How to Decorate an Open Plan Home

How to Decorate an Open Plan Home.

An open floor plan is a feature of many contemporary homes. These floor plans help create the illusion of more space, and they help encourage interaction with other members of the household. To decorate them, though, you need to plan ahead and define each "room" you want to create in the larger space. However, you don't want too much separation; the whole space should have elements that help create cohesion.

Part 1 Designing Rooms in the Space.

1. Plan ahead for space. Before you ever move your furniture in, decide what areas are most important to you. For instance, if you entertain often, you may decide a large dining area is important to you. On the other hand, if your family loves to have movie nights, you might want to spend more space on the living room.

Think about the size of your furniture and how it will work in the space. It can help to make a blueprint by measuring the space and creating a drawing of it. Then you can make your furniture by creating small cards that are cut to scale. Move the furniture cards around in the blueprint of the room to see what works.

2. Decide what room needs to go where. "Rooms" next to each other are called adjacencies. When planning out your spaces, you need to think logically about what belongs next to each other, such as the dining room next to the kitchen. After that, it's up to you what you put next, but it should make sense for how you live.

For instance, if you work from home, it might make sense to add a little office space off the dining room, so you have a place to work. On the other hand, if that area will have too much traffic, consider having a little sitting area so people can gather and talk while dinner is being cooked.

If you have young kids, a play area near the kitchen might make sense, so that you can see them while you're preparing food.

3. Think about natural light. Placing your dining table where there's natural light creates a happier, brighter space. However, you may want to keep your television in an area that doesn't get as much natural light, as it can create glare on the screen.

Observe the room to see where light slants in the morning and evening. That way, you'll know how to plan the area better.

Also, consider where you'll be at different times of day. For instance, you might not like glaring afternoon sun across an office space because it will heat up the room.

4. Add walking spaces. In an open floor plan, it can be easy to forget to add in "hallways." However, people still need space to walk, even if it's not defined by walls. Add walking spaces that are at least 3 feet wide that will allow someone to walk through the whole room.

Part 2 Defining Areas in an Open Space.

1. Use rugs to define rooms. One way to define each room is to lay out area rugs. For instance, have a rug for the living room, a long rug for the entryway, and a different rug for the living room. Rugs will visually break up the space while keeping the openness of the floor plan.

The rug should be big enough so that the furniture can partially sit on it. A couch should sit about half a foot into the rug.

2. Define rooms with furniture. Another way to define each room is to arrange the furniture so it breaks up the space. For instance, having a couch in the middle of the room can help separate the space into the living and dining room. In addition, adding an entryway table or sideboard directly behind the sofa can help give a sense of division.

3. Create taller dividers. Most furniture is fairly short, so it doesn't divide the space visually as well as it could. To help, add in taller pieces, such as placing a lamp or another decorative piece on the tables that divide up the space. Plants can work well for this purpose.

4. Add different lighting to each area. You want your lighting to be cohesive, so choose fixtures that are similar to each other in material and color and that go with the rest of the room. However, to help define the space, try picking fixtures in different shapes to help delineate each space.

5. Make a focal point in each area. Every room should have a focal point, and that rule still applies when creating smaller spaces within an open floor plan. You can use focal points such as a television, a large window, a painting, or really anything you want to create an area around.

Part 3 Creating Cohesiveness.

1. Continue colors in the whole space. When a kitchen flows into a dining room and then into a living room, you need to keep the colors going. If you use drastically different colors, it can be jarring instead of creating the flow you want.

For instance, if your kitchen cabinets are a light green, pick up the same color in your sofa fabric or throw pillows.

2. Add similar textures and fabrics. Another way to continue a certain look is to repeat fabrics and textures across the whole space. You don't have to use the exact pattern, but they should be similar enough to bring it together. For instance, you could use one fabric on your dining room chairs, and then use a complementary fabric as curtains in your living room.

3. Continue storage along the same wall. If a kitchen wall flows into the living room area, consider keeping the storage going, morphing it into bookcases and built-in cupboards. It will create cohesion and give you more storage space.

4. Use a single flooring type. One way to make the area look cohesive is to use the same flooring throughout the space. For instance, continue the same hardwood floors throughout the area, bringing the whole space together.