Open Concept Living

Open Concept Living
Spacious and airy open floor plans are becoming more and more popular – and we can  see why. This arrangement lets light flow freely through the home and merges separate  living spaces together to create flexibility of function. Typically, an open concept floor  plan is reserved for the kitchen, living room, and dining room to create a feeling of more  space, making it ideal for entertainers. While we love this style, it isn’t without its fair share of challenges. 

Define Separate Spaces With Rugs
This may sound contrary to the fundamental essence of an open concept space, but  stick with us. Having all your rooms adjoined is amazing, but you also want to establish  your living room and dining room as their own spaces. Adding an area rug under your  dining room table and in your living room not only adds texture, warmth, and colour, it  also creates visual separation. 

Pick a Cohesive Design Style
Creating a flow between your living room and dining room doesn’t just stop at knocking  down walls, you also need to create flow with your design. While you don’t have to be  super matchy-matchy with your furniture choices, everything should feel like it goes  together. An easy way to keep things cohesive is to incorporate similar textures and materials throughout your home, and stick to a similar colour palette or accent colour. It  also helps if you have a good idea of what design style you’re attracted to. A minimalist  dining room paired with a ​maximalist​ living room will feel disjointed and off-balance –  instead, choose the same design style for the entire open concept space, or mix two  design styles than complement, rather than compete with, each other. 

Pick a Low Profile Sofa, and Use it to Divide the Rooms
A lot of people rocking an open floor plan have the urge to push all their furniture up  against the walls to keep their home feeling as open as possible – but often times this  can end up feeling like one big empty space, sort of like a warehouse. Instead, we  recommend using your sofa as a divider between your living room and dining room. It  also acts as an anchor for your other furniture, and creates a clear focal point in your  space.

Keep it Uncluttered
Because there are no walls in an open concept living space, you can see everything –  yes, ​everything.

That means that any clutter in your home will be visible from the second you walk in the front door, so keeping tidy is a must. Cabinets and sideboards are great choices because their doors let you be a little messier in your storage than open shelves do, and being organized 100% of the time isn’t realistic. And of course, choosing furniture that doubles as storage doesn’t hurt either.