Kitchen Design Archives by ELLECOR Interior Design

The Magic of Sightlines in Kitchen and Living Room Design

Posted on March 15, 2024March 15, 2024 by Haden Long

Modern open kitchen layout with neutral colors

When it comes to modern home design, creating sightlines in your kitchen and living room not only maximizes the use of space but also enhances the aesthetic and functional flow of your home.

So, what are sightlines? Sightlines allow for clear views across different areas of your home (like a kitchen and living room), making spaces feel larger and more connected. This design strategy is especially beneficial in homes with an open floor plan, facilitating easier communication, better lighting, and a cohesive look.

Let’s explore how you can maximize your space through effective sightlines, ensuring your kitchen and living room design not only meet your needs but also reflect your personal style!

Unlock The Power of Clear Sightlines

Creating clear sightlines in your kitchen and living room design has many benefits. Sightlines not only amplify the feeling of more space but also transform activities like cooking and entertaining into a seamless experience.

You can watch TV or have a conversation while you’re prepping dinner or relax in the living room while listening for the oven to finish pre-heating. This connectedness fosters a sense of community within your home, making everyone feel included, whether they’re chopping vegetables or hanging out on the couch.

You can even keep an eye on your children if they are in the other room. With clear sightlines, the balance between supervision and relaxation becomes effortless!

Simple Strategies for Maximum Impact

To achieve the perfect sightlines in your home, consider the layout and the interaction between your furniture and fixtures. Choose pieces that support your vision of openness, like slender, streamlined furniture that complements (rather than dominates) the room.

A carefully positioned low-profile sofa or a slim console table can frame your living space without interrupting the view of the kitchen.

When designing your kitchen, the strategic placement of islands and appliances plays a big role. Aim for a layout that encourages engagement with the living area, ensuring you’re part of the conversation, even if you’re busy baking cookies.

The blend of design elements, such as flooring and wall color, across both spaces not only unites them visually but also enhances the feeling of spaciousness. It’s a win-win!

Related Post: 4 Must-Haves in Your Open Kitchen Design

When creating sightlines, embrace the minimalist look when it comes to decor and avoid the temptation to fill every corner. A less-is-more approach not only accentuates the openness but also makes each chosen piece stand out as a statement piece.

By thoughtfully positioning your furnishings, you set the stage for a home that’s as open, inviting, and uniquely yours.

How Technology Can Boost Your Open-Plan Dream

Adopting smart home systems can enhance the sightlines in your home and change how you engage with your living areas. You can adjust the lighting, music, and temperature in both your kitchen and living room with just a touch, creating a perfect balance that blends with the design.

Modern technology improves your home’s functionality while maintaining clear sightlines, making rooms feel larger and more visually aligned. Cheers to that!

What to Avoid When Creating Sightlines

When creating sightlines in your home, there are a few things that you will want to avoid:

Overcrowding. Crowding areas like a kitchen or living room with too many pieces of furniture or decor can make them look much smaller than they really are. Oftentimes, the “less is more” approach rings true.
Awkward Placement. Placing tall or bulky appliances in your kitchen can block the visual connection between your living room. Excess clutter can put a damper on the aesthetic flow of your home and make communication more difficult.
Clashing Patterns. Another aspect to be cautious of is mixing patterns in flooring or wall colors that don’t blend from one space to another. This can disrupt the creation of seamless sightlines.
Poor Lighting. Inadequate lighting can create shadows and dark corners, undermining the open and airy vibe that is essential to a successful sightline design.

This post from Real Simple highlights mistakes to avoid when arranging your furniture to create a more cohesive space, so be sure to check it out for more tips!

Infusing Your Style Into a Spacious Design

Infusing your home with personal style while maintaining open sightlines is all about maintaining balance and making strategic choices that let your personality shine through without overwhelming your spaces.

Consider incorporating vibrant throw pillows, rugs with fun patterns, or statement art pieces that add charm without creating clutter. Utilize vertical space by adding floating shelves where you can showcase your favorite photos or keepsakes, enhancing the room’s character without sacrificing openness.

In addition, furniture with unique textures and colors is key to making a true statement in a living room.

Sightline design isn’t just about maximizing space. It’s about creating a home that feels like you. So go ahead, get creative, and show off your personality – the possibilities are endless!

