Open floor plans are very popular in Thailand for both traditional homes and modern condos. Many condos in Bangkok especially have been designed with open floor plans because as the city is rapidly growing, space is becoming more and more of a commodity.
Having an open floor plan means that the majority of your communal space, such as the living room, dining room and kitchen, are all contained within the same room. There are definitely many benefits to having an open floor plan, such as a feeling of connectivity, more natural light and overall more usable space. On the other hand, an open floor plan does present some visual challenges. It’s important to keep in mind the big picture when selecting decorative items for your open floor-plan; otherwise your home could end up looking more like a warehouse than a comfortable living space.
These five tips should help you transform your open-floor plan into a place you’ll love coming home to.
Decide upon a focal point
Most floor plans have separate rooms, each that serve a specific purpose, which makes it easy to determine what the focal point should be. In the dining room, it’s the table. In the living room, it’s usually the comfy furniture. In an open floor plan, the focal point is not so obvious.
To select the focal point, walk through the front door and see where your eyes tend to fall first. Is it the corner with the most sunlight? Is it the large wall straight across? Perhaps the large windows to the left? Wherever it may be, put a little extra care and attention and make it special. If the dining table is there, invest in a beautiful and tall centerpiece. If the living room furniture is there, add some fancy throw pillows or a plush rug around it. If it’s windows, frame it with a padded bench and elaborate curtains.
Decide where to keep the clutter
While it’s important to focus on what you want to stand out the most, it’s equally important to focus on what you want to fade into the background. Clutter stands out in open floor plans because you can see it at every angle. Make sure you have a space for everything, and work as many closed cabinets and drawers into the plan as possible.
Get creative with separating spaces
While the space may be open, it will seem much more cohesive if it is separated into distinct areas. Because you don’t have walls to distinguish the living room from the dining room, you will need to get creative when you separate one from the other. You can however use texture and color, such as carpeting the living space but leaving the wood floor exposed in the dining area. Hanging a prominent light fixture such as a chandelier from the ceiling will also help your eye naturally separate one space from another. Accent walls, or even accent –sections-of-walls can be used as well.
Focus on light
As mentioned above, one of the greatest benefits for having an open floor plan is the flow of natural light. You want this light to be present in the evening as well, so make sure your design incorporates abundant light sources. Forget ceiling lights as they will not have much wall space to bounce off of. Instead, place wall scones and tall lamps or low-hanging chandeliers around the space to brighten it even during the darkest times of day.
Maintain the unity
While we have discussed ways to separate one space from the other when decorating an open floor plan, the space as a whole should still maintain a sense of unity. Pick a harmonious color palette from the beginning and stick with it religiously. Themes such as employing natural textures, particular types of wood or general atmospheric themes (such as a beach theme or country-chic) should be kept consistent throughout the entire space.
Do you have any other tips for decorating an open floor plan? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below or keep reading our other blogs about home decorating tips in Thailand.
