Stretch ceilings in the living room combined with the kitchen

The combined kitchen-living room involves a rather large area, interesting design and very good ventilation, since cooking is accompanied by specific smells, fumes and a rise in temperature, which should not be allowed in the living room.

In terms of design, this is a very interesting solution, so it is often found in apartments and in private houses. The ceiling in the living room, combined with the kitchen, plays one of the key roles.

Living room plus kitchen: pros and cons

Quite often, such a decision is considered possible and successful with a small area of the kitchen and hall. In practice, such aspirations are justified only when the kitchen is more likely nominal and comes down to washing, microwave, refrigerator and coffee maker. In other cases, kitchen equipment and furniture immediately occupy a large part of the area, turning the room into a very modest dining-kitchen.

If there is sufficient space, then the combination of the living room and kitchen into the studio is justified. The advantages of such a solution can be considered:

a large space with several windows creates a feeling of spaciousness, even in cases where the interior is decorated in classic styles and involves a large amount of furniture,
the kitchen acts as a fireplace or fireplace, which is fully consistent with the original classic purpose of the living room,
a large area of the combined space, on the one hand, allows for more interesting design decisions, and on the other hand, it allows to effectively maintain the unity of style,
Association allows to solve a problem with lighting much more effectively, and without increasing the cost of the project. The ceiling in the living room and kitchen serves as the basis for any kind of lamps and lights,
very convenient for the hostess is the ability to quickly transfer dishes and remove dishes from the dining table. At the same time, diners still have the feeling of lunch in the living room, in the beautiful room, and not next to the stove.

The disadvantages of the solution are quite substantial:

cooking is accompanied by evaporation of fat, water, the appearance of soot, solid hot particles, a lot of odors, an increase in temperature and humidity. All this in the living room is unacceptable, and therefore in the kitchen combined with the living room, powerful ventilation and exhaust hood, and preferably an air purification system, should be equipped
cooking is accompanied by sounds. This problem is not solved. The maximum that can be done is to use the most silent technology,
cleaning the kitchen should be carried out much more often: a dirty desktop looks more than unsightly in the living room.

Required Requirements

The ceiling in the kitchen is made of a variety of materials. However, it should be sensibly assessed and financial capabilities, and the requirements for the operation of a particular material, and the frequency of cooking. Cooking is accompanied by severe changes in temperature and humidity, the appearance of steam, fumes of fat, soot, the effect of color pigments. In addition, it should be noted that these factors will affect not only the area of the work area, but also the decoration of the living room.

Materials for the design of the ceiling must meet the following mandatory requirements:

moisture resistance - to both water and vapors. Otherwise, repairs, and the entire combined kitchen-dining room will have to be carried out much more often,
resistance to pollution. Even with a powerful hood, it is impossible to completely protect the walls and ceiling from splashing grease, water, food particles, and the like. Accordingly, the finishing materials should be low porous and non-absorbent,
ease of cleaning - The dirt-repellent effect alone will not ensure cleanliness. Finishing materials should easily tolerate cleaning with warm and hot water, household chemicals, and, if necessary, using abrasive materials,
one of the very useful properties of materials in the kitchen is ability to not absorb odors. When combining the kitchen and the living room, the recommendation becomes a mandatory requirement,
maintainability - the ceiling above the kitchen area in any case will require repair earlier than the ceiling in the living room. Accordingly, it should be drawn up so that if necessary it was possible to carry out repairs only in certain areas.

Quite a lot of materials meet these requirements. In practice, the choice takes into account only the most important factors, as well as the financial capabilities of the homeowner.

Constructive decisions

For the kitchen-living room, the ceiling can be decorated in any way. The choice in this case is determined by the parameters of the room and the general requirements of the design of the apartment.

