It’s easy to see why so many homeowners choose to purchase or remodel homes with open floor plans. An open floor plan makes your space feel modern, airy, and relaxing. It works well to make a small space feel larger and make a home inviting and easy to entertain in.
But with undefined spaces and a view throughout the area, homeowners can run into issues in design. Here are some of the top mistakes that homeowners make with their open floor plans, and how you can avoid them in your home.
The first thing you should do when looking at architectural blueprints for an open floor plan is to envision how many zones you need and where they should be. That means your kitchen, eating area, space to relax, and even entryway should all feel like separate spaces – even though you can see them all from the front door. Identify zones with furniture placement, rugs, and even pendant lights that hang down from the ceiling over your space.
The point of an open floor plan is to feel light and streamlined. And an essential aspect of flow is the flooring. While you might think that using wood in one area and tile in another will help you create different zones, it breaks up your space visually too much. Many beautiful open concept designs use hardwood throughout the entire space. But if you don’t feel comfortable with hardwood in the kitchen, have pets that will scratch it up, or are looking for something with less maintenance, Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) is a great option. This durable material has the look of hardwood and comes in modern colors to complement your open floor plan.
A traditional kitchen, contemporary entryway, and cozy family room may work in a house where walls separate all of those styles. But in an open floor plan, the style needs to be cohesive. But cohesive doesn’t mean matching exactly. Choose items of the same aesthetic, in similar shapes or different shades of the same color, for each of your zones.
You don’t want to design an open space just to fill it to the brim with an oversized sectional, massive dining table, and heavy floor lamps all over the place. While well-placed furniture can help you zone your spaces, large pieces will dominate the layout. So, your open space will suddenly feel cramped and small, the opposite of what you set out to do.
Lighting is the most important part of any design when your goal is to make a space feel open, spacious, and bright. But that doesn’t mean that you should simply install recessed lighting all over the space. Lighting helps you delineate zones. For example, pendant lights over the dining table and kitchen island, and outlets for floor or table lamps built into the floor, are things you should think about in your design.
Whether you’ve just started thinking about a major redesign or already have the architectural plans and need someone to execute them, the remodeling experts at Brothers can help. Our experienced consultants, professional designers, and master tradespeople will help you transform your space into the open concept plan you’re dreaming about. Schedule a consultation today.