Turning your newly bought blank canvas of a home into your dream living space takes time and a lot of work but is all so worth it in the end. One of the most popular interior design trends of the past decade has been open-floor plan living. Kitchen and dining rooms, which open up your property to reveal more space and are so convenient for entertaining.

Here’s a collection of design tips from the experts about how to make your open floor-plan renovation a success that the whole family will adore.

All About Interiors

Knock down walls

Coming into a property with separate rooms is easily transformed into an open-floor plan haven by grabbing your sledgehammer and letting loose on those walls. Get the go-ahead from a builder and a structural engineer first to make sure all is structurally sound before you do this. You may need to have new steel beams fitted above the area to replace the structure of the removed walls – have a chat with your contractors to see how this can be achieved.

When the wall has been cleared, you’ll need to dispose of the rubble. The best way is to rent a dumpster, like those provided at Westbin, which give you options for general waste removal services local to your area. These contain all the trash for you and the company will even take it away for you when you’re done, ensuring your job goes smoothly and swiftly.

Fix up the edges

Obviously after the wall has gone you’ll need to smooth over the bare holes left behind. Do this yourself with plasterboard or get the professionals in to help. Then it’s just a case of repainting everything to match!  This is where your interior decorator comes into play.

Plan your new rooms

You need to carefully plan how these rooms are to be used and laid out.  Knocking down the dividing walls between 2 or 3 rooms creates a whole new open space that needs consideration.

Your interior designer, can direct you to where to place your furniture. Also considering how light or dark each section is. Will there need to be a new window? How is your privacy affected – will there need to be sliding doors installed anywhere? ‘Half walls’ can be a solution to dividing rooms and creating more spaces for positioning furniture.

Create ‘zones’ In An Open-Floor Plan

Although your living, dining and kitchen areas are all technically in the same room, they still need to be separated. Planning where each one will go isn’t always as easy as you might think.

A classic error when constructing open-floor plan spaces is to have the kitchen in the middle of the space. In order to get to all the other areas or ‘zones’ you will have people walking through and distracting you. This can be especially dangerous when you’re cooking, handling knives and boiling water and there are children running past. Think logically about where your zones will be positioned to make the best sense.

Consider noise

Do you want to hear the washing machine churning while you’re trying to watch TV or relax on the sofa? Probably not. It’s best to have the kitchen appliances and living rooms far away from each other or divided somehow. Creating a separate utility area is a good idea or storing noisy appliances like dryers away in mudrooms.

How to heat your space

Consider the effect an open-floor plan area will have on your energy bills.  They’re likely to increase with a lack of walls and doors in the property. A good solution to this is under floor heating. You can get different systems which run on electricity or gas.  Research which kind would work best for you and your home’s structure. This will keep your rooms toasty much easier than trying to heat them with radiators.

Another idea is to install a fireplace or wood stove in the center of the space. This not only heats your rooms but creates a ‘hub’ for you and your family to enjoy.

This post is a collaborative effort and may contain relative, relatable affiliate links.  All opinions are our own and for informational purposes.