Staining, as well as wallpapering, whitewashing, plastering and more. The finishing material in this case does not affect the height of the room at all. This option is preferable for a kitchen with low ceilings. Staining and even pasting is preferable to whitewashing: the latter is unstable to action, moisture and requires constant updating. The combination of different colors, textures or patterns allows you to zone the space.

Plaster of this kind of method is the best choice: the material withstands the test of water, steam and temperature much better. Moreover, its decorativeness is higher than that of paint, for example, due to the variety of textures.

False ceiling involves a slight decrease in height. This is finishing with clapboard, plastic panels, hemming with drywall. This option is universal, but has its own limitations. Lining, for example, like panels with a seam, forms a certain structure, which is not always appropriate, especially in apartments.
A feature of the suspension system is the ability to create multi-level ceilings. The ceiling structure includes the frame and the actual finish - metal slats, drywall, plastic panels. This option significantly affects the height of the room, but allows you to most effectively zoning the space.

Another solution is a stretch ceiling. Thin vinyl film is fixed to the walls, not to the ceiling surface. In this case, the height changes minimally - 5 cm from the base ceiling. However, with the same success, the stretch fabric can be combined with a multi-level frame, creating designs of any degree of complexity.

Decoration materials

The design of the ceilings in the kitchen-living room involves a more spectacular design than in a conventional kitchen room. However, an interesting solution can be obtained in different ways and using different materials.

Paint. As already mentioned, it is better to refuse whitewashing. Paint for the kitchen should be selected waterproof, but always safe. The choice here is very large, and a combination of different shades allows you to get very original solutions.
No less interesting option is plaster. The texture and colors of the material can be very different. It is advisable to choose a plaster composition that creates a smooth surface: textured plaster absorbs dirt and soot much faster, so you will have to wash the ceiling surface more often, and this affects the finish.
Plastic panels are lightweight, moisture-resistant material, do not accumulate dirt and wash well. Lamels can be colored, patterned, as well as imitate other materials - from wood and stone to a mirror surface. Panels can both hem the ceiling and trim the multi-level frame. The disadvantage of this solution is that the plastic is vapor tight, which should be taken into account when installing ventilation.
Lining is a spectacular, but rarely used in apartments material. Firstly, the lining is still afraid of water, and secondly, the tree visually brings the surface closer, so that the room seems lower. But the combination of wood with a different finish - for example, a beam and drywall, is quite suitable even for low ceilings.

Drywall - non-combustible, does not absorb odor, has great flexibility. There is no better material for a tiered ceiling. Drywall can be painted, wallpapered, plastered and even tiled. In the living room, combined with the kitchen, you should pick up waterproof plasterboard.
Metal rails - aluminum or galvanized steel. A rare solution, since such material when laying necessarily forms a noticeable seam. But the metal has a lot of advantages: non-combustible, absolutely resistant to water, steam, colored pigments, grease and soot, it is extremely easy to clean and extremely durable. In the photo you can see the successful use of such a finish.

Tension cloth. Use only vinyl. Its disadvantage is low mechanical strength, which is more than overlapped with the advantages: lightness, exceptional water resistance, maintainability and excellent decorativeness. In addition, the stretch fabric can be combined with gypsum board suspension systems, and use very non-standard lighting when decorating.

Design solutions

The ceiling design in the living room is selected taking into account the features of the interior and the style chosen for decoration. In this case, the main task, as a rule, is the zoning of a common large room, but so that the space visually remains unified. The ceiling surface is perfect for this.

Color separation is the easiest and most affordable method. Typically, the ceiling above the living room area is made lighter - and preferably higher, and above the work area - brighter and lower. Shades are selected taking into account the color scheme of the style and location of the room - with windows to the north or south.
The game of lighting. Properly selected lighting allows you to divide the room into zones. Even the simplest solution: large ceiling lights for the living room and lighting for the work area already visually zoning the room. But the backlight can be installed on furniture and on window sills, in addition, you can use light of different colors.

