The Living House Answer Your Open Plan Room Questions

Written by Sophie Clemson

When you're designing an open plan room, there are so many things to think about, and it can become overwhelming with all of the decisions you need to make. We have a great community on our Facebook group where you can share your design dilemmas. We asked our members to share their open plan room questions so that we could answer them here on our blog. We've had so many great questions, which I have loved answering! Read on to see our members design dilemmas for their open plan rooms, it might just help you with yours.

What ideal minimum room size would you want for an open plan kitchen/dining room?

Open plan rooms do vary in size, and every room we design is completely different. Sometimes it can be as simple as knocking a wall down between an existing kitchen and dining room to open up a space, which can make for an easier open plan room renovation. If you’re starting from scratch by building or extending your home, you need to think about how you want the space to work for you. Is it important that you dedicate most of the space to the kitchen area because you love to cook and it works better for your family, or do you love to entertain and want a large living and dining space? These are all points to consider when creating an open plan room, no matter what size it is, because it usually becomes the hub of the home.

Is there a ‘better’ shape for the room to be - square/rectangle/L shaped?

I wouldn’t say there is a better shape, as it depends on how you want the room to look, and sometimes you have to work with what you have and make the most of it. Square rooms are always easier to design, whether that's a living room or an open plan space. However, it’s not just the shape that can impact an open plan room, other factors include window placement, doors, and radiators. We often see plans where too many windows or doors have been added, leaving little wall space for any furniture, which can lead to a greenhouse feel! It's important to factor in all these elements in the early stages.

Something to consider with rectangle rooms is that if they are long and narrow, getting the layout right can be more complex. You want to avoid creating a corridor effect and lining everything up against the walls. Often, a space can look much larger on the plans compared to reality. This is why planning the furniture layout in the early stages is crucial to avoiding any mistakes. L-shaped rooms can help to zone areas, if you’re going for a kitchen, dining room, or living room, it may be that you can create a dining or living room nook within the L.

I have a dilemma with my ground floor layout, unsure of what sort of layout to create for my open plan kitchen/diner or do kitchen/diner/lean to outbuilding open plan (knock through external wall and include utility etc. Any layout suggestions to make this space work?

Getting the layout right is tricky. Going through different layout options is always the first step in our design process. It’s great that you are really exploring different options and taking the time to think about them carefully, that's how you will avoid any costly mistakes.

From looking at your proposed floorplans and, of course, depending on the technical elements such as plumbing and gas, an option could be to have a bank of units on the long wall (where you have placed the fridge) and a kitchen island. This would open up the space, as the whole kitchen wouldn’t be lined up along the walls. You could place the sink or hob on the island and even have seating around the island. We recommend working with kitchen designers to see what’s possible. Take a look at Smile Kitchens, they are an online kitchen company with fabulous kitchen designs.

What do you think about paint colours on the walls?

It’s tempting to pick up the paint charts and order the tester pots before choosing anything else for the room, however, we recommend choosing your paint colours last. This is because there are so many paint colours to choose from compared to kitchens, sofas, furniture, and everything else you need in an open plan room. Once you’ve chosen everything else, it will be much easier to choose a paint colour that you know will work with the whole design.

For open plan kitchens, because they are high traffic areas, go for a scrubbable paint finish. Our favourite brands and their washable finishes are Intelligent Matt Emulsion by Little Greene, Modern Emulsion by Farrow and Ball, and Architects’ Matt by Paint and Paper Library.

What’s the best type of sofa for a small open plan kitchen and living room?

Open plan kitchens and living rooms are usually busy family and pet areas therefore, it's important that the sofa you choose is family friendly. We recommend going for a sofa that has stain resistant fabric. A few brands we recommend for family friendly sofas are The Lounge Co., Marks & Spencers, and John Lewis. Cotswolds Company is another fantastic brand to check out, as some of their sofas have the option to buy the loose covers separately, which is great if you want to freshen up your sofa over time.

If you’re looking for affordable sofa options, we recommend Dusk. They have stylish sofas at great prices. We actually visited one of their pop-up events to test out their sofas, and they were comfortable and great value. Dunelm is worth checking out too, as they have some affordable sofas that would work great in an open plan kitchen and living room.

Please can you help suggest what colour and style sofa would work in this room?

As the room is neutral, many colours would work in your open plan space. It appears that your open plan room looks out to the garden, so why not bring the outside in and introduce an earthy colour palette with greens? You could opt for a moss or olive green sofa to add warmth. Greens would work lovely with your navy island and help bring more colour into the space. Choose a sofa with legs so that you can see underneath, this will give the illusion of more space. Opt for a stain resistant fabric, as you won’t have to worry about any spillages, especially with being in the kitchen.

Once you've purchased your sofas', we recommend going for a large rug to zone the living area and make the space cosier. A washable rug would work particularly well in your open plan kitchen and living room.

We are currently building an extension and I am struggling to design our open-plan kitchen/dinner/second living room. It won't be a big one but still want to ‘separate’ the zones without filling it with lots of furniture. I would like to create a ‘calm’ space with neutral colours.

The dining table is taking up a considerable amount of space in your open plan room. If you don’t need to sit up to eight people all of the time, we recommend considering an extendable dining table, this will free up more space in the room. If the dining table is smaller, you could create a sofa area by the doors, looking out to the garden, or another option is to switch where the dining table and sofa are. There are a few ways to zone your open plan room, such as with lighting, rugs, panelling, and paint.

We always say to think about what you want to get out of the space and how it needs to work for you and your family. Would you prefer a large proportion of the room to be a dining or living area? Make a list of the most important features you want, as this will help narrow down your options.

If you’re wanting to make changes to your home, take a look at our affordable online interior design packages to give you all the help you need. Whether you’re considering a full redesign or a refresh, we can take the stress away, and give you the confidence to move forward. We can work to any budget large or small, saving you money along the way and ensuring you get the results you want and expect!

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