Advantages and disadvantages of the solution
The main advantage of combining a kitchen with a balcony is obvious - increasing the usable area. This helps to unload the main room, but fully maintain functionality. And at the same time, the loggia will finally be useful and practical instead of remaining a storage area for rubbish.
There are three main options - completely demolish the wall, dismantle the internal window with the balcony door, or clear the openings and remove the partition under the window sill. The latter are not so impressive, but easier to implement, but with dismantling, questions already arise.
You will definitely need to coordinate the new layout and legalize it with the utility services. Otherwise, demolishing any fragments of the wall is simply prohibited. Separately, you need to find out whether it turns out to be load-bearing: in this case, dismantling is impossible.
The second nuance is the thermal insulation of the room, because a balcony with its glazing leads to large heat losses. Insulate all the walls with mineral wool or similar materials, replace the double-glazed windows with warm ones. And then a comfortable and healthy microclimate will always reign in the room.
Repair features
Combining a balcony with a kitchen requires mandatory glazing. It is better to give preference to high-quality three-chamber double-glazed windows, on which condensation does not form, and the glass is not covered with ice even in the most severe frosts. Next, you need to insulate the balcony combined with the kitchen using penofol or penoplex. On the outside, all seams and cracks should also be sealed and covered with siding. Thus, the combined loggia will become warmer, and it will be possible to arrange a work office or lounge area in it. Experienced industrial climbers can handle this task.
Next, it is recommended to start insulating the floor. Radiators most often do not allow moving to a balcony combined with a kitchen, so in this case all difficulties are solved by installing a “warm floor” system. It does not consume a lot of electricity, but it provides warmth and comfort in any bad weather. Experts advise starting repairs in the spring in order to complete the main work by the beginning of the heating season.
In most cases, floor heating in an apartment building is only possible with the help of an electric “warm floor”
After glazing and insulating the loggia, many options for its use appear
Interior styles
To make a kitchen combined with a balcony look harmonious, it is better to decorate it in the same style. Select interior trends and colors so that even with pronounced zoning they look holistic.
Kitchen with balcony in modern style
Home comfort and calculated practicality are best combined in a modern style. It successfully balances between strict and pretentious classics, laconic Scandinavian minimalism and light high-tech accents. Here, expensive natural wood can be harmoniously combined with artificial stone, chrome, glass and LED lighting.
Kitchen with balcony in Scandinavian style
Scandinavian style is about warmth, comfort and home, natural materials, textured textiles and color minimalism. Use black and white or beige with rich colorful accents. And the mood and personality of such a kitchen will be given by beautiful dishes, a patchwork blanket, embroidered decorative pillows and bright towels with stands.
Kitchen with balcony in classic style
The classic style requires space, which is what the combination of the kitchen and balcony provides. Build a symmetrical composition around pronounced centers, use natural expensive materials, aged fittings, carvings, gilding and complex textiles. A traditional wooden set with a stone countertop against a background of light wallpaper with ornate large ornaments is a striking example of a classic kitchen.
Kitchen with a balcony in a minimalist style
Practical and discreet minimalism is good for both spacious and small kitchens. It is completely focused on functionality and rational use of every centimeter. Simple shapes and smooth textures - and such kitchen furniture is much easier to care for. And individual color accents on a plain white or gray background will create an atmosphere and mood.
Kitchen with balcony in Provence style
As long as there are romantics and lovers of the pastel lace delicacy of Provence in the world, this style will never go out of fashion. Antique whitewashed furniture with rustic motifs, small floral patterns, simple cotton or linen - all this is at your disposal. Be sure to hide modern equipment behind the facades, but instead of decorations you can even use beautiful kitchen utensils.
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Zoning a kitchen with a balcony
When we finally managed to get rid of the partition between the kitchen and the balcony, the question of planning and zoning of the new spacious room arises. For example, you can realize the glossy dream of a U-shaped kitchen with plenty of cabinets and drawers, a wide work area and plenty of light.
If it was not possible to completely demolish the wall and a lintel remains, it can also be used. Turn it into an extension of the work area, into a separate tabletop or even a bar counter. And then you can place a seating area or tall pencil cases for storing kitchen utensils and food on the balcony.
Even a narrow balcony is usually about a meter wide, so you can move a double-door wardrobe there or put a dishwasher or washing machine there. Just keep in mind that to connect household appliances you will have to extend further communications. But it is not recommended to move the refrigerator so close to the window, especially on the south side.
If you have a wide and spacious balcony, you can move the entire work area there. And then the kitchen will turn into a bright and spacious dining room for family celebrations and parties with friends. Or do the opposite - leave the furniture and appliances in the kitchen, and enjoy the view from the window on the balcony during breakfast and dinner.
Partial merge
If you were unable to obtain a permit or you live in a panel house where this wall is load-bearing, it is not necessary to remove it completely.
It is enough to remove the window and door. This way you will create a visually unified area where the vacated window sill can be used as a tabletop.
Essentially, if you don't need a single space, this is the optimal method. In addition, such a non-standard configuration provides additional design opportunities and allows you to conveniently zone the room.
