Open plan living
There seems to be no shortage of design solutions for small spaces, but decorating a large, open plan living space is just as challenging. Many open-plan living spaces need to serve more than one purpose - open plan kitchens often need to work with a living room and dining room. House & Garden Creative Director (Interiors) Gabby Deeming considers how to achieve this while creating a harmonious, well-planned interior.
Choose sofas carefully: different scales and shapes - armless or high sided, L-shapes or straight ones - affect the visual flow of the space in different ways.
When floor space is limited, carefully planned wall and ceiling lights are a smart idea. Bear in mind that the decoration in one area will set the tone for everywhere else, so choose a harmonious scheme.
Don't be afraid to use just one type of flooring throughout. Gone are the days when cooking and living areas in a shared space were divided with an awkward strip of linoleum in the kitchen giving way to carpet as it merged with the sitting area. If flooring needs to be practical, use wood or stone, and add rugs for comfort in the living areas.
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Richard Powers1/15In this Tuscan farmhouse, an archway connects the kitchen to this open-plan sequence of living spaces, which was partly designed around a vintage French pharmacy cabinet bought at a flea market in Paris. The metal ‘Hanging Atomic Lamp’ in the dining area was created by Atelier Van Lieshout in Rotterdam. The photograph on the left was taken by Elger Esser. At the far end of the room, sofas by Axel Vervoordt and wooden armchairs from LeStudio Gallery in Paris create an informal seating area.
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Simon Brown2/15Edo Mapelli Mozzi, Princess Beatrice's fiancé, created his bachelor pad out of one room of a Victorian house. Crittall windows and doors separate the kitchen from the sitting area, while allowing light through. The upstairs mezzanine level houses his bookshelves and bed.
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Michael Sinclair3/15This converted Queen's Park factory has 10-metre-high ceiling so the conversion was an exercise in separating one enormous area into meaningful spaces for everyone to occupy. Maddux Creative, who were employed to create a liveable house, say 'Despite its dramatic proportions, the central zone was not being used, so we moved the dining table to under the skylight to make the most of the double-height space. We installed bespoke metal-and-glass screens, making the sitting room more intimate and creating a study area at the opposite end. Upstairs, the exposed mezzanine was a no man's land used for storage. By adding our clients' Seventies chairs and lining the walls with bookshelves, we've created a pleasant place to sit.'
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Simon Brown4/15After spending time working abroad, Richard Parr moved his family from London to a farmhouse in the Cotswolds. The building was 'almost industrial', says Richard who wanted the house to be open and welcoming. With this in mind he transformed the kitchen and dining area into a relaxed seating area to create a large family room.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll loveOur collection of kitchen ideas
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Lucas Allen5/15Designer Veere Grenney has used natural materials and the architecture of the room to draw boundaries between the living areas of this double-height space on Long Island. The grand proportions of the space can support bold design statements, such as the large granite chimney breast and three striking pendant lights by Michael Anastassiades over the kitchen worktop.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll loveOur collection of kitchen ideas
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6/15Converted basement rooms are notoriously devoid of charm. In this London house, the space is divided into three sections, including a light-filled dining area that opens on to the garden and a cosy sitting area, where the ceiling is lower, at the front of the house. The hub of the space, a darkcoloured 'Urbo' kitchen by Roundhouse, neatly splits the two areas. Roundhouse bespoke kitchens start at £35,000
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll loveOur collection of kitchen ideas
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Alicia Taylor7/15Empty space is emphasised in this property created by architects Michaelis Boyd and designer Sarah Delaney. The L-shape kitchen and sitting room can either be open plan or divided by a discreet sliding door.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll love Our collection of kitchen ideas
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8/15In this open-plan seaside house on Cap Ferret designed by Jonathan Tuckey, the kitchen forms a central part of the action. The wooden cabinet legs make the kitchen unit feel in tune with the rest of the space.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll loveOur collection of kitchen ideas
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Richard Powers9/15A bright-red bench pops out of this monochrome scheme, creating a striking visual divide between the sitting and dining areas of this London property by decorator David Bentheim.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll love Our collection of living room ideas
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Simon Upton10/15In the library of this Tudor house, there is the luxury of enough space for a generous seating arrangement around the chimneypiece. Designer Gavin Houghton has used cosy, high-sided chesterfields to create an inviting space within the larger room.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
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Simon Upton11/15American designer Michael S Smith loves the 'volumes of space' that allow for 'sculptural compositions' in his modernist Los Angeles home. Two separate seating areas absorb floor space in the grand sitting room but, thanks to the armless sofas, one seating arrangement doesn't totally exclude the other.
Taken from the House & Garden March 2015 issue.
Love this? Then you'll love Our collection of living room ideas
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Lucas Allen12/15This open-plan bedroom designed by Suzy Hoodless and architect Johnny Holland of Hackett Holland, is the stuff of dreams. Wide-plank oak floorboards and geometric tiles create a division between the bedroom and a bathroom area with a free-standing 'Vieques' bath from Agape.
Brass strips edge the fabric-fronted wardrobe wall. Graphic curtains made with fabric from Madeline Weinrib add colour to the white walls by the bed. See the rest of the house here.
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Alexander James13/15Designed by Amanda Hornby this lower ground floor living area leads out to the garden. Carved from what was previously a maze of larders and boiler rooms, the kitchen is now a majestic size with generously proportioned furniture and space for the owners' collection of art.
A wall of pale grey painted cupboards designed by Amanda frame a French limestone chimneypiece and a sturdy conker-bright oak dining table. There is also a long, comfortable sofa at one end, where the children often can be found stretched out reading a book.
Taken from the August 2015 issue of House & Garden.
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14/15An open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room in an artist's house in the Scottish Borders has continuity thanks to wheat-yellow painted walls throughout. In the kitchen area, the paint matches the golden glow of the cat's paw burr-oak table by the owner's son, the designer Jake Phipps.
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Andreas Von Einsiedel15/15In Alice Von Baum's enchanting Goa home, the limewashed open-plan kitchen-dining area with its high ceilings is a cool and airy space - a relief from the heat - lit by a number of glass panels inserted where roof tiles have been removed. The floors throughout the space are made of polished concrete with a white marble-chip terrazzo effect, and the large, open space allows an exhibit of Alice's eclectic mix of furniture and objects, something of a guide to her life and travels - from Portobello Road and continental Europe to all over India.
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