Zoning Open Plan Spaces

Zoning Open Plan Spaces

Open plan spaces are a great idea, no matter who you are. In family homes they allow parents to keep an eye on the children while they cook in the kitchen, in homes where entertaining is important they allow anyone in the kitchen to socialise with guests, rather than being shut away, and in small homes they make the most of a limited floorplan, where corridors would mean a waste of space.

However, on the downside, they can feel a little stark and cold, lacking in warmth. The key to making these kinds of spaces cosy and intimate is to zoning them into separate areas (as opposed to rooms) — also known as ‘blended spaces’.

Create Divides

Using furniture as a way of carving up open spaces is a great idea. In open plan kitchen/dining rooms, a dining table will serve to visually separate the cooking and eating areas.

In living rooms, which need to act as both relaxing spaces as well as playrooms or perhaps home offices, it is vital to choose and position furniture carefully to keep each space separate.

A coffee table placed in the centre of a group of sofas marks an area out as somewhere to relax, whilst a well-placed console table on one wall can double up as a desk whilst not looking out of place dressed with decorative accessories. A stylish entertainment unit or TV stand is vital in keeping any associated clutter to a minimum — if there is one thing open plan spaces do not handle well, it is clutter.

Using shelving units as a divide is also an effective way of breaking up spaces, providing storage, as well as acting as a moveable ‘wall’.

Use Colour

Changing the colours you use from one space to another will visually mark spaces out as independent from one another.

A pale shade in the kitchen and a warmer, cosier shade in the dining area, for example, works well. In living rooms too, use relaxing shades such as deep blues, smoky greys, pale greens and warm whites in the seating areas, with crisper colours, such as bright white, light grey or zingy, vibrant shades in play or entertainment areas.

Use pattern and bold shades in areas marked out for entertaining or in playroom spaces — take a look at the coffee tables and console tables, as well as the TV stands, from Zespoke, which come in a range of eye-catching patterns and colours perfect for livening up otherwise neutral spaces.

Step Change

Changes in ceiling and floor levels can add intimacy in otherwise open spaces that appear to stretch on a little too long. A step down to a living area will make it obviously a separate space from a dining zone, but will not shut it off completely. A higher ceiling in a hallway or kitchen will make for a striking impression and a feeling of airiness.

Light it Well

Use lighting to set spaces apart from one another. Brighter task lighting, such as recessed spots and pendants are ideal for areas where practical jobs need to take place, such as in the kitchen, whilst table and floor lamps and hidden LED mood lighting will make spaces seem welcoming, homely and relaxing.