Don’t think that an empty door and window opening is only suitable for a loft style - you can always decorate them to your liking. There are many original edgings: arches, plasterboard structures, various panels, which we will talk about below.
Materials and design
Materials for finishing a kitchen with a balcony are always selected taking into account humidity and temperature changes. They also must be wear-resistant and washable in order to get rid of stains, grease, and yellowness.
Wall decoration
Before finishing the walls, some of them will need to be insulated: at a minimum, individual cold zones, and ideally, the entire area. The main materials are mineral wool, polystyrene foam, extruded polystyrene foam, polyurethane foam, expanded clay, penofol. It is better to entrust the choice to specialists, because you need to take into account the type of building, the area of the balcony, the climatic features of the region and other individual nuances.
For kitchen walls, tiles or regular water-based paint, which is easy to renew, are best suited. If you prefer wallpaper, choose vinyl or non-woven fabric that is not sensitive to moisture. Interesting modern alternatives are liquid or textured glass wallpaper, which at the same time hide minor defects in the base.
Take special care of the apron above the work area, otherwise you will have to regularly re-glue or repaint this part. Lay it out with tiles, cover it with glass, special panels, artificial stone or even a metal plate - to your taste.
Floor finishing
In a combined kitchen, you don’t have to remove or hide differences in floor level, but use it as a mini-podium for zoning. Tile, stone, porcelain stoneware or similar materials are good for finishing. If you prefer laminate, choose special moisture-resistant and wear-resistant collections and carefully process all joints.
Ceiling design
In a combined kitchen, plasterboard ceilings look good, hiding all level differences. They zone the space, mask defects, you can hide communications and install lamps in them. And you can unite the room with the help of classic stretch ceilings, which are not afraid of moisture, dirt and are easy to clean.
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Complete
This is only possible if the wall between the kitchen and the loggia is not load-bearing, otherwise no building permit will be obtained. But, if she is not supportive, it will only be a matter of money and willingness to wait.
It is important to check whether the wall is load-bearing or not
And then it’s enough to insulate, glaze the loggia and destroy the wall, and then carry out cosmetic repairs. As a result, the kitchen will become several square meters larger and you can use them however you like. Even carry out communications and make a work area on them.
Expanding square meters with a balcony or loggia
However, it is much easier to limit yourself to the dining area - it’s cheaper, and no additional permits are needed.
Lighting and backlighting
Lighting can be both a unifying factor and a powerful tool for zoning space. If you want to achieve a cohesive composition, use overhead spot lighting around the perimeter throughout the room. And zone lighting where it is needed: above the dining table, near the work area.
If, on the contrary, you need to divide the space, pay attention to different lamps. For example, compact overheads in the work area and decorative hanging ones in the dining area.
In modern interiors, an LED strip built along the countertop and apron looks good. For a loft, take slatted pendant lamps, from which you can create entire compositions. And for classic interiors, the same classic chandeliers with pendants or lampshades are good.
Design of a small kitchen with a balcony
For a small kitchen, combining it with a balcony is a real salvation and a way to win valuable meters. To visually expand the room even more, I use light colors and glossy surfaces. A linear or L-shaped set fits best into small rooms.
Use the space under the ceiling: you can hide utensils and products that you rarely use on shelves and in cabinets. The work area along the window easily transitions into a higher dining area with bar stools. And in the corners, drawers with modern storage systems or even a built-in sink are perfect.
When decorating a narrow kitchen, avoid parallel horizontal stripes, but use a linear layout. To visually expand the space, use perpendicular stripes on narrow walls and floors.
To zone a small kitchen with a balcony, a podium is suitable, into which you can build in lighting or additional storage systems. If the demolition of the wall is incomplete, decorate the opening with a decorative semicircular or rectangular arch.
In a small square kitchen, use asymmetry and offset composition. Avoid pronounced centers typical of classic interiors. Offset lamps, non-standard decor, and a bright accent wall will help enhance the effect.
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Is it possible to demolish a balcony block in an apartment?
Getting permission to remove part of a load-bearing wall to expand your kitchen can be difficult. To approve a permit, the following conditions are required:
- The building is listed in the new fund and it is possible to obtain a technical opinion on changing the layout from the author of the project. You are supported by your neighbors and a professional lawyer who is involved in obtaining approvals.
- If the apartment belongs to an old housing stock, built decades ago, obtaining permission for redevelopment is much more difficult.
- In our country, penalties have not yet been imposed for removing a balcony block. However, if walls or balconies collapse due to redevelopment, the owner of the premises is considered guilty.
After the BTI approves the plan for the future kitchen, you can start implementing it. If the kitchen is combined with a balcony, then part of the wall from the window is completely removed or partially left. Remove old coatings from the ceiling, floor, walls. All surfaces are leveled with putty and treated with an antifungal agent. Then all communications are carried out.
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Kitchen combined with a balcony - interior photos
As you can see, there are a lot of design options for a kitchen combined with a balcony, and they are all varied. That's why we offer a whole selection of interior photos for inspiration!