A balcony in an apartment is a good opportunity to redevelop the dining space for various purposes. One of the main goals of combining the balcony with the rest of the apartment is to increase the usable area and gain additional square meters. By combining these rooms into one, you can expand the functionality of the kitchen, make it more spacious, airy, and comfortable.
But do not rush to rejoice and immediately call the right team to demolish the partition: a kitchen combined with a balcony is easy just at first glance. There are many obstacles to face in your path to bringing the two rooms together, from laws to the step of carefully planning a new room. But when overcoming all these difficulties, as a reward, you will get a new dining space that friends, neighbors, and family members will love.
Getting the papers right for the combination of kitchen and balcony
The first and main difficulty that needs to be overcome before combining these two rooms is the coordination of actions in permissive state institutions. Unauthorized redevelopment of residential premises is an administrative violation that can entail a large fine and sanctions, up to and including eviction from the flat.
Therefore, before connecting the kitchen to the balcony, collect all the necessary documents and get your seals and signatures. You can do this yourself, as well as entrust this task to specialists that have a permit for design and construction activities. Thus, you will save yourself a lot of hassle and procrastination.
Options for combining a kitchen with a balcony
So, you have gone through all the procedures and now have a ready-made redevelopment scheme in your hands. A kitchen combined with a balcony can be a big bonus for your dining space if you approach the whole reorganization correctly. Here are the most common options for combining the balcony space with the kitchen:
- complete combination – by fully demolishing the partitions or walls separating the balcony from the kitchen – an enlarged kitchen with a bay window is obtained;
- partial alignment – when the main partition separating the balcony remains, and the doors and balcony window are removed.
As a result, you get a number of functional benefits – a kitchen that is several square meters larger, as well as lighter and more functional. You can organize the additional space at your discretion, using the former balcony as a work area, lunch with the whole family, or for relaxation during a summer evening.
Important!
Combining a balcony with a kitchen is justified in the case when the concrete slab on which the balcony is held fulfills its load-bearing function and is not affected by time. It is irrational to use emergency balcony slabs for redevelopment, because there is a risk of the slab collapsing, making joining the balcony to the kitchen useless.
How to use the new kitchen space?
The full combination of a kitchen with a balcony offers one unlimited freedom for actions and the implementation of any designer’s creative ideas. Having made repairs and completely combining the two rooms into one, you can use the former balcony as:
- a dining area with a table and chairs;
- a recreation area, with a sofa, armchairs, taffeta, poufs in it;
- a working area, having installed a washing machine, sink, countertop, cabinets with dishes and other elements of the working interior;
- an impromptu study where you can drink tea and work in your free time from cooking.
There are no limits in the choice of design and direction, style, and color solutions of the new kitchen. Designers recommend paying attention to the view you see outside your new space and the light you receive because the level of illumination and comfort in the kitchen depends on it.
If financial possibilities permit, change your windows to a large panoramic one with sliding glass partitions – this way you will get an impromptu terrace where you can receive guests and arrange tea drinking. Decorate the interior of the kitchen, combined with a balcony, with high-quality and beautiful curtains. Look out for Roman shades, which look great on large panoramic windows.
Kitchen design with a balcony partition
Modern design offers many interesting and non-trivial solutions for redeveloped kitchens. If you left the partition on which the inner balcony window was previously held, this will give you additional functionality for arranging the kitchen. Most designers are inclined to believe that it is better to use the former partition as a bar counter, installing a countertop on top of it.
Another option is to combine the partition of the balcony with the rest of the working area using a large tabletop, which will make it all look like a monolithic structure, extending from one end of the working area to the former partition. This will expand the possibilities during the cooking process and will offer you the possibility to arrange all the basic elements more conveniently.
If you like the idea of a bar counter in the kitchen, then you can make it not only from the partition but also from the window sill of the former balcony by placing chairs in the appropriate style next to it.
What can be placed on the former balcony?
With the help of various design techniques, you can make your new half balcony just as comfortable. For example, if the countertop continues in the area of the former balcony, you can install various household appliances: a microwave oven, a coffee machine.
Another rational way to use new square meters is as a pantry. A kitchen combined with a balcony is an ideal place to store food supplies, groceries, and other household items. Set up a few tall cabinets there to make some room in the remaining work area for built-in appliances, a dining table and chairs, and even a sofa and lounge chairs. And guess what? All these items can also be purchased in one place – nyfurnitureoutlets.com, an online catalog with exquisite furniture items you’ll definitely love!
All in all, if you are not sure that you will be able to rationally organize a new room after redevelopment, we advise you to contact design specialists who will help you find the most successful solution in accordance with your goals of properly expanding the kitchen space.
