen and living room use the same flooring for both spaces. In this situation, area rugs are an excellent solution for creating division without a physical barrier hindering movement. The shelving units being aligned with a single surface allows a seamless flow while cooking, one of the many benefits of an open layout such as this.
Additionally, the living area uses a brighter color palette than the kitchen space, further differentiating between the two without the room feeling disjointed.
via Historiska Hem
A Kitchen-Living Room Combo With a Dining Room Table
This kitchen-living room combo features an element that we’ll see frequently: a dining table placed within the kitchen area, creating an additional dining room space. Multiple pendant lights hanging throughout the space ensure that each area has adequate lighting.
This open-concept kitchen-living room combo follows a neutral color scheme, helping the design style feel purposeful. Additionally, this layout is an efficient use of the available square footage with every inch of the open floor plan serving a purpose.
via Stadshem
An Open Concept Kitchen-Living Room Combo With Furniture Filling the Entire Space
Appropriate use of visual clutter can help create multiple focal points, making a small space appear bigger as your eye travels through it. This open-concept kitchen, living, and dining area is a cozy space with natural materials and thoughtfully placed home decor.
The large windows allow an abundance of natural light to pour in, further opening up the space. All of the design elements in this example blend perfectly into this darker neutral color palette, creating a warm and welcoming space for everyone.
Styled by Yngfalk interior, photographed by Mia Borgelin for Historiska Hem
A Compact Kitchen and Living Room With an Included Dining Space
Color can be a powerful visual divider, tricking the eye into seeing a single space as multiple rooms. This room uses darker, solid-color cabinets in the kitchen area, which serve as a source of visual interest and almost have the effect of an accent wall.
The abrupt change from the grey-green kitchen to the umber tone of the couch, then again to the soft linen tablecloth and dark chairs in the dining area, clearly marks the shift from one room to the other while maintaining the benefits of the wide open space.
Styled by Grey Deco, photographed by Fredrik J Karlsson, for sale via Alvhem
A Completely Open Space With Loads of Natural Light
Large picture windows and multiple skylights in this example remove the need for artificial lighting on bright days. This home design style is populated by light neutrals and wood accents, further brightening the space.
The result is a relaxing and peaceful, yet cheerful, dining room, kitchen, and living room combo. Wall decor isn’t missed, and the lack of it only serves to make the room feel even more airy and spacious. The light fixtures the space does have are simple and understated, allowing the eye to glance right over them.
via Alvhem
A Small Kitchen Island With Waterfall Edges to Allow Movement Throughout the Limited Space
A kitchen island is the perfect functional divider, creating more storage and countertop space while clearly defining the kitchen and living room areas. This open space has a curved corner, creating an ideal place for a set of small dining chairs and a round table.
A unique coffee table and a simple area rug further clarify the separation of the living room from the kitchen and dining room. Large light fixtures with unique designs are also a great addition to this type of layout.
photographed by Henrik Linden, sold at Alvhem
A Kitchen and Living Room With a Physical Barrier to Create Separate Spaces
An island and/or a range hood is a functional way to lightly enclose an open kitchen, allowing each piece of additional furniture to breathe and creating a singular focal point to stand out in each part of the space.
The living room here features a modern couch and a gallery wall populated by painted works, and the rich wood of the dining table is embellished by a pop of bold blue from the vase. The mix of color palettes in this space furthers the separation, though no one area seems out of place in the room as a whole.
Styled by Åsa Copparstad, photographed by Frederic Boucari, for Historiska Hem
A Compact Kitchen and Living Room Design for Studio Apartments
This studio apartment has multiple focal points characterizing the room and visually creating separate spaces. The combination of beige, grey, and white walls helps to further set the rooms apart, while the open kitchen flows into the living room, and the living room into the bedroom.
The wall with a window between the sleeping area and the kitchen creates a sense of privacy that all bedrooms deserve without overly darkening the kitchen due to the lack of light.
via Alvhem
Place the Living Space Off to the Side in a Loft Apartment
This unique loft apartment layout creates a natural division between the open kitchen and living room areas. The shape of the room and positioning of the stairs force the living room furniture off to the side with the illusion of a doorway created by the corner and the post of the railing.
The blend of colors here feels natural but also divides the spaces as we’ve seen in previous examples. A standing mirror is pointed towards the window, creating a reflection and amplifying natural light throughout the room.
Styled by Copparstad, photographed by Boukari for Historiska Hem
Embrace an Open Floor Plan By Carrying the Color Palette into the Living Room Area
This modern kitchen-living room combo uses a stunning marble kitchen island as both a focal point and a divider. The open kitchen allows for easy conversation with any guests or family members seated in the living room, with modern furniture and soft tones being carried throughout.
Statement light fixtures and small coffee tables bring character and personality into the room while maintaining the chic appearance of the areas.
via Sjöman Frisk
A Kitchen and Living Room Combined With a Large Dining Table and an Area Rug to Create Separate Areas
This living room, dining room, and kitchen combination uses multiple methods to clearly outline where one room ends and the next begins. The area rug and dining room table both serve as dividing elements, while the brick accent wall ties everything together.
Bold decor pieces across all three spaces create a visual interest that draws the eye and helps it move through the room. Design ideas such as this one are growing more popular in larger, open-floor plan apartments.
Styled by Linnéa H. Manaberi, photographed by Fredrik Karlsson for Alvhem
Save Space in a Kitchen-Living Room Combo With Carefully Considered Furniture Placement
A uniquely shaped room can pose additional challenges when planning the placement of furniture. However, carefully choosing where the furniture will sit and working with the shape of the room can make all the difference.
This open kitchen area features plenty of storage between the open shelves and cabinetry, giving everything a proper place which, in turn, limits clutter and allows the living room to function as intended.
Use Different Materials and Colors to Separate the Two Spaces
One of the most distinctive design ideas we’ve seen. The blend of materials, colors, and textures is a source of endless visual interest, and eccentric wall shapes and positions make this a fun room combo. Stonework and wood fill the kitchen area, and solid colors with minimal patterns compose the living room.
The floor maintains its coloring and materials throughout both rooms, making this another great example of the use of area rugs.
Styled by Linnéa H. Manaberi, photographed by Fredrik j LKarlsson for Alvhem
Lightly Contrasting Paint Colors in an Open Kitchen-Living Room Design
The muted color palette used in this room creates a serene and tranquil air, a must for any family room. Using just one material for the floor, a graceful flow from one area to the next is created, furthering the peaceful nature of the room as a whole.
Statement light fixtures add the perfect touch to each section. Dark brown and black accents can be found throughout the area, helping everything appear cohesive and purposeful. The flood of sunlight through the windows enhances all of these elements and increases the breezy, carefree feel of the room.
Styled by Linnéa H. Manaberi and Emma Fischer, photographed by Fredrik J Karlsson for Alvhem
Include Multi-Functional Furniture in Your Open Concept Kitchen and Living Room
One of the most effective design ideas when it comes to space-saving in the home is furniture that can serve multiple purposes. This incredible kitchen island provides more kitchen storage and an additional countertop for meal prep, but its usefulness doesn’t stop there.
This island divides the kitchen and living room areas and stores a TV that can be raised at the push of a button.
via Entrance Makleri
