Thursday, July 24, 2014

Quick Tips for Decorating Spaces with Large Open Floor Plans


Image: Fresh Home
Quick tips for decorating open floor plans.


While plenty of open space is encouraged in planning a decorating scheme for a home,  an open floor plan can become overwhelming without proper planning. Here are a few tips for decorating a home or space with an open floor plan.

1. Define Areas - Define specific areas in the large open space that are geared toward certain activities. A dining area, sitting area, office, breakfast nook or reading corner can all be cordoned off in certain areas of your open plan. Designers recommend defining these areas with rugs. Seating positioned around an area rug, gives character to the space and draws attention to the area as a vignette or area with specific purpose, rather than being lost in the openness.

Image: Begrand Fast Design, Inc.

2. Be Ready to Transform - In large living areas, create an ambience in which specific areas are defined, yet can be joined together with seamlessness. For example, you may have a room with a cozy sitting area with two overstuffed chairs for reading and very intimate gatherings, while a second area includes a sectional sofa and multimedia entertainment. During a social gathering, these two areas could be easily joined to make one large social area with plenty of space for traffic flow and plenty of seating options.

Image: BHG

3. Alternating Textures and Colors - While it may not be possible to paint the walls of individual spaces in an open floor plan, you can define areas around themes, using colors and textures. By using certain color themes or textures in one area and changing them completely in the next area, you are lending personality to the individual spaces, despite being in a large, open format.

Image: How to Decorate by Ballard Designs

4. Create Divisions - Urban loft living very commonly is incorporates large open spaces with no separation for rooms. Get creative, use furniture and screens to divide rooms and section of areas. A large rolling commercial rack could be used to separate the kitchen from the dining area. Dividing walls and screens could be used to section off a bedroom or office.

Image: Glo

5. Create Your Own Traffic Flow - By using furniture, fixtures, plants and other accessories in certain arrangements, you can direct traffic flow through your open space even without the help of walls and doors. Direct your guests to certain areas of your space by creating your own traffic flow plan.

Image: Glo

6. Lighting - Using lighting to accent certain areas that require more focus at certain times of day. Natural lighting and/or light fixtures can help create an ambiance in certain areas directing the attention to specific areas or to the whole space, depending on your intention.

Image: My Home Ideas

No comments:

Post a Comment