How to create a multifunctional kitchen for flexible family life

Want your kitchen to be more than just a place to cook in? Here’s how to make that happen...

Flexible kitchen by Ballerina Kitchens
(Image credit: Ballerina Kitchens)

Has spending all this time at home got you rethinking the layout of your kitchen? We have found that one thing we have really noticed during lockdown is what works in our home and what isn’t quite right – and the kitchen has been at the centre of this. We are all doing so much more in our kitchens now, as well as cooking a whole lot more, we are also working, homeschooling, socialising (obviously only virtually) and our kitchen needs to adapt with us to meet this new flexible lifestyle we are all living through.

Ballerina kitchens are all about that; creating spaces that encompass all the needs we have of a kitchen – from effective storage solutions for a clutter-free space, to kitchen furniture that can be doubled up as a home office. They produce amazing quality kitchens – they are a German brand that are now available in the UK so they are all about durability and strength, plus new innovative designs and space-saving solutions. 

Sound like a more flexible kitchen might be for you? Well, we have rounded up our top tips for creating a multi-functional kitchen that will get you inspired…

1. Good storage is key 

Flexible kitchen by Ballerina Kitchens

(Image credit: Ballerina Kitchens)

The last thing you want in a kitchen that can also be a home office or a living room is clutter, so getting your storage right is really important. Ballerina Kitchens have loads of really handy storage ideas that will keep your space tidy. Rotating shelves and pull-outs behind unit doors for example mean you can maximise the storage space within your cupboards. You can also mix in some open storage too, so you can create personality in your space by displaying cookbooks, house plants and your nicest crockery. 

2. Create  ‘zones’ in your kitchen 

Flexible kitchen by Ballerina Kitchens

(Image credit: Ballerina Kitchens)

For a kitchen to really work as a multi-functional space you will need to create zones. This could be as easy using well placed kitchen lighting to create a space to work, or you could separate the different spaces even more using pocket folding doors. These will allow you to temporarily close off an area of your kitchen while you work but it won’t affect the overall flow of the space. 

3. Choose multi-functional furniture 

Flexible kitchen by Ballerina Kitchens

(Image credit: Ballerina Kitchens)

When creating a flexible kitchen that merges with a living space, multi-functional furniture can be a good call. Storage benches that double up as seating, kitchen islands that can be used as a place to work or to socialise around as you might in a living room – these multifunctional areas will all add to that seamless, flexible feeling in your kitchen. 

For more information on why you should choose a Ballerina Kitchen, head over to their website, there are also some gorgeous kitchens over there to give you even more inspiration. 

Hebe Hatton

Hebe joined the Real Homes team in early 2018 as Staff Writer before moving to the Livingetc team in 2021 where she took on a role as Digital Editor. She loves boho and 70's style and is a big fan of Instagram as a source of interiors inspiration. When she isn't writing about interiors, she is renovating her own spaces – be it wallpapering a hallway, painting kitchen cupboards or converting a van.

SPONSORS