{"id":790,"date":"2026-09-24T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T10:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tramuntanaprojects.com\/sin-categorizar\/open-or-closed-kitchen\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T15:28:56","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T13:28:56","slug":"open-or-closed-kitchen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tramuntanaprojects.com\/en\/renovation-process\/open-or-closed-kitchen\/","title":{"rendered":"Open or closed kitchen: how to choose based on the way you live"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By the Tramuntana Projects team<\/a> \u00b7 Technical architects and site managers in Mallorca.<\/p>\n

An open kitchen favours the connection with the living room; a closed one lets you separate activities better.<\/strong> A semi-open kitchen offers a middle ground. The choice depends less on a trend than on how you cook, rest and share the house.<\/p>\n

Before deciding which partition to remove, think of an ordinary evening: someone is cooking, someone else is working and there\u2019s still some tidying up to do. That scene says more about the layout than a flawless photo. Let\u2019s compare the three options in the same space.<\/p>\n\n

The same kitchen, three ways of relating it to the living room<\/h2>\n
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01 \u00b7 Open<\/h3>\n\nKitchen open to the living room<\/title>The kitchen is at the top and the living room below. There\u2019s no partition between them. Furniture and perimeter are the same as in the other two variants.<\/desc>\n\n\n\nKITCHEN<\/text>LIVING ROOM<\/text>\n<\/svg>\n
You share conversation and space. You also leave the kitchen on view.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n
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02 \u00b7 Closed<\/h3>\n\nClosed kitchen<\/title>Same space and furniture. A partition with a door separates the kitchen, at the top, from the living room below.<\/desc>\n\n\n\nKITCHEN<\/text>LIVING ROOM<\/text>\n<\/svg>\n
The door lets you separate activities. The connection with the living room is less direct.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n
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03 \u00b7 Semi-open<\/h3>\n\nSemi-open kitchen<\/title>Same space and furniture. An openable partition changes the relationship between kitchen and living room. A dashed line marks the moving part in the closed position.<\/desc>\n\n\n\nKITCHEN<\/text>LIVING ROOM<\/text>\n<\/svg>\n
You can open or close the connection. The result depends on the type of partition.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Illustrative layouts of the same space, without design dimensions. The dashed line shows the closed position of the moving part. They aren\u2019t plans of MA2 and don\u2019t confirm the feasibility of a renovation.<\/p>\n\n

Four habits that help you choose<\/h2>\n

One option doesn\u2019t have to win at everything. What matters is recognising which comfort you want to protect and which compromise you can accept.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI like cooking while we talk\u201d<\/h3>
Open<\/dt>
The conversation carries on without a door between you.<\/dd><\/div>
Closed<\/dt>
Plan where someone else can keep you company inside the kitchen.<\/dd><\/div>
Semi-open<\/dt>
You can open it at those moments, if the opening and partition allow it.<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><\/section>\n

\u201cSometimes I cook while someone is resting\u201d<\/h3>
Open<\/dt>
The blender, the dishes and the conversation are shared with the living room.<\/dd><\/div>
Closed<\/dt>
Closing helps separate uses; how well depends on how it\u2019s built.<\/dd><\/div>
Semi-open<\/dt>
A visual screen isn\u2019t the same as acoustic separation.<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><\/section>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to tidy everything as soon as I finish\u201d<\/h3>
Open<\/dt>
Worktop and sink are part of the view from the living room.<\/dd><\/div>
Closed<\/dt>
You can leave things to tidy out of sight.<\/dd><\/div>
Semi-open<\/dt>
Clear glass separates spaces but doesn\u2019t hide what\u2019s behind it.<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><\/section>\n

\u201cI want it open sometimes and closed at others\u201d<\/h3>
Open<\/dt>
The connection is permanent unless you add another separation.<\/dd><\/div>
Closed<\/dt>
Opening a door doesn\u2019t necessarily change the relationship between the rooms.<\/dd><\/div>
Semi-open<\/dt>
Check how far it really opens and where the panels stack away.<\/dd><\/div><\/dl><\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n

What a beautiful photo doesn\u2019t resolve<\/h2>\n

A good layout doesn\u2019t end with the drawing. Before opening up the kitchen, we would review these points with you:<\/p>\n