An open floor plan can provide practical and aesthetic advantages for the home. In addition to making a space feel larger and more illuminated by natural light, open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas allow you to communicate across rooms and improve the flow of foot traffic. Strategic use of furniture and decor can maximize an open plan's potential. Here's how to choose the right pieces and coordinate the decor. 

3 Furniture & Decor Strategies for an Open-Plan Home

1. Prioritize Symmetry & Balance

When you have an open-plan living and dining area, you'll have a clear view of the furniture in both spaces. Even if each room has a distinctive design, you may inadvertently create visual distractions if pieces in one area are taller, larger, or differently styled than the other. 

Achieve balance across rooms by selecting living room sofas and chairs of approximately the same height as your dining chairs. If the dining table and chairs have clean lines and sharp edges, choose a couch and coffee table with comparable features. 

2. Coordinate Colors & Materials 

A cohesive color scheme across your open-plan space can create visual unity while making each area unique and interesting. Select the same base hue and two to three accent shades to use in each room. Allow the colors of existing features to inform your choices, such as wallpaper patterns, flooring, and cabinetry. 

Tie the rooms together by repeating the use of a single material across all areas. For instance, if you have wooden cabinets or butcher block countertops in your kitchen, select wooden dining and coffee tables for the other two areas.  

3. Create Partitioning 

Area rugs can make dining and living areas look separate from one another without interrupting the flow of the eye. For instance, selecting rugs in a similar color, shape, and pattern will delineate each space while maintaining visual uniformity. You may achieve a similar effect by placing a large L- or U-shaped sectional sofa with the back facing the dining area to create a subtle partition.

Make your open-plan space more functional and stylish with furniture and decor from BOVA Contemporary Furniture. Since 1985, this family-owned business has provided bedroom, dining, and living room furniture and accessories to customers throughout Cincinnati and Dayton, OH. Call to ask about contemporary furniture in stock and visit the website to browse their inventory. You can also take a virtual tour of the store from anywhere.