Here’s How You Can Convert An Overwhelming Open Floor Plan Into A Welcoming Space

bmak - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only
bmak - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only

If you grew up in a traditional suburban home where each room, including the living room, kitchen, and dining room, had its own separate space, moving into a place with an open floor plan can be alarming.

This happened to me when I moved from my suburban childhood home to a big city, where my kitchen was basically in my living room, and I had to create a dining area out of nothing.

Converting an open floor plan into a cozy, warm, and welcoming space is no easy task. But fear not; there are a few strategies that can help you conquer this challenge.

Make sure there’s enough seating

If you’re passionate about making your living room area cozy and perfect for entertaining, you’ll want to ensure you have enough seating to accommodate guests. No one wants to sit on the floor near your kitchen or other random pieces of furniture while everyone else gets to sit on the couch.

Additionally, seating like cute chairs or loveseats can be turned and positioned to create boundaries for your living area and make it feel separated from other sections of your open floor plan.

Take advantage of rugs

Rugs are an excellent natural divider for open spaces. They clearly indicate warmer, cozier spaces for hanging out and resting.

So, if a designated living room area is important to you, help it stand out from the dining and cooking area by placing a nice rug near your couch or under your coffee table.

bmak – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only

Always consider your walking space

While using different pieces of furniture to separate your kitchen, living, and dining spaces are great; you need to be careful regarding how much space you have.

For instance, in one of my narrow, open-floor city apartments, my roommates and I got a little too excited about filling the living space with cozy furniture that the roommate whose bedroom was next to the living space had hardly any room to walk to the front door.

This is why when mapping out your open floor plan and creating designated ‘spaces,’ you’ll want to measure things carefully, make a scale, and walk around your home to ensure it’s manageable. After all, you want to ensure you and your guests can walk around your home without tripping on things!

Have fun with decor

To make any home, whether it has an open floor plan or not, feel homey and welcoming, you have to add decor. If you want your open space to feel more inviting, you have to insert bits of your personality wherever you can!

Put some cute throw pillows on the couch, hang a few of your favorite photos on the walls, put some books and little statues on your coffee table, etc. Those finishing touches will take your space to the next level.

Having an open floor plan may seem stressful to navigate, but I promise, if you follow some of these tips, your space will come together and feel like a home!

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