Sofa in the interior of the kitchen
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of the kitchen space in any home. The owners of small-sized apartments or spacious private houses - everyone is trying to create the most comfortable, functional and at the same time cozy atmosphere in the kitchen. The finishing, resistant to various types of impact, and spacious storage systems, and modern household appliances are also used. What about creating a truly comfortable room in which you can not only quickly and efficiently prepare food, but also enjoy it with pleasure while sitting on a soft sofa? As you already understood, in this publication we will consider options for installing a sofa in the kitchen space, whether it be a separate room or combined with a dining room and living room. In small-sized apartments dating back to the last century, our compatriots could not afford to install such a large-scale piece of furniture as a sofa. There was not enough space even for a full dining area. In modern homes, kitchen spaces are increasingly able to boast of impressive dimensions, allowing owners to think out not only ergonomic, but also comfortable layout with the use of additional furniture. In addition, the popularity of studio apartments, in which the kitchen area is connected to the sectors of the dining room and living room, is still high. So - the presence of a sofa in this combined room is inevitable. We suggest that you consider the possibility, feasibility and benefits of installing a sofa in a kitchen room using real-life design projects as examples.
Advantages and disadvantages of having a sofa in the kitchen space
The advantages of having a sofa in the kitchen room include the following:
- the comfort level of the dining area rises significantly, if instead of ordinary chairs you can sit on a soft sofa;
- extra bed for late guests, especially if the sofa model provides for folding into a berth;
- many models of upholstered furniture have free space at the bottom, which can be used as storage systems;
- if you install a TV opposite the sofa, the kitchen space can also serve as a living room (relevant for one-room apartments with a spacious kitchen).
The disadvantages of installing a soft sofa in the kitchen space are as follows:
- the special microclimate and the complex functional component of the kitchen room dictates a more critical and thorough approach to the selection of any furniture items, and especially those that are accompanied by upholstery that can absorb odors and get dirty from various types of pollution;
- the need to install a sufficiently powerful hood follows from the original features of the kitchen;
- if the kitchen is small, then even the compact model of the sofa can clutter up the room, depriving it of a feeling of spaciousness and freedom of movement.
Choosing the size, shape and model of a sofa for the kitchen
Not many Russian cuisines can boast a large area. Even in apartments with improved layout for the kitchen (in case it does not fit in with the living room) a small room is reserved. In such conditions, compact sofas with shallow depths become priority solutions. It’s more effective to install such a sofa against the wall, and already have a dining group next to it.
Corner sofas are very popular among homeowners both for installation in the living room and for use in the kitchen space. The advantage of such models is that in a small space area you can install a sofa that will provide the maximum possible number of seats.Another advantage is the efficient use of room corners, as the most difficult in terms of the selection of functional interior elements for installation.
Semicircular or arc sofas are rare in kitchen spaces due to lack of space in these kitchens. The more valuable and original will be the use of such a model. In case the area of the room allows it, your dining table has the shape of a circle or oval.
Built-in sofas with drawers for storage - the best option for a small kitchen. Given that such a sofa is made to order, its size and design will best match the capabilities and priorities of your kitchen. On such a sofa it is convenient and comfortable, it can be used as storage systems, and it looks attractive, decorating the kitchen interior. The disadvantage of the built-in models is the lack of mobility and a rather high cost due to the performance of individual sizes and designs (but much depends on the materials of the frame and upholstery).
A sofa with a folding mechanism is able to turn any one-room apartment into the so-called "euro-two." An extra bed did not bother anyone, especially if the family has a need to organize a separate room (and the kitchens are most often allocated to a separate room) for the possibility of an overnight stay. But the model in this case is not easy to choose. Folding sofas are rarely compact in size. And the upholstery of a sofa for sleeping should not be slippery (leather or leather. Zam), but at the same time have high hygroscopic properties.
If we talk about the design of the sofa from the point of view of choosing the upholstery material, then the leather design of this piece of upholstered furniture remains the most popular option for a long time. Practicality, aesthetics and a wealth of color schemes are the main criteria for choosing upholstery for many Russians. The ability to easily, quickly and without consequences to clean the soiled surface of the upholstery becomes the main advantage of leather upholstery, pushing into the background the disadvantage of a fairly high cost.
The most difficult thing is to clean the upholstery of sofas made of natural fabrics - cotton. Linen, wool derivatives, silk modifications, all of these fabrics are not suitable for use in the kitchen. The now popular flock will also not withstand the constant cleansing of food and drink stains, the appearance of which in the kitchen space, unfortunately, is inevitable, especially if the house has small children, pets.
Using the sofa as an accent element of the interior is a popular way among designers and their customers to bring originality to the design of the room. This design of space is suitable not only for living rooms, but also for kitchens combined with a dining room or just large-scale studios. A bright upholstery or a colorful print of fabric will become not only an accent spot of the interior, but also its highlight, a focal point around which the rest of the room’s design is built.
A sofa from a line of garden furniture made of vines or rattan will harmoniously look in a kitchen decorated in the country style, Provence, shabby chic. The ease of construction, its mobility and original appearance will certainly become the highlight of the kitchen design.
Where to install a sofa?
The choice of place for installing the sofa in the kitchen space depends on:
- the size and shape of the room itself:
- the number and size of window and doorways:
- choosing the layout of the kitchen;
- the number of functional segments of the room (kitchen, dining room, living room);
- sizes and modifications of the sofa;
- the presence and variation of the dining group.
One of the most popular options for using the sofa in the kitchen is the inclusion of this piece of furniture in the dining group. It is logical that many owners want to provide households with maximum comfort during meals.And what could be more comfortable than sitting on a soft sofa? In this case, there are two options for integrating the sofa into the dining ensemble - installing an upholstered piece of furniture against the wall (variation for small rooms) and in the free space of the kitchen (way for spacious rooms).
If your kitchen can boast of having a bay window, then the best option for using this bright space of the room is the organization of a place for dining at the window. The most effective will be the use of a sofa model that clearly fits into the dimensions of the bay window, repeating its shape. It can be both direct sofas, angular, and consisting of three sectors. Semicircular models are less commonly used (it is not easy to select a sofa with an exact match of radiality for a semicircular bay window).
Sofa as a way of zoning the room is used very often in the so-called kitchen studios. If a spacious room combines the functions of a kitchen, dining room and living room, then the presence of a sofa in it is inevitable. In this case, the sofa belongs to the living room group, but from the point of view of choosing its model, upholstery quality and color scheme, it will be necessary to take into account the criteria for kitchen furniture, given the special microclimate of this multifunctional segment.
In the kitchen, the furniture layout of which provides for the presence of an island (or peninsula), it is logical to place the sofa end to the facade of this separate furniture module. The best option would be to select a model corresponding to the size of the length of the kitchen island. But the corner modification of the sofa will be appropriate if there is a sufficient number of free square meters.