Tear down this wall! Tips for laying out an open-plan kitchen

High shelving units allow different living areas to be visually separated, for example in the kitchen/living room with an office area. AMK/dpa

The handy thing about an open-plan kitchen is it's a place where you can not only cook and eat, but also relax or work, too.

Usually, an open kitchen is one that has few barriers separating it from the rest of your home, so it has an open feel.

Often, it can make sense to organize your available floor space so you harmonize it with everything else in your home.

That might mean getting some room dividers, like tall units and high shelving units, which are good for partitioning or restructuring areas in a way that is flexible and customized, says a German kitchen furnishing group (AMK).

These kinds of shelves allow you to visually separate different living areas, for example in the kitchen-living room with home office, without losing that open-plan feeling. A further advantage is they create more storage space - never a bad thing.

Also consider flexible, multifunctional interior design systems, which are available in various designs, with sliding elements, fixed elements and corresponding accessories, says the AMK, a group of more than 150 manufacturers and service providers in the kitchen industry.

You can use them as room dividers, privacy screens or even in niches.

If you need even more storage space, some manufacturers also have room dividers with integrated shelving systems in their range, which can also accommodate additional appliances like fridge-freezers.

Not to forget chests of drawers, another option which you can also use as smaller room dividers. They are a great way to store all kinds of utensils, sorted into the different drawers.

Multifunctional room design systems are available in different versions, so that they can be used as room dividers, privacy screens or even in niches. AMK/dpa