Combining the kitchen and the living room, for zoning, they often resort to installing a multi-level ceiling. This solution allows you to structure the ceiling surface, preserving not only a single color palette, but even the same shade in the design. The effect can be enhanced by using also color and even different materials - for example, a stretch fabric and drywall (both smooth drywall and patterned).
A simple and bright solution for the design of rustic styles, including Provence - a ceiling beam. Moreover, simulations are fixed not only in a classic way - across or along the premises, but in zones. At high ceilings, beams can form a pattern, turning into a purely decorative element.

Kitchen-living room – difficult, but original solution, especially successful in a studio apartment. The ceiling of such a room takes on the zoning task and quite successfully copes with it.

What options are available?

Having decided to equip stretch ceilings in your home, you are sure to come across the selection process.

It's not just about color, but about the material itself. In practice, two types of web can be used: fabric and PVC film.

Tension ceilings

They are distinguished by resistance to temperature fluctuations, increased strength and durability of use.

They are perfect for such a specific room as a kitchen with its high humidity and hot fumes from the prepared food, and will also become a real decorative element in the living room area.

The average width of such a fabric is 5 meters, which makes it possible to install this design even in fairly spacious rooms.

Environmental friendliness is another significant advantage of the material, so it can be used in homes of people prone to allergic reactions.

PVC film

Polyvinyl chloride film is cheaper in cost, which was the root cause of its increased popularity and demand among consumers.

Matte, glossy, satin and suede coatings provide consumers with a wide range of choices.

They are able to withstand elevated temperatures and humidity, so they can be safely used in kitchens. If you are often flooded with neighbors from above, then such a coating can hold a lot of water.

For united spaces, you can use both the first and second options. It is worth starting from material possibilities, as well as individual preferences.

Gloss or mate?

If you have already decided on the type of material, it's time to think about which ceiling you want to get: glossy or matte. This affects the external perception of the combined room.

A distinctive feature of gloss is its ability to reflect objects. In this case, the picture is slightly blurry.

Expanding the surrounding space, they will be an excellent solution for small rooms, as well as highlighting functional areas.

White, beige, dairy and other pastel colors are the most popular. They do not overload the room, add volume and space to it.

Multi-colored canvases are considered more exotic, since they are more difficult to fit into the palette of colors used in the design. But they will help to create bright individual solutions.

Tip: when choosing a color film, focus on the shade that is present in your interior as an accent.

For the kitchen and living room area, you can apply different tones of the same palette, providing zoning of the combined space.

Please note: dark shades add depth to the design, but the black, blue and brown gloss will not make the room more spacious. Be sure to keep this in mind when designing small rooms.

Matte canvases do not reflect light, being a concise and harmonious background for classic designs. They emphasize the rigor of decoration and decor, exquisite lighting.

Outwardly, they resemble a painted or whitewashed surface that does not give any reflections or glare.

To opt for such a coating is for those who do not seek to focus on the ceiling.

It is not necessary to choose boring white or light blue shades. Deep and noble colors can give the room a special comfort and homeliness.

What color and pattern to choose?

You should carefully approach the choice of color. Eliminate the shade that dominates the color of the wallpaper.

Do not copy the tone of a bright or dark interior item. In this case, it can be a headset, cabinets, modular walls.

To highlight the kitchen and living room area, you can use different shades of the same color or radically different tones. Hide the border of the transition will help a small arch or a series of spotlights.

Now about the invoice. She may be:

Satin, outwardly similar to a fabric cloth. Allows you to create the most natural surfaces.

Matte, resembling a perfectly smooth plastered surface. This makes it indispensable for classic designs.

Suede, precisely recreating the texture of this material. Lets emphasize the solidity and prosperity of the owners of the house.

Metallic, giving the surface an incredible shine, amplified by artificial lighting. Suitable for high-tech, ultra-modern and minimalist interiors.

Translucent, transmitting a light stream.It is combined with decorative lighting mounted under the film, which creates a unique lighting design.

