What style to choose for a kitchen with a window?

Design Features

The number, size and location of window openings definitely affect the kitchen design. Firstly, the placement of furniture directly depends on them: a kitchen plan with two windows differs significantly from the same area, but with one.

The choice of color scheme is also better to draw to the size, quantity, exit to the side of the world. The ideal option for lighting is considered to be kitchens with eastern, southern huge windows on high floors – during the daytime the room will definitely be light (if there is no building blocking the sun opposite), you can use any shades – from light to the darkest.

Important! Sunny southern kitchens are best decorated with a cold palette – instead of beige, yellow, orange, choose gray, green, blue, purple, pink.

The photo shows an irregularly shaped kitchen with a window in the corner

The interior of a kitchen with a window to the north, west is darker, so a light palette should prevail in the decoration. Moreover, the less sun in the room during the day, the whiter the walls, ceiling, and furniture need to be.

Advice! When decorating a window space with an exit to the north, west, it is better to refuse curtains, blinds, roller blinds, Roman blinds. That is, any elements that hide the light.

There are no restrictions on the choice of style. The only nuance is that the design of the window sill with slopes should be adjusted to the chosen style. In a classic design, for example, plastic overlays look out of place – replace them with stone, acrylic ones.

For high-tech, on the contrary, it is better to leave plastic ones. For frames, window sills in the Scandinavian, country, Provence style, wood and its imitation are suitable. But all these tips are relevant only if the space near the window remains empty. If you plan to place a work surface with storage space near the window, use the recommendations from section 3.

Which set is better to use?

To properly plan the kitchen set, consider the location of the window:

• In the center. The standard option, which assumes the same distance on the left and right. On the one hand, empty walls are usually small, which interferes with the layout. On the other hand, if you make a countertop on the windowsill, cooking will become more convenient.
• In the corner. There is a whole wall left free, so you can use it as you like: for example, by placing a corner kitchen set, and leaving space under the window for a dining table or a bar counter.

The photo shows a corner kitchen set with a sink by the window

There are 3 more important details that need to be taken into account:

1. Battery. The heating radiator is most often located under the window, which greatly limits the choice of interior options for a kitchen with a window. It can be dismantled and replaced with underfloor heating – but it is better to leave it as is, without covering the battery with cabinets. A great solution is to install a dining area.
2. Window washing. Before equipping the window opening with a bar counter or a bulky sofa, think about whether it will be convenient for you to wash the windows in the future. This must be done at least 2 times a year, so the issue should be resolved during planning.
3. Openability. The beauty of a window frame is that it can be opened at any time: this fact should not change after the installation is complete. Even if you usually open the windows for ventilation at most, you cannot block them – this is a fire safety requirement.

In the photo, the countertop is built into the windowsill near the radiator

Let’s move on to the main question – what shape of the kitchen set to choose, how to arrange it.

Straight

Small sets of furniture, placed in a row, can be located under the window, on the adjacent, opposite wall. The disadvantage of built-in single-row furniture is the reduction in storage space. The top row of cabinets will have to be removed completely or, at least, exclude drawers along the width of the opening.

See more about the linear kitchen.

L-shaped

A corner kitchen with a window is a good option in terms of ergonomics and spaciousness. It is appropriate for square, rectangular, irregularly shaped kitchens. Since one side is 100% on an empty wall, the main storage can be done here. On the other side, place a sink by the window or a bar counter.

U-shaped

Depending on which side is adjacent to the window opening, choose what to put. In the middle, place a hob, sink, on the side – a built-in dining table peninsula, a recreation area in the form of a small sofa on the windowsill.

See a detailed article about using a U-shaped set in the interior.

Parallel

In a narrow kitchen with a window on the long side, the plan is drawn according to the principle described in the corner: on one wall is placed the main storage, on the other – a work area with a sink by the window. Open shelves can be hung on the free walls next to the opening.

See the article on arranging a double-row kitchen set.

What can be placed near the window?

Do you own a kitchen with a large window or a small one? Or maybe there is not one, but two openings? In any of the 3 options, there are 4 standard ways to make good use of the architectural opening.

Work area

The method is most often used in private houses and ordinary apartments: the window sill is replaced with a countertop. A kitchen with a window in the work area has several disadvantages. Firstly, the height of a standard kitchen set is ~85 cm, and the windows are 90-100. If you raise the countertop by a meter, it will be uncomfortable for people of short or medium height to cook. It is not always convenient to leave a gap between the window sill and the table.

The photo shows a room with two large window openings

The countertop is used for cutting food, serving ready meals, or a sink is cut into it. But this is only justified in the case of a beautiful view from the window: washing dishes while admiring the city or natural landscape is romantic, but seeing garbage cans from your apartment is not quite so.

There are other problems: in addition to the fact that you will have to pull pipes across the entire room, you need to choose a mixer tap that will not interfere with the opening of the sashes.

Important! Move the tap 20-30 cm from the glass to avoid splashes on it after each time you turn on the water.

Another important nuance that must be taken into account in the design of a kitchen with a window in the work area is that it is forbidden to place a stove next to it! Especially when it comes to gas models. Any gust of wind in this case can cause a fire.

Dining area

A cozy kitchen is obtained if you use the windowsill for eating. The countertop can be “semi-bar” (the same height as the work area as its logical continuation), or bar – then you need to somehow play up the difference in heights.

The advantage of a semi-bar dining counter is its versatility: it is convenient to eat on the table, cut food for cooking, and serve. This is especially important for small kitchens.

Storage system

An example of a more complex option is to place cabinets under the window, drawers. This idea is easiest to implement in Khrushchev-era apartments, by converting a winter refrigerator into a cabinet.

If there is no natural niche, you will have to order a built-in set according to an individual project. It immediately provides space for household appliances and other things that are convenient to store so low.

Sofa or kitchen corner

The option with a soft dining area is convenient when the window is in the corner of the room or you have a kitchen-living room with two openings, under one of which there is just a place for eating.

Choose a sofa with a back flush with the windowsill – this solution is the most correct, so that guests do not hit their heads or hands on the edge.

Another idea is a sofa right on the windowsill. But it is suitable only for low openings (40-45 cm in height).

In the photo, the sofa on windowsill

How to decorate a window beautifully?

Windows are usually decorated with textiles – tulle, curtains, blinds. In the case of a kitchen opening, this also works, but you should consider what is underneath: for example, if there is a countertop below, it is not recommended to use flowing curtains – they get dirty quickly. It is better to hang roller or Roman blinds on the glass itself or outside the opening (if nothing interferes with closing).

The second option is to refuse curtains altogether, leaving them as is, or painting the glass with stained glass paints to give it a decorative look. Another way to decorate is to surround it with flowers.

Examples of kitchen design with two windows

The presence of a second window complicates the designer’s work, but is not a critical point. The standard technique is zoning. One is left in the work area, and a dining area is set up near the other.

Not Avoid window openings when arranging your kitchen: incorporating them into the design will create a more ergonomic, stylish space.