Creating A Stylish Open-Plan Space
With a little know-how it’s easy to create an open-plan living space that feels cosy, yet seamlessly linked to the rest of your home.
Link two areas, such as a kitchen and dining space, with a unifying colour scheme. Go for a timeless soft white or a neutral shade and choose your furniture from a similar colour palette for both areas.
It can be difficult when combining rooms to get them to work together. This is where floor tiles come in: using ceramic or porcelain tiles within the kitchen, dining and living room areas when open-plan will mean that the space flows and cohesion is created.
If you’ve got a period property, natural stone tiles will help create a lovely, rustic feel and they look great flowing from the hallway of a house into an open-plan kitchen-diner.
In a large open-plan space you also have the freedom to experiment with oversized designs, everything from statement furniture, wall art or a bold, large-scale design on soft furnishing fabrics or an eye-catching rug.
Create zones for different activities so that an open-plan space works well. Furniture can be used to cleverly break up an area with pieces such as storage cabinets being used as a room divider.
As well as creating flow, floor tiles can be used as a simple way of breaking up spaces. For example, using wood-effect tiles within the kitchen can work particularly well if your open-plan design means that you step down into a living or dining area; within this lower area, a different tile material, such as natural stone can be used to separate the kitchen and living areas whilst still keeping the natural continuance throughout the rooms.
Go for a smart piece of furniture that has a mix of open shelving and concealed storage space so that you can view the television, display books and a few of your favourite accessories.
Stow away more day-to-day items in drawers and cupboard space. Choose from design-led floor-to-ceiling furniture or sleek modern sideboards.
A modular, L-shaped sofa and stylish armchairs can be arranged to create a living area for relaxing and family gatherings. Add a rug and table or standard lamps for a snug, warm look.
Floor tiles also offer a practical solution for open-plan designs. By this we mean underfloor heating. Rather than trying to incorporate bulky and space-eating radiators into an open-plan design, why not opt for underfloor heating? After all, the main idea of an open-plan living is to create a space where the whole family can relax. For example, whilst meal preparation is taking place in the kitchen, the children can be playing in the adjacent family room, and by laying underfloor heating, the room will be both warm and inviting to everyone.
