The new standard in home design requires open floor plans in the living room, which allow for uninterrupted flow of air and lots of space to be arranged between the zones according to the buyer’s needs and taste. The advantages of the open space layout are many – the rooms are expandable, being great for the modern families, where all the members are doing several tasks at once. Naturally, the open layout is quite a challenge to be furnished and decorated.
Differentiate the various zones
Decorating the open layouts is usually an issue but it can help differentiate the special zones in the living room – kitchenette area, breakfast and bar zone, dining area, lounge zone. This can be done with pieces of furniture, with carpets and rugs, with special lighting or color schemes that define the space.
Keep the open space clean
The open space in the living room should be tidy and pleasant to the eye. This can be done with built-in storages, with special and easy to move shelves, with special bookcases. A large and comfortable sofa is also required. In fact, a sofa-bed is even better.
Do not block the sight Lines
The sight lines are very important in the living room. These are the things that you can see from various places that you stay at within the room. If blocked, the sight lines make the premise look smaller and this should not happen. All the zones should be well and logically connected and not cut off from the rest.
Eliminate the zones that waste space
Those areas that just waste the space of your home should be eliminated. These might be hallways, niches that cannot be used or other passageways between the living room areas. At the same time the special zones like the kitchen should be entered from two places at least.
Privacy zones
The open layouts in the living room do not eliminate the existence of privacy zones. In the living room that may be a special arm-chair next to the window that is totally different from the rest of the furniture, or it might be a quiet reading corner with a small bookcase and a lamp.
Togetherness zones
The living room needs its zone for games and for watching television together. This zone is as important for the children, as it is for their parents. It could be centered around the fireplace, if there is one.
Placing a bookcase as a separator
A bookcase or a glass door that is strategically placed can also act as a separator between the various zones in the open plan living room.
