10 mins
Many people consider the kitchen to be the most important room in the home, particularly families or couples who love to entertain. Often cherished as the heart of the home, our kitchens see a lot of traffic and act as a hub for many of life’s special moments and celebrations.
Eating in the kitchen is highly interactive and offers a much more relaxed atmosphere than a dining room. The setting is laidback and promotes a healthy family life where everyone gets to pitch in with prepping, cooking or washing up. For families who have space in their kitchens for seating, building a kitchen diner area can add superb value.
Big open plan kitchens can transform properties. In fact, a new kitchen can increase the value of your home, according to research. So if you have the room, make the most of it with our innovative kitchen diner ideas below.
One of the most popular kitchen diner ideas in recent years is the Scandi-style kitchen. Although seemingly simple to execute, it’s often a delicate balance between minimalism and maximalism to get the look just right. Appliances make up a large proportion of any kitchen design, so making sure your appliances look as great as they are functional is key.
For many large families this can be tricky, as finding appliances that are practical is often the main concern. Fridge and freezers need to have ample room to accommodate food, and cookers and hobs need to serve all of your dining needs. Something like the Cuisinemaster CS110F722 can help you stay on theme while also giving you extra cooking space. It’s a 110cm range cooker with dual-fuel capabilities, with three ovens, grill, a 5-burner hob and griddle, as well as a function for slow cooking. It’s available in stainless steel or black, both working seamlessly with an all-white or Scandinavian-grey kitchen.
Once you have your key appliances installed, you can focus on creating the breakfast bar area. The minimalist Scandi kitchen can look sterile if you don’t dress it up with a few design features. A pop of colour or prints and patterns on seat cushions,can sometimes help to liven things up, even table mats and crockery can bring a new level of flair. If your kitchen is all one colour (such as white, cream or grey), having art on the walls is a great idea.
While hugely popular in design, for some families the idea of an all-white or grey minimalist kitchen just doesn’t work. Firstly, not everyone has enough space to pull off a Scandinavian kitchen. Lots of open space and ample storage are essentials for making this style of kitchen a success. Secondly, not everyone can keep a minimalist area clutter-free. If clutter comes part and parcel with your family, clean aesthetics aren’t a good fit.
For families with messy kids or teens, going for a rustic kitchen design may be better. We particularly love the look of wood in a kitchen diner area. It can add an instant feeling of warmth and homeliness, especially if you’ve opted for modern-looking appliances and worktops. Contrasting with a wooden breakfast table and chairs can balance old and new, giving your family a comfortable, familiar and cosy space to enjoy.
Wooden finishes also look stunning in the sunlight, so if you have bi-fold doors leading out into the garden, large windows or a sunroof, you can make the most of it by choosing light coloured woods such as pine or oak.
Whatever kitchen colour scheme you go for, wooden elements can provide the perfect finish. To really embrace the rustic wood look, opt for kitchen benches instead of individual chairs. This can be great for parties or celebrations - emulating a style we often associate with the much-loved beer garden.
There’s something extremely warm and nostalgic about 1950s diner-style kitchens, even for those who weren’t around at the time. It evokes the atmosphere of another time and place, providing your family with a highly stylised spot to enjoy meals and snacks
Some of our range cookers, such as the Cookmaster CK90F232, come in colours like retro red and pastel blue, giving an instant vintage touch to your interior scheme.
If there’s no room for a breakfast table, doubling up your countertops as a bar area can be an easy way of encouraging people to spend more time in the kitchen. For breakfast, daytime snacking or evening drinks with friends, a little bar area can provide you with space to socialise and chat, potentially while cooking up a feast.
Modern kitchens with sophisticated black marble counters are extremely easy to style when it comes to creating a breakfast bar. Sleek bar stools made of wood and metal are a great way to instantly update your home, and matching cookers are easy to find. The Chefmaster CC100F521 dual-fuel range cooker is ideal for any size family and it fits in seamlessly with contemporary kitchen designs.
If you’re trying to achieve an urban bar kind of feel (perhaps your favourite cocktail bar or jazz bar) artwork can make a big difference. Large murals can give you the setting you want, and sleek, matching appliances will help you tie the concept together.
For small cottages and some character properties where kitchen space is an issue, or the layout is narrow, finding room to have a dining area can be difficult. But the shabby chic cottage kitchen is utterly charming and should be embraced. Foldaway chairs and tables can be a fantastic solution and our range of small 60cm cookers can be the perfect fit.
The Gourmet GRB6CV range cooker comes in a country cream finish, ideal for brightening up dull kitchens. It features two ovens and a 4-burner hob, which is perfectly ample for the small family. It also slots right into your space and looks timelessly stylish.
One of the most popular trends we’ve seen with the farmyard kitchen is the use of matching ceramics and appliances. For instance, coordinating the colour of your cooker with your fridge, kettle, toaster, ceramic jars and decor can really bring the whole design concept together, turning traditional-looking elements into something modern and cool.
You can also add rustic elements such as woven baskets, wicker, upcycled wood and homemade objects to make the space your own. Another fantastic tip for brightening up small spaces is to add fresh flowers, bringing vibrancy and a sense of the outdoors inside.
For more kitchen design and kitchen ideas, visit our home improvements section.
