Decorating: How to Divide and Conquer Your Open-plan Space
Zone your favourite room in the right way and you can double its functionality, as these inspiring room dividers demonstrate
Open-plan living is here to stay, but sometimes you need to divide and rule within a large room. Whether you need to create a pause between cooking and dining zones, delineate a bedroom from a bathing area or create a calmer spot within a living room, here are 10 ways to do the job beautifully and in a sympathetic style.
Love your louvres
This smart piece of cabinetry combines under-stairs storage with wooden louvres for a versatile partition that’s good to look at, whether the slats are open or shut. It forms the wall for a staircase, combining drawers with a thoughtfully designed screen – which would also help with sound insulation.
This smart piece of cabinetry combines under-stairs storage with wooden louvres for a versatile partition that’s good to look at, whether the slats are open or shut. It forms the wall for a staircase, combining drawers with a thoughtfully designed screen – which would also help with sound insulation.
Get fired up
This central wood-burning stove is a key piece in several ways. It keeps the style contemporary rather than too rustic and serves as a marker for where the kitchen-diner ends and the more casual seating area starts. Oh, and I bet it belts out brilliant heat, too.
This central wood-burning stove is a key piece in several ways. It keeps the style contemporary rather than too rustic and serves as a marker for where the kitchen-diner ends and the more casual seating area starts. Oh, and I bet it belts out brilliant heat, too.
Go for bifold
If you have a musical genius (or just a tone-deaf teenager) in the house, you can create a more soundproofed area for them to listen to music and practice their compositions at one end of a family room. Folding doors are easy to draw back – or across when the guitar solo starts up…
If you have a musical genius (or just a tone-deaf teenager) in the house, you can create a more soundproofed area for them to listen to music and practice their compositions at one end of a family room. Folding doors are easy to draw back – or across when the guitar solo starts up…
Be experimental
This opened-up space is also open to new ideas. A suspended fabric screen shields one area, while a glazed half wall keeps the kitchen in touch with the living area, but not too close. You could re-create the fabric screen by fitting a roller blind, which would be simple to roll up when you wanted to reunite the two spaces.
This opened-up space is also open to new ideas. A suspended fabric screen shields one area, while a glazed half wall keeps the kitchen in touch with the living area, but not too close. You could re-create the fabric screen by fitting a roller blind, which would be simple to roll up when you wanted to reunite the two spaces.
Bring in bright shades
This dividing wall between bedroom and dressing room sings out in a warm yellow and works wonders for injecting colour and energy into the space. It combines fun with functionality, which is always a winner is my book.
This dividing wall between bedroom and dressing room sings out in a warm yellow and works wonders for injecting colour and energy into the space. It combines fun with functionality, which is always a winner is my book.
Invest in an artistic creation
This striking piece of bespoke screening provides a central motif in an apartment that works monochrome in every space. It screens the kitchen from the rest of the home, and the pattern is reflected in mirrored splashbacks. It’s a good example of making a creative screen a key design feature, rather than trying to disguise it.
This striking piece of bespoke screening provides a central motif in an apartment that works monochrome in every space. It screens the kitchen from the rest of the home, and the pattern is reflected in mirrored splashbacks. It’s a good example of making a creative screen a key design feature, rather than trying to disguise it.
Create a glazed office
The owners of this open-plan space have set aside a central area for work. But instead of enclosing it, they’ve used on-trend Crittall glazing to keep a flow between the related spaces while sectioning off the dedicated office room. As a result, the lucky home worker doesn’t feel cut off, but can still get the job done.
Discover more ways to tap into the Crittall glazing trend
The owners of this open-plan space have set aside a central area for work. But instead of enclosing it, they’ve used on-trend Crittall glazing to keep a flow between the related spaces while sectioning off the dedicated office room. As a result, the lucky home worker doesn’t feel cut off, but can still get the job done.
Discover more ways to tap into the Crittall glazing trend
Display a collection
These wide, white shelf openings work as the perfect place to display favourite finds. This is a good example of adding a wall that isn’t a wall – the structure allowing a flow between the two spaces while affording some privacy at the same time.
See more creative ways to display a collection
These wide, white shelf openings work as the perfect place to display favourite finds. This is a good example of adding a wall that isn’t a wall – the structure allowing a flow between the two spaces while affording some privacy at the same time.
See more creative ways to display a collection
Say it with storage
This vast barn space has a cosy corner cordoned off thanks to a low storage cabinet on one side. It doesn’t interfere with the lofty grace of the building, but does create a more human scale to where people can retreat for TV-watching, games and reading.
TELL US…
Have you divided an open-plan space? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
This vast barn space has a cosy corner cordoned off thanks to a low storage cabinet on one side. It doesn’t interfere with the lofty grace of the building, but does create a more human scale to where people can retreat for TV-watching, games and reading.
TELL US…
Have you divided an open-plan space? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
A kitchen island or peninsula is a tried and tested way to mark a division between kitchen and dining or living areas. But this row of bar stools adds a visual line of bright green that emphasises the transition between work and play areas. It’s a subtle but effective device.