How to Make the Most of Your Open Plan Living
The trend for home decoration and renovation has increased substantially over the last few years. The open living area has become the focal point of home and family life, with 80% of home renovations taking place in the kitchen.
Open plan is perfect for family interaction and your space should be somewhere that everyone will enjoy. Well designed and carefully considered zones will utilise your space so that its full potential will be maximised.
How to Design Your Open Plan Living Spaces
Even starting to think about furnishing a large, open space can be daunting but visualising the space as separate rooms can make it easier. You can break up areas with furniture by using the strategic placing of shelving units or sofas, and these are useful tools to define the different zones of an open plan space.
A large corner group or L-shaped sofa is a great way to zone off your lounge area and to create a separate seating area. Adding cushions, throws and rugs will make each individual space even more cosy and inviting.
Rugs are also an excellent way to differentiate separate areas, helping to create a sense of purpose and giving structure to how you use the space.
Placing seating so that they are facing each other produces the sense of a more intimate living area within the larger room.
Café-style tables and chairs can fit snugly into thoroughfares between zones. This means that you are using every inch of available space whilst also creating fluidity between the different areas.
Tables with extension leaves are ideal because the leaves can be stored away internally when not in use. Benches that can be kept under tables, as well as round dining sets, are optimal methods of creating a social seating area without taking up too much space.
Storage is Key
Having a large, multifunctional space means that you are likely to spend a lot of time there, using it for various activities, whether it is as a children’s play area, a home office, or for general lounge and dining. Consequently it is important that you have ample storage to keep the area tidy.
With open spaces having a multitude of functions and being the busy focal point of your home, keeping areas tidy will give a sense of balance and order, and allow you to enjoy your living space clutter free.
Back to back bookcases, open shelving units and hanging shelves are excellent ways of utilising storage to the maximum, combining style and function. These will help to divide your area into zones as well as adding height to your room.
Side tables next to a sofa or chair, slim line sideboards and storage footstools can all be used for quick tidy ups and are adaptable enough to be easily moved, helping your space to take on a number of different roles should you require them.
Allow Flooring to Flow
Using the same flooring throughout your open plan area will help to maximise the sense of space and allow the areas to flow seamlessly into each other. If using the same flooring, it may be best to choose a floor that will meet all your needs across the whole space.
Wood or tile-effect flooring is a beautiful way of bringing warmth into your home, as well as providing practicality regarding maintenance and cleaning. Darker paint shades will give a cosy and inviting vibe especially when teamed with warm oak flooring.
Creating Ambience
Achieving the right mood can be achieved using various methods. You can create a coherent backdrop by ensuring that it is predominately the same colour or using variants of the same tone. Having a unifying colour running through your open plan space will produce a visual connection and draw your eye through adjacent spaces.
A large open space with plenty of light makes a great canvas to experiment with colour. Placing splashes of the same colour throughout your open plan by adding simple accessories will be enough to thread together separate zones. Being clever with colour, shapes, prints and patterns will assist in zoning areas.
Lights are a stylish feature that can create unity by using the same or similar styles at several different points through an open plan area. Lighting can enable you to create the appropriate mood in the different areas. Pendant lighting, a group of pendant lights over a sofa group or dining table, down lighters and spot lights are all vivid ways of providing each distinct zone a focal point.
Mastering Open Plan
Being the hub of a home, open plan provides the perfect backdrop to a demanding lifestyle enabling you to be inclusive and social whilst being able to perform everyday tasks. Whether lounging, eating or working, the flexibility of an open space will allow you to use it to its utmost capacity.
Flexibility, space and flow are key components of open plan living, and at Cousins we have all the elements required to ensure that your multi-purpose rooms become the heart of your home. From sofas and dining sets, to a multitude of storage options to accessories that will create a cosy haven, our experienced sales staff will be able to advise and find the best solution for your personal style and requirements.