Recently, stretch ceilings with large format printing are gaining popularity. On them canvases of famous artists, photographs and other images can be reproduced.

Lighting

Visual zoning, mandatory for combined rooms, can be achieved through the use of different groups of lighting devices.

You can install both the central chandelier and turned lamps. Modern LED strip will also perfectly complement the design, emphasizing the severity and sophistication of the material.

In particular, the chandelier can be used in the hall area, while the built-in lamps will help to adequately illuminate the cooking place.

For each zone, lights should be selected that differ not only in design, but also in the power of the emitted flux, as well as in color.

By correctly combining lighting devices into groups, you can create an environment for any life situation: for work, a festive feast, a romantic dinner for two, etc.

Light sources can be incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps and LEDs. It is better to refuse “halogen”, since they are too hot and can melt the film.

Design Tips

Here are some design tips to help you make your choice:

modern 3D canvases, allowing you to create incredible effects on the surface, will not leave you or guests indifferent,

photo printing can be applied to films of any texture,

for zoning the premises, you can play not only with the shade and texture of materials, but also with height differences provided by multi-level structures,

choosing the right lighting, you can not only emphasize the functional areas, but also get the ceiling, which is a fashionable trend of our time.

It remains only to choose an option that fits perfectly into your kitchen interior, combined with the hall, emphasizing its sophistication and originality and choose a worthy material manufacturer.

How to zone the ceiling in the kitchen-living room

A large room looks better than a few small ones and is easier to use. So it is more pleasant to receive guests and relax with your family. And during friendly gatherings, cooking does not tear people away from their interlocutors and they will not have time to get bored.

In the combined kitchen-living room there are three zones:

The kitchen, in which they cook food, wash the dishes - here they have a stove, work surfaces, cabinets, sink, household appliances, etc.
Dining or dining - it includes a place for eating, while the table can be located at the junction of the zones.
A living room with upholstered furniture - sofas, armchairs, a TV, where the family spends leisure time or meets friends.

The room will turn out comfortable and cozy, if you follow the following rules:

optimally place the kitchen near the window so that during the day you can use natural light,
you need to combine space by choosing a common color scheme for walls, ceiling and floor,
the partition is supported by the arrangement of furniture and wall decor,
each highlighted area is provided with a separate light source,
preferable light shades that visually make the room more spacious,
the podium on the floor and the second tier of the ceiling is better not to combine in low rooms,
when choosing materials and textures, the style of the room should be taken into account (for example, glossy stretch ceilings do not go well with classics and provence, but are great for high-tech and minimalist design),
in a small room like Khrushchev’s, a single design style for all the selected “spaces” looks beautiful.

apply more than 3 shades for different ceiling levels - they are difficult to combine,
use colors in equal amounts: let one be dominant (at least 60%) and the other for emphasis,
to make a plain interior - this design looks boring.

Dividing the ceiling into zones using color and materials

It’s easy to select the functional areas of the kitchen combined with the living room. It is necessary to choose two or three shades, it is no longer necessary, since such a design looks messy.

There are no clear instructions regarding the choice of palette - it all depends on the taste of the owner of the apartment and the style. But there are several recommendations that will help even a novice to cope with the task.

For different levels of the ceiling, it is better to choose shades of one color: the first is pastel, the second is 1-2 tones darker or brighter. The latter are used in smaller areas and are supported in the interior with accessories or furniture (the facade of a kitchen set, upholstery of chairs, curtains, etc.). Large surfaces are painted in muted tones.

White is versatile and matches with any color. The light ceiling creates a feeling of lightness and spaciousness. Warm colors visually reduce the height and are suitable for rooms where the windows face the north or west. Cold shades visually raise the ceiling and “cool” the southern and eastern rooms.

In high-tech or minimalist style, you can use dark colors and even black to create accents. Glossy coatings are preferred, which perfectly remove the pressure effect.

