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Lindsey Lanquist is a design expert covering the latest home trends and design tips. He has more than 6 years of experience in digital media. In addition to serving as a former senior editor at StyleCaster and a contributor to Self, her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Byrdie, Verywell, SheKnows, Nylon, and more.
Open Plan Kitchen Living Room Small Space
Open floor plans add flexibility to any home. In a traditional closed layout, rooms are separated by walls and gates. Each room has its own privacy pocket, making it easy to separate the different spaces of the house. But in an open floor plan, walls and doorways collapse, obscuring the rooms. Your kitchen can double as a dining room – and triple as a living room. And this flexibility makes it easy to multitask.
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“The open concept allows for seamless entertaining – pour a glass of wine, check out the sauce on offer and prepare appetizers while… mingling with family or guests.” Deborah Costa, interior designer and co-founder of Design Alkímia, says. Open concept floor plans form the heart of the home, bringing together the cooking and relaxing areas.
Inviting you to multitask, open floor plans make life easier. But decorating them can be a challenge. With no walls to guide you, how do you arrange your furniture? And how the hell do you decide which rooms to combine?
“When decorating an open floor plan, planning is the first and most important step,” says Jenna Schumacher, lead designer at Insert Design. “Without ‘rooms’ defining use, you must develop a coordinated urban plan that maximizes function, balances the scale of parts, and celebrates interconnectedness.
This may seem like a tall order. But the right inspiration can make it a lot easier. To help you create your open floor plan with care and ease, we asked six interior designers to share their best open floor plan ideas.
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When arranging an open floor plan, it is difficult to decide which room to combine. A popular option? Match your kitchen with your living room. “The kitchen is the epicenter of the home,” says Costa. “People don’t commit to cooking anymore. They want to be in tune with what’s going on in the living room.”
In addition, a larger reception area means a less crowded kitchen. “A family room or living area open to the kitchen gives you room to expand,” says Emily Davis, principal designer at Emily Davis Interiors.
Set the scene in your open concept home by opening up the entryway. “Having an entry in the dining room and living room gives the house an immediate flow,” says Davis.
Without walls, how can you define where one space ends and another begins? Easily. “Use rugs to create different zones in the space,” says Catherine Staples, founding designer of Aspen & Ivy.
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And Kristine Renee, interior designer and co-founder of Design Alchemy, agrees: “A rug under the coffee table in the common room—or under the table in the dining room—delimits certain areas well.”
The best thing about open floor plans is that you can adapt them to your needs. So if you’ve been working from the kitchen or dining room, treat yourself to a formal work space.
“Increasingly, we’re incorporating computing areas into open alcoves right off the kitchen,” says Renee. “These spaces are great spaces for adults to access their computers or for kids to do homework without cluttering kitchen counters or dining tables.”
A smooth way to separate two spaces in an open floor plan? Grab the separator. Get something that’s pretty enough to use as decor, and if you want the spaces to flow together, you can choose a room divider that’s short enough to see—or slatted enough to be seen.
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Statement ceilings are not only a fun way to decorate a space, they are also great for dividing spaces within an open floor plan. “Coffered ceilings can add a bit of separation to spaces, defining them without breaking up the structures of the rooms,” says Staples.
By lining the dining room ceiling with wooden beams and leaving the kitchen ceiling bare, you can make the spaces separate even if they are connected.
Update your living room by expanding it into a playroom, playroom or other entertaining space. “We like to combine a family room with comfortable seating and enclosed storage for toys and games,” says Erin Coren, senior designer at Curated Nest.
If you want to make the room more private without completely closing it off, use storage furniture to get the job done. “Closed storage solutions like sideboards and drawers can break up areas in an open floor plan,” says Coren.
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Why limit yourself to just one sitting area? The open floor plan allows for multiple lounge spaces – giving diners ample space to mix and mingle.
“Leave the formal living space and make the conversation the center of the room,” says Kosta. “Think of the space as a lounge or hotel lobby and create different moments and opportunities for gathering.”
Think of the space as a hotel lounge or lobby and create different gathering moments and opportunities.
Combining the kitchen with the living room is a popular choice, but pairing the dining room with the living room is another great option.
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“We love the flow of the living room and dining room,” says Coren. “We opened up the walls of the living room to the dining areas because it allows for a smoother flow of traffic—one where drinks lead to dinner.”
Stairs are your friend in any open plan. Why? Different levels make it easy to divide spaces into smaller corners, while you can enjoy the flexibility of an interior without walls.
Want to capture the privacy of a closed floor plan – without putting up walls? Take advantage of boxy openings such as open doors and arches.
“A trellis opening can do wonders for visually dividing spaces,” says Davis. “Wider case openings allow for a sense of connection without
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When developing an open floor plan, remember that you are responsible for the rooms in your home. So if you want a kitchen and a bar in your home, make room for both. “Our clients love having a dedicated beverage area in their open concept,” says Costa.
If a home bar isn’t your thing, make room for everything. Add a wine room for wine lovers or a library nook in the family room for book lovers, suggests Staples.
Lighting can be a great way to create flow and separation in an open floor plan. The key is to vary the lighting from corner to corner while keeping the entire layout consistent.
“Make sure the lighting you choose works together but has its own identity,” says Coren. “This allows for a nice aesthetic flow while each piece has its moment.”
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A classic way to arrange an open plan? Combine three rooms into one. “Our clients like to combine the common living room, dining room and kitchen to allow for a smooth flow of daily activities,” says Renee.
By placing the kitchen, dining room and living room in one place, you can seamlessly create a home – you will never be left behind.
If your staircase is not placed in a corner, it is probably in a good position to serve as a border in the space. Take advantage of your stairs and treat them as a partial wall. Use it to segment different spaces in a floor plan without separating them completely.
A designer-approved way to create separation in a combined kitchen and living room? Slide it into the closet. “To break up the long row of sofa supports, we placed sideboards behind the sofa,” says Coren. “It breaks up the visual field, adds interest and texture, and increases storage space.”
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No home is complete without food, and if you don’t want to dedicate an entire room to the dining table, at least leave room in your kitchen. “Entertaining is no longer formal, so some people choose not to have a formal dining room in their home,” says Staples. “It allows for more communication when preparing meals and social meals.”
An understated way to separate different spaces in an open floor plan? Decorate their village differently. “Visual separation can be achieved with a different paint color or a different wall treatment,” says Staples.
Paint different areas different colors, line them with different materials, or cover one with wallpaper while leaving the other bare.
Placing sofas next to each other does not make sense in every home. But it’s a great way to encourage relaxation in an open space. Facing a sofa in the kitchen and a sofa in the living room, you can leave room for conversations before and after dinner.