Making large spaces cosy
Living in a large open home is an Australian luxury, not having to squeeze into a tiny London flat means that we can always typically have a great open plan. There is a point though when sometimes there’s so much space it becomes daunting. On plan quite often things still look quite small, pokey and we find often that it is easy to get carried away. When drawing floor plans we always ensure that we are frequently including standard sized furniture pieces in the plans to ensure that the home is liveable and practical. Even sometimes with furniture included in plans spaces can feel extremely large and dare I say too spacious!
Here are a few tips and tricks we use to ensure that no room feels to big and cavernous.
Always include in your plans your must have and existing pieces of furniture. If you are doing a custom home this is a huge positive, so take advantage of it! Including the existing dimensions of existing and ‘must have’ pieces ensures that your home will perfectly fit your desired end result. There is nothing worse than going through the whole process and having furniture as an after thought!
Zone it out. When looking at open plan layouts work out how you can divide the area into zones. We often and heavily rely on the use of rugs to define a space. Once you have a decent sized rug for the area it then grounds that area and gives the area a definition and purpose.
Warm up the walls. Whether it be with wallpaper, paint, artwork or all of the above, adding interest to the walls always adds warmth and softly defines the room. Even feature elements such as a fireplace, feature coloured kitchen island or wall panelling the walls then have more of an impact and closer feeling than that of a stark white wall. These elements add personality to the room and take away any cavernous feeling.
Adding warmth and texture to a space. Adding different textures and tones to a room have a great effect on the feel of the space. Adding different types of timber means that the room has natural element and breaks up any plainness in the space. Mixing textures as well is great at providing warmth to a large room. Stone elements can get a bad wrap, stone is often associated as cold however it all depends on its colour. A warm coloured sandstone or travertine add a textural interest in a room.
Window. Dressings!! I would say window dressings are often one of the biggest after thoughts in projects! Designing your home with lots of large bright windows are great, but when you have a room that is large and there is so much outside coming in, it can sometimes make the space feel as though it is never ending. I’m not saying you need to remove all windows, however adding a soft sheer curtain to doors and windows add the textural interest, soften the walls and often draw the eye up to great open ceilings! Sheers can be quite cost effective and add a soft homely feeling to a room.
