You've finally made up your mind and are going to remove the wall that separates your kitchen from the living room. First of all, congratulations: a new way of enjoying your home awaits you (not to mention the spaciousness and brightness you will gain in your new open-plan space).
But you probably now have more doubts than certainties and one of them will be deciding whether to use the same type of flooring or two different ones for what used to be two rooms. Here are some tips to help you get it right.
Same floor in kitchen and living room
First of all, choosing the same floor for the whole room has a great advantage: fewer options, fewer complications. Combining different types of flooring can be a very difficult task, especially if interior design is not your forte and your budget doesn't allow you to hire the services of a professional designer to advise you.
Using the same flooring will greatly simplify the task of choosing materials, coverings, furniture and other decorative elements, as the canvas on which you work will, in a way, be "neutral" and not an extra element to add to the equation. The blending of spaces will be a piece of cake.
Moreover, the installation of the same type of flooring is a very useful resource if your new room is not very large. The elimination of contrasts and visual barriers will create uniformity and a feeling of spaciousness.
Furthermore, opting for the same flooring will mean savings in materials and, above all, it will simplify the work, as there will be no need to plan or execute the connection between different types of flooring.
However, we do recommend choosing a floor suitable for kitchens, as this is the area where wear and tear will be the greatest (and where there may be more accidents), as it gets wet and dirty more often. The star material in this case is porcelain stoneware, which is very resistant, with non-slip options and an almost infinite variety of finishes (satin, matt, wood, cement, stone, etc.).
Another good option could be natural stone, such as marble or granite, due to its resistance. However, you should bear in mind that it will wear out more in the areas you use most and the ageing will be uneven.
Different floors
Although we have mentioned the great advantages of using the same flooring, in some cases, using different floors in the kitchen area and in the dining room or living room can be a great idea.
First of all, it will help differentiate the work areas, as in the example in the photo from our dealer Studio Qbico. In this case, the kitchen is small and very open to the living room, with no elements to indicate where one ends and the other begins, such as a bar or a peninsula. In this case, the floor helps to make this clear.
Secondly, playing with different floors is very useful for defining and giving prominence to an element on which we want to focus attention, such as the kitchen island or the dining table.
Finally, choose a different floor if you don't want to change the one in the rest of the open-plan room but it is too delicate or would get too dirty in the kitchen, as in the case of natural wood; or simply, because there is no more available on the market due to its age or for any other reason.
In the latter case, we have two recommendations. If you want to create contrast, use a floor with completely different patterns or colours to the existing one, but make sure that they are made of similar materials and, above all, of similar thicknesses.
If, on the other hand, you want to maintain a certain visual continuity, don't waste time looking for a floor with a similar appearance, as it will never be the same and will look like a patch. In this case, look for a similar colour but with very different materials and/or shapes to make the choice look intentional.