Who doesn’t love the idea of an open-plan living space? Open-plan homes are now the normal design typology as living spaces get smaller. The open-plan spaces offer versatility for the way we live today. These are really great, innovative plans for family homes. We are now looking for more square footage with multipurpose spaces that fit well with our house layouts. It is the natural choice for modern living, with free-flowing yet sociable floor plans with utmost careful planning and execution.
Open-plan living is all about free-flowing spaces and is a popular layout in most modern homes, thanks to its flexibility and endless possibilities.
Given the scarcity of development land, an open floor plan with plenty of free-flowing space and light is the ultimate requirement for a living space these days.
The layout can be confusing; figuring out how to arrange the furniture and your belongings with no defined areas can be a challenge.
Ways to Design an Open-Plan Living Space
There are many ways to bring openness to your living spaces. Here are some ways to design an open-plan living space to maximize the area:
01. Maintain Design Continuity
A. Broken Plan Technique
Creating different spaces using colours and textures can be a difficult task at times when trying to achieve an open-plan layout. Instead, we may break our layout plan with false half walls, loose furniture, dividing shelves, and changing levels to create the illusion of segregated areas in the same space while still having privacy in the areas.
B. Mezzanine Layouts
A transitional floor built between two main floors can be a good idea in terms of increasing the area and fitting different spaces in one place.
C. Same-same yet Different
One method of segregating areas in an open-plan is to keep different lighting but continue the fluidity of the space by keeping the same flooring. You may remove the walls and fill them in with different furniture pieces and lighting effects to make the areas look different yet in the same setting.
D. Conceal
You can conceal your services and utility areas using glass walls, false walls, kitchen counters, consoles, chests of drawers, built-in appliance units, and other furniture pieces, giving the feeling of invisible walls.
E. Multifunctional Walls
You can use cabinets, storage, built-in units, and partition walls as your main wall to segregate the areas.
02. Create a Feature
A. Accent Wall
Defining the zones can be easily manipulated without creating stationary structural elements and using accent walls, which will also contribute to managing the spaces more efficiently.
Here are some ways to add accents to your interior design. Listed below is the blog for the same:
B. Decor
A sense of extra space and an open plan can be created by creating a visual separation between the old structure and the new elements. This can also enhance the look of the space.
C. Identify the Areas
You can identify the areas by adding a different colour, texture, theme-based deco, or even a signboard. This gives the feeling of passing from one space to another without even breaking the continuity of the space.
D. DIY
You may make your art decor and put it up in different areas, marking the themes, conceptual visualization, and purpose of the space.
E. Wall Beautification
You may use graffiti, murals, your own artwork, or photographs to enhance a wall.
03. Keep the Space Open
A. No Heavy Furniture
Defining the zones can be easily manipulated without creating stationary structural elements and using storage units that will also contribute to managing the spaces more efficiently.
B. No Heavy Walls
Instead of using walls, you may use decorative partitions to beautify the space without compromising on the amount of area being reduced.
C. Glass Screens
Glass screens and partitions can be a very effective element in defining different areas while giving a feeling of openness to them.
D. Two in One
Make sure you have good circulation in your house for better utility and a more presentable open-plan space. Multipurpose furniture will make it easier to organize your belongings and reduce the need for walls. You may use circular tables with circular rugs to demark areas, ceiling-mounted shelves, floating shelves as a wall, and much more.
E. Design of Doors and Windows
Plan your openings very strategically to maintain the space’s continuity. Bold scales and designs can even add to the drama.
04. Color Coordination
A. Theme-Based
Create a seamless flow from one area to another without compromising the cohesive scheme of the space. Every area can be defined by providing theme-based décor or colour options, yet be placed next to each other.
B. Upholstery
You may create an effortlessly sophisticated look for different areas by just changing the colours and textures of the upholstery used, the rugs placed, and the drapes used.
C. Paint
An easy and effective technique to keep the open-plan area feeling more connected throughout is to thread a completely soothing colour palette through, with accent colours on one wall of each area, defining the space.
D. Connect with Flooring
You may create a sense of continuity by keeping a neutral-tone ceiling and flooring design throughout the space and playing with different furniture pieces, rugs, carpets, partition walls, and paint colours to demark the area.
E. Bring Fauna Inside
Giving the space a botanical feel with house plants, lush green wallpaper, and upholstered furniture can help welcome the fauna inside your house and create a feeling of extra space.
Here’s how to add a wow factor to your indoors with the help of houseplants:
05. Angles of Light
A. Maximize Natural Light
Natural light plays a very important role in enhancing the colours and textures used in the space. It also gives the impression of additional space and an extension of the areas.
B. Lights According to a Theme
Making the most of the lighting can help the room look more vibrant and even make a space feel larger. Mixing antique lights with the existing lighting of your house is a good addition if done correctly.
C. Spotlights
You may put spotlights in different areas to enhance them and create the illusion of a particular space that is indeed a part of the whole.
D. Connect to the Garden
Build a small garden outside your living area or bedroom to create an illusion of space. This also provides a soothing sense of being close to nature.
E. Staircases Should Disappear
The area below the staircase shall be well designed in a way that it merges with the theme of the space, adds up the extra storage required, can be used as a small office without adding a study room to the space, and even as a bookshelf.
Conclusion
On a final note, open-plan living spaces can make a difference if space is the only constraint in your home. Try out these easy design tips and make the most of the space available to you.
Author Bio
Neha Bhasin – Neha Bhasin is the Principal architect of Pramana Design Studio, a leading design consultancy firm with a strong design instinct in projects that range from recycling land and master planning to the design of spaces, hospitality, houses, and commercial buildings, thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales from interior design and architecture to urban design and planning. She has a degree in Bachelors in Architecture from Apeejay Institute of Technology, SAP, Greater Noida with a Certification in Housing Planning and Policies focused on Housing and Human Environments from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Neha has a well-demonstrated history of 7 years, and besides being a prodigious reader, she has assisted many professionals in editing books from an architect’s perspective.