Kitchen and Living Room Design by Ellecor

An open floor plan is a great way to create seamless sightlines in your home. Whether you are looking for a complete redesign or home decor help, Ellecor Interior Design is just what you need. Check out our projects for inspiration, and contact us to get started!

How to Create the Perfect Palette for Your Open Kitchen and Living Room Design

Posted on January 18, 2024January 18, 2024 by Haden Long

Open floor plans are all the rage, and with good reason. They create a feeling of spaciousness and allow for easy flow between rooms, making entertaining and daily living a breeze. But with this new trend comes the challenge of blending two distinct areas into one cohesive space.

Fear not, as we have some engaging tips and tricks to help you create the perfect palette. And, for your open kitchen and living room design, your decorating and designs are guaranteed to make a lasting impression on your guests and elevate your everyday living experience.

The Importance of a Unified Design Concept

A cohesive design concept is key when designing an open kitchen and living room space. Why? Because it lends a harmonious vibe that effortlessly blends the two areas together. A unified design concept doesn’t necessarily mean every piece of furniture or every color scheme needs to match. It’s more about maintaining a consistent style or theme that can bridge the gap between the kitchen and living area.

Consider elements such as color, texture, material, and even the style of your furniture. These components, when thoughtfully selected, can work in unison to create an inviting atmosphere that seamlessly unites both spaces. For instance, a rustic design theme could incorporate reclaimed wood furniture, exposed brick walls, and warm color tones in both the kitchen and living area. Meanwhile, a minimalist design concept might involve clean lines, neutral colors, and uncluttered spaces. Remember, the aim is to create a visual connection that makes the space feel like a harmonious whole rather than two separate rooms.

Techniques to Visually Expand Your Space

Creating an illusion of a larger space can be both exciting and challenging. One effective way to do this is through the use of color. Light-colored shades, such as whites, creams, and pastels, tend to reflect light, making a room feel more spacious. Use these hues on walls, cabinetry, and even furniture to visually enlarge your kitchen and living room area.

Another technique involves clever furniture arrangement. Opt for furniture with exposed legs or those that sit off the floor to promote a sense of airiness. Incorporating mirrors in your design also works wonders as they reflect light and create a sense of depth.

Be thoughtful about your floor and ceiling as well. A continuous floor surface or pattern creates a sense of flow, and drawing the eye upward with a statement light fixture or high shelves can give the impression of a higher ceiling.

Finally, maintaining visual clarity by keeping your spaces clutter-free is paramount. Well-organized, open spaces will inevitably feel larger. So, make good use of storage to ensure every item has its own place.

Choosing the Perfect Paint Color Palette

The colors you choose for your kitchen and living area can significantly impact how open and connected your space feels. Begin by determining the atmosphere you want to create.

Light, neutral colors like soft whites, light grays, and beiges can expand your space visually and allow for more flexibility with décor. For a more dramatic and intimate atmosphere, deep, warm colors like burgundies, navy blues, or charcoal can be quite impactful. However, remember to balance them with lighter shades to prevent the space from feeling closed in.

For a sense of continuity, carry a particular color from your kitchen to your living area, perhaps in subtler shades or through accents. For instance, a blue backsplash in the kitchen can translate to blue throw pillows in the living room. And if you’re feeling bold, don’t shy away from experimenting with contrasting colors. Complementary hues can bring a dynamic and energetic vibe to your space.

No matter what palette you choose, always test paint colors in various lighting conditions before committing. The key is to select a palette that resonates with your personal style and complements your overall design theme.

Interior Design in Springfield, MO

At Ellecor, we can help design and decorate your luxury space. Call today or contact us online.

Ideas for a Custom Dining Room Table

Posted on April 8, 2019May 27, 2020 by Dev Bigpxl

A dining room is nothing without a dining table for everyone to gather around. If you truly want a unique and beautiful dining room, a custom dining room table is the way to go. Having trouble thinking of ideas for your perfect custom dining room table? Ellecor Interior Design can help! Keep reading to get some inspiration.

Styles of Dining Tables

When choosing a style for your dining room table, there are plenty of options:

Rustic Dining Table

A rustic dining table is perfect for those looking for a more natural look. A farmhouse dining table is a common example. This is great for homes going for that homestead aesthetic. Typically, rustic dining tables consist of unpainted wood and simple shapes.

