Open plan design mistakes to avoid for your modern living room

Home Renovation

Dec 20, 2021

Open plan modern living room design - Beautiful Homes

Designing an open plan space can be tricky. Here are some common mistakes to avoid in your open plan living room

The modern interior design style has been making a come-back recently. Modern interior design living rooms are, especially in vogue. People are opting for modern living room ideas in an open-plan space, be it just the socialising area or the entire living quarters.

An open kitchen design with a living room is an excellent modern living room idea. In apartments with limited natural light, doing away with fixed internal walls to create an open concept living room interior design makes sense! It provides a brighter and airier space and makes socialising when hosting easier. In a small house interior design, an open concept kitchen and living room is a great option as well.

The challenge in designing and decorating an open kitchen design with living room is to balance visual fluidity and delineation of areas right. Like any other interior design ideas for the living room an open-concept space requires a lot of thought and research when planning the design.

We have compiled a list of common mistakes people tend to make when designing an open kitchen living room. Read on to find out common design faux pas vis a vis open plan living room design. We've also provided ways to avoid them when designing your dream open plan layout.

Avoid these Open Plan Modern Living Room Design Mistakes

1. Lack of Zoning/ Delineation:

Without actual walls separating the various areas in the open plan living room interior design, it can be tricky to delineate the different functional zones. The kitchen, the eating area and the relaxation zones should be visually distinct. Without zoning in an open kitchen living room, you might not be able to get full use of the space. The lack of zoning is apparent in an open plan living room design when there are no focal points or visual anchors for each zone.

Solution: Each zone in an open plan living room design requires an anchor. An area rug and floor or table lamps beside the sofa willd define the conversation area in a modern living room design.

Open plan modern living room & kitchen design - Beautiful Homes

A kitchen island will separate the cooking area from the rest of the space without affecting the flow. An accent wall by the kitchen or an accent backsplash will achieve the same effect. Anchor the dining area with a rug and a pendant light.

Spacious & split open kitchen & modern living room design - Beautiful Homes

2. Using a Variety of Styles:

It is crucial to have defined zones in an open concept design for the hall to avoid a hotchpotch of furniture layout. Using one too many design styles to decorate the space is not the way to achieve it. Doing so would break the visual continuity integral to any open plan designs— leaving the room to feel cluttered and claustrophobic.

Solution: Visual coherence is the solution to maintain the flow. Either pick one design style for the entire space or complementary ones—for example, a combination of

3. Restrictive Layouts:

The lack of wall space in an open concept design makes getting the layout right tricky. Often, in a small house open concept kitchen and living room, people forget to consider the movement of foot traffic in the space. The movement to and from the entire area and within should be hindrance free. An open-plan room will not follow the same designing or decorating principles as a sequestered room. For example, pushing all the furniture against the wall is not an option in open plans, like other interior design ideas for living rooms. This is because the space might not be rectangular or square.

Solution: Utilise floor plans to avoid restrictive layouts. On the floor plan of the room, mark where all the fixed elements would go— for example, the TV unit, the kitchen counters, etc. This will determine the placement and orientation of the remaining furniture. When installing the furniture, ensure there is enough room between pieces for people to move around. A general rule of thumb is to leave a minimum of 3 feet distance between furniture. Make sure that the directly connected areas like the kitchen and the dining area are without hindrances.

4. Using Different Flooring:

Living room ideas with different flooring in an open plan room breaks the room's visual flow. The point of open conc ept designs is to make the space feel expansive. To that end, different flooring is counterproductive.

Solution: Choose a uniform flooring option throughout the room. Directional flooring such as planks, chevron patterns, etc., are recommended for open concept living room interior since they enhance the room's dimensions. Use rugs to distinguish different areas in the room.

Open plan kitchen & living room with different flooring - Beautiful Homes

5. Poor Lighting:

Lighting can make or break an open plan living room interior. The lighting in the room needs to be planned well in advance since the lighting, and the furniture layout would go hand in hand. You cannot rely on a single source or type of lighting for an open-plan space.

Solution: Consider the lighting in layers for a modern living room. First, think of all the sources of natural light. Generally, the conversation and relaxation areas would be closer to the source of natural light. Then consider the ambient lighting in the room—it would be the same all over. Flush mount and recessed lighting are some of the options to choose from. Pick spotlights if you have specific nooks or art that you want to highlight. To set the mood and add accents, use table lamps, floor lamps, pendant lights, etc. Plan in advance to make sure you have all the electric fixtures, outlets and connections in place. You do not want the hazard of exposed wires.

6. Disproportionate Furniture Size:

The size of the furniture should be in proportion to the dimensions of the room. Large or bulky furniture can obstruct movement around the room and make it appear crowded. But if the furniture is too small, the space may appear sparse.

Solution: To get the proportions of the furniture right, you first need to understand the floor plan and the room's dimensions. Second, designate areas on the floor plans and sketch out the furniture placement. When choosing furniture, check for its dimensions to make sure that it will fit the allocated space in the room. Basically, getting the measurements right is the key here.

Most modern living room ideas use sleek, low lying furniture with exposed bottoms. Such furniture is visually light and can enhance the openness in an open plan modern interior design living room.

Minimalistic open plan modern living room & kitchen design - Beautiful Homes

7. Functionality Takes a Back Seat:

Functionality should be at the forefront in any living room ideas. If all your needs aren't met, the design has failed.

Solution: When you finalise the floor plan, ensure that you've thought of the primary function of each zone, there's adequate storage in each space, you've considered how you're going to move around the area and so on. Choose multifunctional furniture. Opt for an open bookshelf to separate zones as well as to maintain the room's openness.

A simple living room idea to increase storage is to select benches, sofas, coffee tables, and ottomans that can all double up as storage.

If you are new to this whole interior design concept, here is a beginner's guide to get you started.

Beautiful Homes provides a massive range of services and products to help you create a personalised modern living room. You may select all the essentials you need for simple living room ideas from our shop.

With our expert Interior Design Services, professionals will provide interior design ideas for the living room to help you design an open concept space. They will ensure that the space best suits your style and needs. Specific and specialised services comprise Quick Home Makeover services, Safe Painting Services, Colour Consultancy Services Online, Wood Solutions and Design Wall Makeover.

Visit our website to check various options offered and projects executed by us so far. If you wish, you can book your 3D consultation call to understand the project's process, design, and execution or walk into any of our stores across India.

Our current home décor stores are spread across Amritsar, Tumakuru, Raipur, Jaipur, New Delhi, Kochi, Karur, Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Nashik. In addition, we are in the process of opening up state-of-the-art stores across several cities.

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Open plan design mistakes to avoid for your modern living room