Color design is implemented using the following materials:

Paint. This type of coating does not deprive the ceiling of physical height and is presented in a large number of different shades. To make such a repair is quite simple. It is necessary to carefully draw the ceiling into sectors over the functional areas and paint them using a roller with a long handle. But the decoration will have to be updated every 3-5 years.
Stretch web. They come in PVC film and synthetic fabric. In the collections of manufacturers there are more than 200 colors and several textures, which provides a huge scope for imagination. Films of different shades are soldered with a straight or curved seam. This method creates interesting and unique design patterns. It has been finishing for at least 10 years, but most likely it will not work on its own to install a stretch ceiling, since installation requires certain skills, special tools and equipment. It is also worth noting that, due to the design features, the ceiling drops by 5-7 cm.
Wallpaper. Rolled finishing materials are distinguished by a large selection of colors, textures and patterns. To visually delimit the space on one of the ceiling zones, use the same wallpaper as on the walls, or with a pattern to match the floor. Sticking is easy to do on your own, such a finish will last no less than paint. It is preferable to choose multilayer coatings on a non-woven or vinyl basis that can be washed.

Original ideas: modern style

The combined space of the kitchen and living room is a welcome that came to us from the West. Today it is so popular that construction companies create studio apartments and apartments with a large kitchen, where you can freely organize a living area. So this technique can be called a sign of the modern style of the owners.

The interior design of such premises is still a difficult task for the layman, and often they turn to the network or to professional designers for a project. The main difficulty lies in the dual task - with all the desire to combine the premises of the kitchen and the living room, you need to create a separate zone for each of them. Many people wonder what decor to choose for walls, what furniture to buy and how to place it, as well as how to decorate the ceiling in the kitchen-living room. This element of the room should look attractive and original, and at the same time be practical and durable.

One of the most successful options is to install a stretch ceiling. Its advantages over other types of finishes:

the stretch film does not allow moisture to pass, and when flooded from above, the walls will not be affected, and water can be easily pumped out and the ceiling returned to its place,

the ceiling is easy to clean, so it retains its decorative properties for a long time,

the film does not absorb odors, which are enough in the kitchen area,

a variety of colors and textures, as well as ease of installation allow you to implement any design ideas,

the installation of such a ceiling does not require freeing the room from large furniture, it takes a little time, and the room can be used immediately after installation.

The film for a stretch ceiling can be glossy, matte and satin - it does not have such reflective properties as the first, but has an attractive light shine. The glossy surface is suitable for visually increasing the space, and in this case even dark shades are suitable. The matte ceiling has the opposite effect - it does not create a feeling of continuation of space, but, on the contrary, clearly limits it. Satin shine is a compromise for rooms in which there is no need to either “raise” or “lower” the ceiling. When choosing a material for a multilevel or two-color ceiling in a kitchen combined with a living room, you should not choose different textures, this can create the effect of a careless interior.

How to split into two zones

A room such as a kitchen-living room, combined in one space, requires a clear division into zones. No matter how expensive and beautiful the kitchen is, it is primarily a place for cooking, where various smells hover, it can also be sources of difficult to remove pollution, and it must be separated from the rest of the space at least visually.

Another area that is usually present in such a room is the dining room, or dining area. It has a large table that can accommodate all family members at a common dinner, and chairs or other seating areas.

The third zone, as the name implies, is the living room, or recreation area. It usually has a sofa, other upholstered furniture - armchairs, pouffes, and a TV. But most often there is a combination of these three zones into two - the kitchen and the living room. The dining table is either in the first zone, or is part of the second.

It’s easy to maintain zoning with the ceiling, choosing two or three different colors or shades for its design. Options for such a ceiling may be as follows:

Multi-level ceiling. Using stretch linens or drywall sheets, it is easy to create a structure on the ceiling consisting of several surfaces with a difference in height of 10-15 cm. Thus, the zoning of the room is supported not only by wall decor and furniture layout, creating the feeling that each zone has its own ceiling .

