Open planned homes have been increasingly popular in recent years and it seems that space is something that makes the home a more attractive, more liveable and more peaceful place. Whether you are living in a home, or are looking to sell; the more space your house has, the more attractive it is to live in and easier it is to sell.
There are numerous benefits and also some downsides associated with living in an open plan home – so, let’s take a look at the ups and downs of open plan living.
Relations
One of the things open planning certainly does do is ensure we spend more time together. This can be very beneficial for relationships and instead of hiding away means we must spend time together in each other’s company. People may be engaging in different actions, but they will still have to spend time together within proximity of each other and this can be great for families.
Clarity
The clarity of where different areas are is important and you want to create some impression of order on the home. This can be one of the difficulties of an open plan area and if you can create this sort of feel you will be successful at an open plan space. Use different furniture and different flooring to try and indicate where each space is. For instance carpeted areas tend to indicate living areas, whereas hard flooring is more idyllic for a kitchen. Texture can also be a great asset here and having similar textures in one area and different ones that are similar in another area can really help here.
Do take the traffic flow into account as this can be a great way of determining what should go beside other items and what works well together. You want to harmonise the whole area and having poor traffic flow can cause significant problems.
Kitchens
Kitchen islands can also be a great way to both provide storage and also create segmentation in the kitchen. This gives the kitchen its own separate area without the need for walls. It can also be the perfect way of replacing the cupboard space you may be lacking without the need for tool hire in Norwich or wherever you are near.
Furniture also makes the difference here too. A kitchen table is always going to indicate an eating space, whereas arranging sofas together can be used to box this area off from other parts of the home.
Noise
Of course, there can be issues with noise in an open plan space and this is one of the more notable. Keeping certain areas separate is still a must and bedrooms and studies should be closed off from the open plan area, otherwise there is often too much distraction.
Open plan living is exciting, fun and very practical and something that can greatly add to the sense of feeling, openness and also the worth of your home.
Cormac Reynolds writes for Best at Hire and has written for a range of DIY blogs and websites, as well as interior design sites across the web.
