Open Plan Home Example and Decoration Ideas

Open plan is the concept in which the common social living areas are not divided by walls. Although the open plan houses are useful for every family or individual it provides a lifestyle which is preferred by those who like to be unique and flexible.

When investigating the architectural plans of the today's houses you can see that the living and dining area are on one side and kitchen, resting and bed areas are on the other side.

But fitting all the living activities in one plan makes more social. The biggest disadvantage of the walls is that they divide the light. If the house we are in right now was a house divided by the walls It would be house where the sunlight is recieved less. This disadvantage can be removed in the open plan houses. Not having walls makes the house perceived more spacious and makes it possible to benefit from the sunlight more. The sunlight coming from all the windows can be diffused throughout the entire house.

The house which has an open plan can include the kitchen, dining room, living room and bed room in just one plan. No division is present between these areas.

What makes these areas look merged is not only having no walls, but also the grey color used in most parts of the house.

Not being divided by any material gives it a very different integrity. For example, the ceramic used on the floor is the same in the house generally. There is no division in the kitchen. The less diversity of the colors used, the more integrity which the space has. In undivided spaces, usually the similar materials are used. The grey color used in the dining room is also used in the living and in the lounge. For example, if red color or a different material was used in the dining table and chairs these would act as a dividing pieces for the space. We could call it "red division".

And thus, spaces are defined not by the colors and materials but the furniture located by the house owner. The outstanding red color used to break the dullness adds an extra beauty.

Breaking all the inner walls is the main rule of the open plan.

But before doing so, you should learn which walls you can break by examining the technical plans of the building. Otherwise, removing one of the bearing walls of the building may lead a very dangerous situation. At this point, I suggest you seek for help from an architect or a civil engineer. And also you should take into account that you need the wall divisions in which radiator, electric and water systems will be placed.

Narrow Spaces

Since the living areas expand towards kitchens nowadays, now we can have wider dining areas. By removing the walls between the living room, kitchen and dining room, and using monolithic ground you can create one intertwined space. However, this should be the question you need to ask yourself in such planning: Does your entry door opening the living area directly make you uncomfortable? In this house, the entry door opens to not only the living area but almost all the parts of the house. Because, out of the ordinary, not just the kitchen and dining area, but also the all the areas in the house are in the open plan.

Storage Options

In the open plan living areas, you may not be able to find a lot of space for storing. Therefore, do not forget to leave enough space for storage when planning. Or plan it first how to organize your wardrobes and shelves. In fact, the best areas for this are alcoves and idle corners. It is best to use these areas for storage.

You can use open shelves which act as a seperator for both division and storage area in the open plan.

It will serve as a decorative and functional solution. The biggest disadvantage of the open plan is that it does not have any space for privacy. But this can be minimized with smart solutions. For instance the folding doors or sliding window panels which let the sunlight go through are flexible solutions.

In open plan houses generally have the bedroom with the bathroom in it. But since the this house is out of the ordinary, the bedroom is integrated with all the other spaces. As a suggestion, open plan implementation in the bedroom, can be done between resting, studying and bathroom areas. Depending on your bathroom habits, you can create a wide or small shower area.

Points to consider in the open plan living area

1. Plan and decorate well the areas to spare for every activity.

2. For the room and balcony doors prefer sliding doors which can be wide open or folding door systems instead of doors with locks.

3. Examine the air circulation in the space. Especially in the open plan, smell of cooking should be cleared.

Don't do these

Do not remove the wall between two long rooms completely.

Otherwise, the area may look like a corridor.

Do not create a unnecessarily wide bedroom by merging two bedrooms.

Today, I tried to give you ideas about the open plan living areas which have become prominent lately.

I mentioned about their pros and cons; but of course the choice is yours.

See you in next video, take care!