Multicolor ceiling. In the case of a stretch web, this effect is created by soldering segments of different colors among themselves. If the ceiling is plasterboard, it can be painted with several colors suitable for the general interior of the kitchen-living room.

The combination of these two tricks is when each ceiling level has its own shade of color. This most popular option is most often carried out using a stretch ceiling.

Color scheme

Finishing the ceiling so that it supports the zoning of the room is almost always associated with the selection of suitable colors for both zones and parts of the ceiling. Of course, the main thing in this decision is the preferences of the owners of the house, and it is impossible to give a definite answer what the color of the ceiling in the kitchen-living room should be. However, there are several recommendations from professional designers that will help determine the right option.

As two colors for different ceiling levels, it is not recommended to choose contrasting. It is rather difficult to combine such colors in the interior, and only an experienced specialist can handle this.

It is best to choose a combination of two shades of the same color - light, pastel and more saturated.

White is the base for the ceiling. In addition, it creates a feeling of lightness and spaciousness. You can combine any other colors with a white base.

Bright colors are best chosen for medium-sized details of the ceiling.

Warm colors create the feeling of a lower ceiling. Cold, on the contrary, visually raise it.

For a room whose windows face the north or west side, warm shades are best suited, they will add light and comfort even on a gloomy day. If the room is bright, its windows “look” to the south or east, and during sunny hours it gets too hot, it can be slightly “cooled” with cold tones.

Following these recommendations, choosing a color scheme for the ceiling will not be so difficult, because the choice will become more limited. It is important not to forget that if there are bright details in the ceiling structure, it is imperative to support other interior elements.

Good Design Examples

Choosing the right option for their kitchen-living room, many rely on photos of other interiors. This is correct, because the most successful options are usually developed by experienced designers, taking into account all the features of the room. Having summarized a lot of information, one can present several ready-made ideas for the design of the ceiling in the kitchen-living room.

White color in the interior of the kitchen can be successfully supported by a snow-white matte cloth on the ceiling, which is combined with a shade of coffee with milk in the living area, where there is a sofa of the same color. The absence of bends in the ceiling design emphasizes the laconic style of the entire room.

A bright kitchen unit with glossy facades attracts glances in the kitchen-living room and is its main color accent. The design of the ceiling may contain one or more elements of the same color - stripes, circles, curved lines. With a multi-level design, bright accents should be located above the base part, so as not to attract attention. As the main color of the ceiling, it is better to choose a white or strongly whitened accent color shade.

The classic interior of the kitchen-living room can be supported by a symmetrical design on the ceiling in the form of a circle, oval or rectangle. The transition of the plane from the ceiling to the walls is best done with ceiling cornices. The color of the ceiling should be dim, close to the natural range - beige, gray, pistachio. Spotlights are best replaced with classic chandeliers.

The black ceiling will be appropriate in a modern style, for example, high-tech. By choosing a glossy surface, you can avoid the feeling of pressure of a dark color. It is advisable not to make the ceiling black completely, but to choose one zone or element of the ceiling structure for this color.

A smooth transition from walls to the ceiling can be made using plasterboard. This design will be most appropriate in the living area above the sofa or TV. This large element will become a highlight of the interior, so it is better to paint the rest of the ceiling in a simple white color.

Living Room Ceiling Design

The principles of designing the ceiling surface when combining rooms are divided into 3 main groups:

single space. If the living room and the kitchen themselves are small, it does not make sense to use additional methods for zoning the common room. It is enough to arrange furniture groups correctly. On the contrary, it is required to use methods of visual association of premises: the same floor and the same ceiling. The unity of color and texture creates an impression of the common space - this principle is most often used in the studio,
structural ceiling - in this case, for the visual separation of the kitchen and the hall, a multi-level structure is created. The difference in height separates the rooms, but does not affect the overall space. The color scheme is chosen either the same or very close. The best option for a kitchen combined with a living room is a plasterboard ceiling or a combination of a plasterboard design and a stretch canvas,
zoning involves the use of both textures and colors in order to visually completely separate the zones. In a room with low ceilings, you can do with only one color, as well as lighting. The latter is a great zoning tool.

