Open-Plan Living: Connecting Spaces Seamlessly With Replacement Kitchen Doors

Open-plan living is an ideal way to bring all the family together and create a social space that’s perfect for dinner parties and celebrations. The key to a functional and beautiful open-plan kitchen and living space is great design, but it’s not always easy to figure out the best way to use the available space and ensure that there is some distinction between your cooking and living areas.

Establishing functional and visual zones is what will help you to avoid feeling as though you're in a single large area that doesn’t have any defining features and isn’t aligned with the ways in which you actually want to use and experience your home. Zoning is something that can be achieved in numerous ways, so let’s explore some of the techniques that you could employ during your own open-plan design project to create the home of your dreams.

Designing an Open-Plan Space with Replacement Kitchen Doors

A straightforward division 

It can be really easy to fall into the trap of over-complicating your design, however, it’s perfectly possible to use just a single piece of furniture or even an accessory to create a clear boundary between your kitchen and living areas. 

A well-positioned sofa, rug or shelving unit can mark the edge of your cooking space and the beginning of your living area. You can also enhance this simple division of space by choosing two entirely different colour palettes for each area. Alternatively, you can choose a single statement colour to run through the space, but complement that colour with different accent tones in each zone.

Pro Tip: If your space has high ceilings and plenty of natural light, you could also experiment with using a tall media unit or bookcase as a room divider, which you can then accessorise with photographs, special mementoes and other decorative objects to give your space more personality.

Kitchen islands are natural open-plan space dividers

If you want to ensure your open-plan kitchen feels very sociable and allows you to interact with your family or guests when you’re preparing food, a row of cabinets topped with a beautiful countertop or a kitchen island will always act as a very natural open-plan space divider. 

Finding the right replacement kitchen doors for your kitchen island or room divider cabinets is key, as they will form such a central part of your overall design. If you’re going for a contemporary look and feel, our Zurfiz gloss doors with a glass effect edge have a sleek profile and come in a variety of beautiful light-reflecting finishes, such as ultragloss cashmere and metallic champagne. Alternatively, if you want to create a cosy country style kitchen, our characterful Bella Westbury doors in a classic ivory, lissa oak, or macadamia finish could be ideal.

Pro Tip: To further enhance the sociability of your space, position your sofas so that they’re facing your kitchen and not away from it.

Utilise a large archway 

If you don’t like the idea of a separate kitchen and living room or a fully open-plan space, utilising a large archway could be the perfect in-between option for your home. You can integrate shelving all around the arch, which provides excellent storage for everything from cookbooks to DVDs, vinyl records, and decorative accessories.

Building a bespoke archway room divider will instantly bring character to your primary living area whilst also creating clear zones. You could choose to make this part of your space a real eye-catching feature or use it to create a sense of cohesion throughout your space by matching it to your kitchen cabinets. 

Pro Tip: To avoid giving the appearance of two separate rooms, ensure that the walkway beneath your arch is at least the width of two standard door frames.

Create small pockets within a larger space 

One of the most effective ways to design a multi-use room with a large footprint is to create a number of small pockets with clear functionality. You can really get creative here, however, some of the pockets that work really well in a primary living space include a beautiful window seat that’s ideal for reading, a breakfast bar that’s perfect for quick snacks, a dedicated dining area with a beautiful table and chairs, and a cosy armchair in front of a fireplace. 

It’s really important that your space is tailored to you, so this might mean integrating an area where the kids can do their homework or setting up a puzzle table so you’ve always got somewhere to enjoy your favourite hobby.

Design your dream open-plan space with Happy Doors 

Finding your dream replacement kitchen doors can bring your open-plan kitchen and living area to life, and there are so many different styles and finishes to choose from in the Happy Doors Range. 

Whether you’re looking for something ultra-modern such as our Jayline Handleless doors, a style that leans into heritage design such as our Bella Stratford doors, or something that perfectly merges traditional and contemporary features such as our Bella Harlem doors, we’re confident that we can help you find the right option for your home.

Please give us a call on 0345 257 2526 or email hello@happy-doors.co.uk with any questions and queries.

Frequently Asked Questions 

How easy is it to install Happy Doors replacement kitchen doors? 

As we work to your measurements when creating your replacement kitchen doors and drilling holes for the hinges, installing Happy Doors doors is a straightforward and fast process. We’ve put together a handy guide to help, however, if you don’t feel confident taking on the task yourself, it’s a fast and simple job for any carpenter, joiner or experienced DIYer. 

What accessories are available for replacement kitchen doors? 

In addition to our range of replacement doors, we also have an extensive collection of accessories that are designed to help you achieve a professional, high quality finish. As well as hinges and handles, we also have a selection of decorative trims, plinths, kitchen units and drawer boxes to explore.