The Open American Kitchen: Opening Onto the Living Room in Jordan

Walk into a newly-designed apartment or villa in Amman and you will notice the wall between the kitchen and the living room is gone. In its place is an island or a breakfast bar, and the two spaces flow into one. This is the open American kitchen, and it has quietly become the most-requested layout in Jordan. Here is why it works, how to design one that stays as practical as it looks, and what to think through before you open up that wall.

What is an open American kitchen?

An open American kitchen removes the wall that traditionally closes the kitchen off, so it connects directly to the living room or salon. Usually an island or a peninsula bar sits between the two, acting as both a work surface and a social boundary: you are cooking and part of the room at the same time. It is a layout, not a material, so you can build it in any finish, though most people choose aluminum with acrylic or wood-grain doors so it looks like furniture on show.

Why it has become so popular

The appeal is social. In a closed kitchen, whoever is cooking is cut off from the family and the guests. Open it up and the cook stays in the conversation, keeps an eye on the children, and hosts without disappearing. It also makes a home feel bigger and brighter, because light and space flow between the two areas instead of being boxed in. For modern family life and for entertaining, a big part of how people live in Jordan, it simply fits.

The island: the heart of the open kitchen

The island is what makes an open kitchen work. It can do a lot at once: hold the sink or the hob, add a big block of storage, and provide a raised breakfast bar where the family perches on stools. It becomes the natural gathering point of the home, where children do homework, guests sit with coffee, and everyone ends up during a gathering. Getting the island right (its size, what it holds, and the walking space around it) is the single most important design decision in an open kitchen.

Popular add-ons: coffee corner, seating nook, gypsum ceiling

Open kitchens invite a few features that have become favourites in Amman homes:

- **Coffee corner (ركن قهوة):** a dedicated station for the machine, cups and pods one of the strongest current trends. - **Seating nook (ركنة جلوس):** a built-in bench or sofa corner that turns the kitchen edge into a place to sit. - **Gypsum-board ceiling (جبس بورد):** a ceiling detail with recessed lighting that visually marks the kitchen zone within the open space, so it reads as designed rather than accidental.

Designing an open kitchen well

Because the kitchen is on full show, three things need real thought. **Finish:** it faces the living room, so it should look like furniture: this is where aluminum with a nice acrylic or wood-grain front earns its place. **Ventilation:** with no wall to contain them, cooking smells travel, so a good, properly-sized extractor hood is essential, not optional. **Storage and tidiness:** an open kitchen is always visible, so plan enough closed storage and tall units to keep clutter off the worktops. Design for these from the start and an open kitchen stays as calm as it is beautiful.

Is an open kitchen right for your home?

Open-plan is wonderful, but it is not automatic. It works best when the living area is large enough to share with the kitchen, and when you are comfortable with cooking being visible and heard from the lounge. In a smaller apartment, a peninsula bar can give much of the open feel without needing a huge room. If you love to cook heavy, aromatic food daily, plan the extraction carefully. The honest answer is that it suits most modern homes beautifully, but the design has to match your space and how you live.

Bringing it to your home

An open American kitchen is best planned as one piece: the layout, the island, the finish, the lighting and the ventilation together, so it feels intentional. Kit Design designs and fits open kitchens across Amman, matching the island and finish to your living space and planning the practical side so it stays livable. Book a free measure and we'll design an open layout around your room.

Frequently asked questions

What is an open American kitchen?

It is a kitchen with the dividing wall removed, so it opens onto the living room or salon, usually with an island or breakfast bar between them. It keeps the cook part of the room and makes the home feel bigger and brighter. It is a layout, so it can be built in aluminum, acrylic or wood.

Do open kitchens have a smell problem?

They can, because there is no wall to contain cooking smells, which is exactly why a good, correctly-sized extractor hood is essential in an open kitchen. Planned properly, ventilation keeps an open kitchen fresh.

Is an island necessary in an open kitchen?

Not strictly, but it is what makes most open kitchens work: it provides storage, a work surface or sink, and a breakfast bar, and becomes the social heart of the space. In smaller rooms a peninsula bar gives a similar effect in less space.

Thinking about opening up your kitchen? Explore our open American kitchens, try the kitchen cost calculator, then book a free measure with Kit Design in Amman.