Open-Plan Living: Make It Work for You
Here are some great tips about how to make an open floor plan sing, by guest blogger Lillian Connors.
A lot of modern homes are constructed in such a way that a certain amount of space is shared for several different purposes, and consequentially several different rooms. Mostly this will be the kitchen, dining room and living room merged together. With no walls to set any boundaries, this can be both a good and a bad thing. Even though it will help with bringing the family close together and somehow making them spend more time together, it is very easy to get all sorts of clutter stuck here and consequentially just a big mess everywhere. That’s why it’s important to follow a few basic rules when it comes to open-plan living, and it will become a piece of cake.
Set the Tone
It’s needless to say that all the adjoined rooms have to look like that were made exactly that way. So the wall colors must look like they were chosen together. In order to find the optimal color scheme. it’s usually best to focus on a pallet of three colors, one main one, a very light color, then a slightly darker one for added interest and then the brightest/darkest color will be used only for details and accent walls. This will add dimension to the space you’re living in. Make sure to coordinate small details in the room like ornaments, etc. to go with this theme.
Adding Focal Points
Because this area is so wide, you need to add key focal points. This will not only maximize your space but they will in a way visually divide up the room without you having to use walls and mounts. Choose key pieces of larger furniture for each zone of your plan space- this will give out the feeling that your room is more organized. For the living room it can be a big sofa with piled up cushions. In a recent conversation with reputed new home builders, I find out that separating the living room from the dining area you could be done by installing an open bookshelf- this will literally give you a fake wall between these two parts of the room, and will also be a handy storage idea for books and other small thing, even like décor.
How to Wine and Dine
Maybe the biggest obstacle with open-living areas is that these zones need to be somehow divided, and even if the space looks bigger, the particular zones are not so much. For a family, this is not such a big problem but when you decide to throw a party or a big dinner, how will you fit all the people. Well, you needn’t worry- by installing easily movable furniture such as an open bookcase, sofas and chairs, you could easily move them and make room for an extended dining table and seating arrangement.
Lighting Can Make a Difference
Choosing lighting fixtures and combining them will make the area look more interesting. For instance you could hang some fixtures over the dining table, and in the kitchen, whereas the ones in the living room can be bigger lamps standing on the floor. They could also be used for decorative pieces, and if your put a few tall plants next to them, you will soften the look and make it more organic.