An easy way to follow the trend for open-plan living is to take out a wall; you know what they say about hopes and stacking up bricks. The balance of light, flow, and zoning is what makes an open-plan layout work on a day-to-day basis.
Start with the light
Before thinking about furniture placement, try out natural light trajectories in your space for location and directional flow of movement throughout the day. Rooflights, glazed doors, and windows in the right places can draw light further into your design. Also, think about glare – a glassy south-facing wall might need shading to keep the room comfortable in summer.
Design the flow
A great open plan room will always have clear pathways through it. You should not have to dodge the dining chairs to access the garden or plow through the cooking zone for stairs. Follow the desired lines – paths people use informally, and do what you can to keep them open. For advice from Residential Architects Kensington, visit www.rbddesign.com/architects-design/architects-kensington-and-chelsea-rbkc/
Define separate areas without walls
Zoning prevents open-plan living from merging into one large, undefined space. Create separation with furniture placement (using the back of a sofa as a barrier, for example). Changes in flooring can also act as partitions.
Ceiling features or lighting
For carefully planned compartmentalisation, nothing can beat a kitchen island to divide the cookspace from where everyone loves to hang out.
Don’t forget the practical bits
If space allows, think about squeezing in a built-in storage wall for accommodating shoes, or even go big and incorporate enough sockets to use plugin bench tops. Flooring not forgotten, echo can be controlled by the addition of soft furnishings and rugs throughout to reduce reverb.
If well thought out, open-plan living needn’t be chaotic.