Open plan homes are highly sought after, as they make living spaces feel larger, allow communication between various rooms of the house, provide more room for activities and encourage family interaction.
With all that in mind, there is one arguable detriment of open plan living areas:
That they can be hard to decorate given their expansiveness and nontraditional layouts. Because they typically lack doors and contain minimal amount of wall space, open plan living rooms can pose a challenge to homeowners.
It is important to know what sort of furniture and accessories work best within this home design and pick your furnishings to suit.
The following types of furniture are what we believe to work best in open plan homes. Consider these fixtures for your open plan living areas to flesh them out and make the space feel complete.
Sectional Couches:
Solo couches can be difficult to place effectively in large, open living areas, but sectional (otherwise called modular) couches facilitate more established zones. They tend to come in either 90º angles or sometimes curved U-shaped designs, which can create clear borders in an otherwise undefined space. Different furniture companies offer different types of couches, including linen, cotton, vinyl and Leather Lounges varieties (the last of which tends to be most durable).
Rugs:
It may not be a type of furniture, per se, but we couldn’t help but add floor rugs to this list anyway. Open plan spaces without floor covering can look quite sparse, but one large rug or a few small ones can make all the difference and designate different zones throughout the room. You can use different ones for different areas depending on use (for instance, a rug in the “living” part of the room and another in the “dining” area).
Foot Stools:
These are great multipurpose additions to your open plan living room, as they can be used as foot rests or additional seats. Because they are so small, they can be moved around easily to suit the overall purpose and design of the room at any given time. If your couch is leather, we recommend choosing stools that are either leather as well, or some sort of complementary fabric like corduroy, tweed or tartan.
Coffee Tables and Side Tables:
Even if you have lots of couches or other seating options available in your large living space, it can feel lacking without any sort of centrepiece like a coffee table or complementary side tables. Tables both establish boundaries and add functionality to the space.
Media Consoles:
Most homeowners would be lost without a media console, since this is the primary source of entertainment for most families. If you are trying to decorate an open plan space, centre your furniture placement around your TV Units, which should optimally be placed against any open wall space that you have available.
Decorating an open plan living room is not easy, although it may be a bit less stressful with these suggestions in mind.
While you can mix and match your own couches, tables and other accessories to create a set, it’s much easier and more cost-effective to invest in a full, coordinated lounge suite. This will also maintain cohesion between your various living and dining zones.
As we mentioned before, most furniture companies offer sets in all sorts of styles and different materials. Whether you’re after a vinyl, linen, cotton and leather lounge suites, your local furniture provider is sure to have what you need. Contact them today to find the best suited set for you!
Do you have experience decorating an open plan living area?
If so, what tips have you got to share?