Open Plan Living

For many years now, open plan living has been an essential part of modern home design, and there are plenty of reasons why it is so popular. Open plan living creates a feeling of space, enhances natural light, and most importantly, creates a social environment that brings the whole family together.

The beauty of open plan living is the flexibility it provides. Most open plan areas combine the kitchen, meals and family rooms into one versatile space, giving you endless possibilities for family time and entertaining.

While the flexibility of open plan living has many benefits, it is important to still define each area to ensure the traffic flow is right throughout the space. Open plan living design ideas like furniture, artwork and strategically placed rugs can all help to define the space.

When it comes to open plan living design ideas, the furniture you choose and how you arrange it is arguably the most important thing. With no walls to separate the spaces, you’ll need to do some clever planning and be creative with your furniture pieces. If you want to create a dedicated living room 'zone', consider an L-shaped couch or perhaps two couches set up on right angles, to clearly define the living space. That way, you are close to the action but still have a dedicated place to unwind.

If you have the same flooring throughout your home, open plan living design ideas like rugs are a great idea. A cleverly positioned feature rug is a fantastic way to zone the various areas and add interest to the space.

Side tables, lamps and artwork are some other important open plan living design ideas that you may want to incorporate. Again, these can help to define the various spaces, while allowing you to add a creative element and express your individual style. They can also be switched out relatively inexpensively as interior design trends change.

Check out our collection of open plan living ideas to see how you can create the perfect open plan living area for your new family home.