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Opening up two living spaces

6 years ago

My husband and I purchased our split level home 2 years ago with the intent of opening up one wall that separates two living areas (it's one of those walls with 2 window cutouts). We know it's load bearing and are all good there.
My question is how do I decorate once we have this very large open area? There's a fireplace in the corner which I think will have to remain the focal point. I'm also wondering if we should remove the other wall that separates the kitchen from the front living space, which means we'll lose our built in desk and built in hutch in the dining room (please pardon the mess...we're in transitional phase from another project)

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Comments (5)

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JAN MOYER
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Nobody can help you from photos alone. Take some graph paper, scale out the existing space WITH walls, and note the ones you would like removed. All dimensions included, meaning all walls. doors, windows, and dimensions .

" How to decorate" begins with a plan, not a sledgehammer.
PRO
Jake Spurgeon, AKBD
6 years ago
Furniture arrangements are the best way to separate and designate the different spaces in an open floor plan. Seating groups/arrangements.
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I would suggest painting the wall, but I suspect with your split levels that it would be a mammoth job, so let's not be unrealistic! Staying with practicality, the lounge is near the kitchen, so it's going to need to stand up to some rough love from the kids (and dog?). Colour wise a lot of coastal/beachhead themes have pale lounges then incorporate the navy/yellow or Aqua/coral touches. That said you could still make those colour schemes work with navy if you don't want to get a new lounge. I'm thinking table in the corner, with a lamp, funky cushions and new vibrant artwork, maybe an ottoman or a couple of small ottomans pushed together. What colours do you like?
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Erin, can you please clarify where your access to backyard/outdoor space is located? It appears to be stacker doors on wall between dining and couch. Is that correct? I would retain a 2nd living area for playroom/future media room but with a clear view/line of sight from the kitchen through this room to the outdoors; otherwise, I think you would feel this 2nd space was an obstruction. Siriuskey's pic beautifully demonstrates how this could be achieved with lots of glass. It could also work with double cavity glass doors on both interior walls of the playroom/media room. Just keep in mind that if in future you want to use it as a theatre room, some sound dampening might be in order. You could have double drywall installed on the interior walls, and carpet the floor of this room - as these will help to dampen noise.
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Looking at the design suggested above I have a couple of concerns with the kitchen and bathroom. Both look cramped. I suggest removing the separate shower in the bathroom and moving up the vanity and toilet. A shower over the bath is not ideal, but will give you more space, which I suspect may be essential in a bathroom with no windows. I would also suggest a skylight or solar tube to bring in natural light. This could change the whole feel of the room. With regards to the kitchen, I would lose the end cabinets as they will be awkward to use and I firmly believe that corner cabinets are a blight in any kitchen. A galley kitchen would be easier to use. Also, maybe move the sink and dishwasher to the other wall and reduce the depth of the bench along the wall with the family room, to give more space between the cabinetry. I know this will leave you with less cabinet space in the kitchen, but if you keep benchtop to a minimum on the wall with the stove and sink, you may be able to fit in enough wall cabinets to compensate, especially as you will be taking them to the end wall. Also, a nice buffet/hutch in the new dining space could provide overflow space for little used items as well as crockery and cutlery. I would suggest drawers below bench height instead of cabinets. They are much easier to access and hold more than cabinets.
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Have you considered taking away the cavity door beside the stairs and open a section of the wall opposite the stairs to create a 2 way open ended shelving with some down light for displaying purposes? A series of full height vertical blade screening beside the shelving can then help add visual depth in the living room and still define the living room. It will also help frame the tv cabinetry with the existing nib wall on the other side. You will have minimal issues with reducing structural integrity of a potential load bearing wall. The existing fireplace is too nice to remove or make alterations to as it nicely divides dining with the living room.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago
I agree a detailed floor plan is the best start.
Judy Mishkin
6 years ago
a detailed floor plan is the ONLY start.

or you'll be the poster with the photo of a fridge standing in the living room saying "my husband just took down this wall, where should we put the fridge now?"
Maria Privat
6 years ago
Are you sure about opening everyhing up? Because growing children will want attention all the time and will disturb willingly and unwillingly all the time. Cute, but a handful.

We have had two rooms made into one, but with sliding glass doors in it, so you would be less disturbed by them and their friends and still could watch them. Might that work for you too?

Even then we had a separate media room, where they loved to play with their friends and be able to leave more of their stuff laying around and watch programs and films over and over again, that no adult wishes to see even once.

It gave our family the closeness we wanted, combined with the rest that we needed.

Knocking the wall out to the kitchen will steal your sort of private work area there too. Loving your kids can also mean, taking measurements they do not become an annoyance. So I would at least leave that little bit of wall where the workspace is intact.

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