Modern Dining Table

A modern dining table favors sleek, sharp angles. This is meant to be a clean, minimalist design. This is often the perfect solution for someone looking for a dining room that feels open and spacious.

Industrial Dining Table

These tables are characterized by a factory-like aesthetic. Metal and wood are incorporated to give it that industrial feel. Industrial design can seem cold by nature but, with the right design and decor, it can integrate into a homey setting easily.

Contemporary Dining Table

The contemporary look is for those who really want to make a statement. You can design a contemporary dining table in all kinds of different shapes, colors, and sizes. If you want your dining room to stand out in a more eclectic way, this dining table is definitely the way to go.

Whatever Kind of Dining Table You Want

Of course, we’re here to listen to your wants and needs for a dining table. We can make custom furniture specifically designed to your preference and your personality. Our expert craftsmen will work with you to create your perfect dining table.

Choose Ellecor Interior Design

At Ellecor Interior Design, we’re happy to make any custom furniture piece you need to add the perfect, unique touch to your home. We do everything from built-ins and cabinets to dining tables and chairs. If you’re not looking to make a custom piece, we also have a furniture store with pieces carefully selected by our designers.

Ellecor Interior Design does much more than just custom furniture. If you need interior design or interior decorating service, we’re the company for you. We completely personalize our services to meet your individual personality and preferences. Contact us today for more information.

Kitchen Design for the Efficient Home Chef

Posted on January 30, 2019February 26, 2021 by Dev Bigpxl

Have you ever been frustrated by the limited space and less-than-optimal design of your kitchen? The struggle to finish Christmas dinner with a lack of counter space is an experience many have faced. Luckily, it’s possible to maximize the efficiency of your kitchen with a few design choices. Today, the team at Ellecor Interior Design will share a few ways to turn your cramped cooking area into a model of efficiency.

Designing for Efficiency

One of the first questions we ask our clients is how they use their existing kitchen space, and how would they like to use it? Are you hosting dinner parties? How do you serve your meals? Do you use a family style dinner table or do you spend most of your meals in front of the TV? These choices can have a major impact on the ideal kitchen design for you.

For instance, if you like to serve buffet style from your kitchen island, it would make a lot of sense to create storage room for your plates and silverware in the island rather than across the room.

Related Blog: Maximizing Your Kitchen Space

Remember the Golden Triangle

The age-old concept of the “Golden Triangle” of kitchen design is famous for a reason. Creating adjacent zones to maximize your space and avoid overlap is the ideal way to design a kitchen. For the uninitiated, the golden triangle, or working triangle, refers to a kitchen design goal that places the sink, oven, and fridge connected in a three-point triangle. This creates a corner of your kitchen in which you can prepare, cook and clean, all in a convenient space designed to make life in the kitchen easy. The more counter space you can fit within this area the better.

Create Zones Around Specific Areas

Designing work zones with specific jobs in mind will allow you to place the right tools and design goals in these areas to maximize efficiency. Consider the following zones when designing:

Prep Area – This is where your kitchen workflow starts. This area will be where you gather your cooking ingredients, prep your tools, and cut and measure your ingredients. This is usually best placed directly beside your cooking area/oven to avoid having to move too far when it’s time to cook.
Cook Area – The cooking zone is where your oven, stovetop, and microwave should be. Store your tools in this space, like spoons, spatulas, pots and pans. It is also a great idea to have a seasoning pantry here for ease of access.
Clean-Up – Your sink, dishwasher, and trash should be in this zone. Ideally, you want it near your cooking zone to make clean-up a cinch.
Storage – The storage zone is where you will put everything away. You want your refrigerator and pantry in this zone. Keep your Tupperware, plastics, and foils in this area.

Kitchen design with mindful use of storage, movement and workflow can transform your kitchen into the efficient heart of your home.

Contact Ellecor Interior Design Today

If you are looking to get the most out of your kitchen space with an efficient, stylish design — visit the experts at Ellecor Interior Design today. You can call our team directly at 417-720-2602 or come visit our storefront in Farmer’s Park on East Republic Road in Springfield.