For the kitchen-living room, the ceiling is chosen taking into account many parameters: the area of the combined rooms, the height of the room, the style of the dwelling, operating conditions and, of course, financial capabilities.

Painting or whitewashing

It should be noted right away that whitewashing in urban conditions is an extremely unsuccessful option, especially in a combined living-kitchen. It’s impossible to tolerate a smoked surface with stains in a hall where guests are received. An alternative is to make repairs every six months or not to use a stove and a wash basin, which also attracts few people.

So if you really need a simple white ceiling, then you should choose staining. The paint better tolerates the effects of water and steam, absorbs soot less, and also is easier to clean. This is also not the most durable option, but also very budget.

With the help of paint, the ceiling in the kitchen can be decorated in the following ways:

plain white. Color unites the space of any area, reflects light well, visually makes the room higher. More than a suitable option for any rustic style, Scandinavian, techno (subject to white walls), and even a loft,
painted in light or white ceiling surface can be structured with wooden beams or their imitation. The beam is placed parallel to a short wall to visually make the room closer to square proportions. The ceiling design in the kitchen-living room refers to the rustic styles - country, Provence, English and Mediterranean close to them,
with the help of paint you can perform zoning: paint the ceiling in the kitchen and dining area with a different color. The location of the backlight along the edge of the color zone enhances the separation effect.

Wallpapering

Another quite budget option. The decoration of the ceiling is carried out only with the help of washable vinyl wallpaper, since the latter withstand moisture and temperature extremes. Combining them with paper to decorate the living room is undesirable, since the decoration structure is too different.

Wallpaper can be smooth and embossed. When organizing a single space, you can use any kind, but when zoning, you must take into account the texture. To paste a relief pattern on the living room area and smooth kitchen, for example, is an unsuccessful idea. In this case, a difference in perception arises, and separation, as such, is not formed.

Wallpaper does not combine with a different pattern when zoning - it's ridiculous and ugly. The only possible option in this case is to create a structure. For example, beams or figures of the second level on a drywall construction. In this case, embossed wallpapers are pasted onto the structures voluminous, and in niches they use smooth ones.

In the same way they do the drawing: the elements of the second level are painted, for example, and the niches are pasted over with wallpaper with an image or ornament.

Dropped ceilings

The design of all suspension systems involves a frame made of metal profiles of various types and suspensions, with the help of which it is attached to the base base. Its convenience consists in the ability to adjust the distance between the ceiling finish and the ceiling itself. In addition, in this way it is very convenient to equip any kind of built-in and hidden lighting.

A typical example of a suspended system is a cassette ceiling. In this case, the decorative tile is laid on the frame from above and at any time can be shifted, removed or replaced. Almost any material - from budget pulp filling to designer glass with backlight.

The shape of the plate is always clearly geometric - a square, rectangle or hexagon, but the sizes of the elements can be different. In addition, fragments of different colors can be combined to create a structure and separate the living room and kitchen. Despite the universality of such a solution, it is used infrequently in apartments, as it approaches very few familiar styles: modern, techno or constructivism.

To diversify the cassette ceiling, inserts of colored glass and mirrors allow, even with a pattern. However, models with glass are noticeably heavier, difficult to install and, of course, much more expensive.

Another little-known design option is metal battens. Like any other hanging option, the system reduces the height of the room, and to a considerable extent - by no less than 10 cm. The surface structure is clearly expressed: long slats with dividing inserts, which is not to everyone's taste. Another limitation is that the system assumes only a single space.

