Opening the kitchen to the living room: will the whole flat work better?

Test a busy evening and an early morning

Picture someone preparing dinner while another person watches television or works at the dining table. Consider a dishwasher running, a pan cooking and guests arriving before the washing-up is finished. Opening the room may make company easier; it can also remove a useful boundary between activities.

List the advantages you actually need: more daylight reaching the kitchen, a better connection to the dining table or easier conversation. Then list what the current wall provides, including storage and separation from cooking noise. Keep the same appliances and storage contents in every version of the plan. Otherwise an apparently spacious alternative may simply have nowhere to put your pans.

Establish what the wall does before pricing its removal

A wall's thickness, a tapping sound or a photograph cannot establish whether it is safe to remove. Commission a competent technician to examine its role, using available building information and inspection, with further investigation where necessary. The assessment also needs to consider concealed services and the consequences for adjoining parts of the building.

In Spain, the required local permissions or notifications depend on the property and proposed work. Obligations involving the owners' community are a separate matter, particularly where common elements are affected. Ask what needs checking and by whom; a neighbour's completed renovation does not establish that the same alteration is suitable or authorised in your flat.

Official source: CTE · Documento Básico SE Seguridad estructural · BOE · Ley 49/1960 sobre propiedad horizontal

Compare three versions of the same home

Draw the alternatives on the same measured plan, keeping the appliance and storage brief constant. Show occupied chairs, cupboard openings and the route from the entrance to the kitchen. A partly separable arrangement deserves proper testing too: sliding panels or glazing take space and require their own fixing and service details.

Use the comparison to decide which compromises matter most. Separation will depend on the actual construction and closures; a glass partition is not a promise that sound or odours will disappear.

Resolve extraction and service routes

Removing a wall does not solve extraction. Spain's Technical Building Code (CTE) distinguishes cooking extraction from general dwelling ventilation, so have the appropriate professional establish what applies and where the duct can run. A recirculating hood is not automatically evidence of compliance. Agree the visible route and any effect on ceilings or shared elements before fixing the cabinet layout.

The same care applies to water, drainage, electricity and any other affected services. Moving the sink or hob can create work well beyond the former partition. Ask what can remain, what must move and how the proposed arrangement will be checked. Appliance ventilation, access for maintenance and electrical suitability belong in the technical coordination, alongside the furniture design.

Official source: CTE · Documento Básico HS Salubridad

Include the repairs around the opening

The demolition line is only one part of the quotation. Removing a partition can leave a strip without flooring, interrupt ceiling finishes and expose surfaces that were never intended to be seen. Ask how those areas will match or deliberately differ from the surrounding room, and price the complete result.

• Include the necessary assessment, technical work and permissions or notifications required for your property.
• Identify service alterations and the proposed extraction route.
• Measure flooring, ceiling, wall and skirting repairs, including transitions between rooms.
• Replace any storage lost with the wall and price additional joinery separately.
• Confirm protection, removal of waste, final decoration and applicable tax.

Use images after the layout has passed the practical checks

On the plan, open the dishwasher and the fridge, pull out dining chairs and follow the route through the space. Check what will be visible from the sofa and where regularly used objects will live. Review the options with everyone who uses the home; the person preparing breakfast may notice something the evening cook overlooks.

An AI visualisation can help you explore finishes and the feel of a combined room. Check it against the measured plan, because generated images can move windows, remove columns or invent space. It cannot establish structural feasibility, assess ventilation or authorise demolition. Retain a written, technically assessed version of the proposal as the basis for pricing and construction.