Interesting Ideas For An Open-Plan Living Room

June 8, 2022
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For some time now, open-plan living rooms have captured the attention of many homeowners and designers. Designing, furnishing, and lighting an open-plan living room needs some guidance. Read on to learn some tips on how to achieve an open-plan living room.

Analyze the space

Having an open-plan living room requires space. This is a fact! However, if space does not permit you to have the interior appearance that you love, there are ways to adjust it. Making some structural changes like moving or blocking up a doorway, switching the direction of a staircase, or adding sliding glass doors can help increase space and improve flow. These recommendations will not bankrupt you as well. 

Knock down walls

In many instances, the dining room is separated from the other rooms, such as the kitchen. Increase the space by removing the walls that separate them from each other. Another cost-efficient idea is to create a large opening between the rooms. It is cheaper and very effective to help you achieve the interior design style. 

Artificial and natural lighting

Lighting, whether natural or artificial, is important in an open-plan living room. It is worth creating a lighting scheme as they may have multiple functions. Ask an electrician to do some wiring in the living room. Choose the lighting that can adjust the mood in the room. 

Define the space in an open-plan living room

There are many activities that can be done in an open-plan living room. Therefore, it is important to identify an area for each to avoid confusion. A sofa can be used to mark the boundary of a seating area in a multi-purpose space.

Establish zones

With the number of condominiums and apartments emerging these days, living areas are blended neatly with the kitchens and dining areas. The objective is to create zones that would identify the space. This can be achieved with the breaks in color, design, flooring, and furniture. The use of rugs is a cost-efficient way to create zones. 

Do not forget the cohesion

Using different flooring, decorative light fittings, or color schemes help define the role of each zone. However, never forget the design cohesion as this will make the room appealing and functional. Similar shapes, materials, or textures can maintain cohesion across the space. 

A comfortable space

There are many reasons why a space becomes uncomfortable. Cooking, electric fans, old model air conditioners, speakers, and others. You may want to keep the noise at a minimum by buying appliances with noise reduction mechanisms. It is worth checking the decibel ratings before buying. 

Convert a warehouse into an open-plan space

Transforming an industrial space can be challenging. You will be dealing with unusual dimensions, incorporating statement features into the layout, and navigating planning permissions. The open-plan layouts of warehouses can feel much larger than their actual dimensions. The elements of open-plan space can be achieved with old warehouses. For instance, they tend to have larger windows such that natural light can enter freely.