There are significant advantages: metal rails are quite flexible and easily hold the most intricate shapes. Waves, cascades, relief ledges - this way it is easy to structure any space. It looks very impressive, as you can see by looking at the photo.

Lamels are made of stainless steel and aluminum. In this case, the material may have its own color or be painted in the most exotic shades. You can change the texture - the alternation of polished and brushed metal creates a very unusual effect, but it is this shine and brightness that are also a kind of limitation: the option is suitable for baroque, high-tech, neo-baroque, art deco - that is, concepts involving luxury.

Plasterboard constructions

Combining the living room and kitchen with high ceilings, most designers equip multilevel drywall structures. From the point of view of design, this solution is universal, although it requires quite a lot of time for implementation: for this option, you need to build a complex frame and finish it with plasterboard sheets.

To create a single flat ceiling, this method is not used. But zoning of varying degrees is performed masterly.

Two-level - in the simplest case, a figure of the second level is formed above the kitchen area, and above the living room, since it has a large area - of the first level. A more complex option involves the creation of several figures of the second level, for example, a wide rectangular beam with built-in lamps that separate the kitchen from the hall, and figures of the second level around the perimeter of each zone.

In the techno style, a combination of geometrically correct figures of the second level or niches with the same clear-cut outlines at the same time emphasize a single space and structure it to the proper degree. In this way, smaller zones can also be created - above the chair and work table, for example, above the bar counter.

The configuration is possible and arbitrarily curved: the drywall is flexible and allows you to create the most complex forms. This option is more suitable for different classic styles, as well as high-tech and fusion styles.

If room height allows, layered ceilings - with three, and even a large number of height differences. Such a design can be extremely decorative and complex. It is the ability to form any volume with any configuration from drywall and makes it a favorite material of designers.

In addition, drywall can be painted, whitened, wallpapered, tiled and even manually painted.

Stretch ceiling

The principle of its device is slightly different: on the walls, and not on the ceiling, baguettes are fixed in which a stretched vinyl film is fixed. It is very thin, but has excellent water resistance, does not grow moldy, does not change color over time and is extremely decorative.

The immense design possibilities are the main advantage of a vinyl canvas. Any shade is possible, any image - from your own photo to an ancient fresco, any ornament and any combination of all of the above. But this is not all: the canvas may have a different texture:

matte film It doesn’t give extra gloss and color reproduction,
satin thanks to the microrelief it enhances the color and is ideal for the living room,
glossy reflects light, so that visually enlarges the room, even if it has a dark color. Its mirror version reflects not only light, but also objects,
velvet creates the appearance of a fleecy structure and is very comfortable,
pearl, metallic, chameleon - More exotic glitter options.

But this is not all: the stretch web can have a three-dimensional shape. With a different arrangement of the baguette on the wall, you can create waves, domes, "stalactites". In small rooms it is rarely used, but in a studio apartment you can afford it.

Most often, canvases of different colors and textures are combined, as well as film and drywall constructions.

The easiest space to make a single space with a stretch web: Not only does one color combine rooms, but you can make a ceiling with an image and even a holographic one.
The ceiling surface is structured in 2 ways. The most spectacular is a combination of plasterboard figures of the second level with a tension film in the resulting niches. By placing lighting on the second level, an interesting solution can be emphasized.

There is another way: to combine paintings with a similar color, but with a different texture. For example, highlight the area above the kitchen with a metallic luster, and decorate the ceiling above the living area with a satin canvas.

Zoning allows you to use a combination of paintings of different colors, textures and images. At the same time, the height of the room changes by only 5 cm. Another effective solution is to place a illuminated ceiling over the living room. For this, a perforated film is pulled in the hall area, and backlighting is arranged behind it on the base ceiling.

For the ceiling in the living room-kitchen you can find many interesting options. Some of them are really difficult to execute and expensive. But there are solutions that are quite affordable and are not inferior in any way to decorativeness.