Opening out the Kitchen

In my final kitchen design, I have opened up the stairs so that they can be seen from inside the room.  This meant taking out the dividing wall between the kitchen and the porch, which opens up the space.  To explore this, I have begun to look at open staircases, and consider some possibilities.  Below is some initial research into this idea.

I was drawn to this image because of its natural features.  The timber looks rustic and solid, and would work well with my scheme to use natural colours and materials.  I also like how it works with the natural stone flooring, as this another area that I need to consider at a later date.

This image is an example of how a staircase leads into a kitchen.  Although I do not wish to use a spiral staircase, I like how the staircase has been made into a feature in this room, and would like to echo this in my own design.

This is another example of a staircase leading into a kitchen, and i think the same use of colour on the bannister and the kitchen units ties the whole area in together so this is something to consider when planning my kitchen.

Here I have looked at the shape of the bottom few steps.  Yo give the impression of the stairs leading into the kitchen area, I would like to use this fan design, more commonly known as a flared staircase.  This image bears particular resemblance to how my design may work, as it is only flared on one side.  As I am not opening up both sides of the staircase, one edge of the stairs will be flat against a wall.