Open-plan living area:
how to make the most of it

Whether in offices, coworking spaces, shops or private homes, the term open space has become synonymous with a modern space furnished with taste and design. A trend that started in the first half of the 20th century when the need to break down boundaries and divisions in the home gave life and space to more hybrid environments.

Today, when people talk about open space in private homes, they are referring to a single room with multiple functions: an open, bright living area that combines rest, recreation and time spent with friends. The advantages of such a choice are many, the most important being:

• More efficient and optimised use of space
• More brightness in the whole area
• Multifunctional, dynamic and versatile spaces
• More convivial atmosphere
• Modern style in line with new trends

While furnishing an open space leaves plenty of room for imagination and creativity , just like a blank canvas to be coloured, it also requires a great deal of organisation to avoid the chaos effect that a large space brings. In this case, modular systems prove to be the perfect choice for setting up an environment with a strong and versatile identity. So what are the suggestions for enhancing and furnishing an open-plan living area?
We have collected them here.

The secrets of furnishing an open space

Lighting in the living area

By now we know that when it comes to interior design, lighting is one of the most important factors to consider and pay attention to. In this case, if the house has large windows, the open space will benefit from natural light throughout the day and will only need the right light sources for the darker hours. The trick is a combination of soft, atmospheric lightingthroughout the room, contrasting with brighter lighting in the kitchen, perhaps right above the dining table or on the worktop. Alternating floor, pendant and table lamps can play a decisive role in the perception of an open space.

Harmonious open space: style and colours

When the living area becomes one large space, it goes without saying that each element must work in complete harmony with the others. This is why the choice of colours and style is one of the key steps that can ensure coherence and give the room a unique atmosphere. In general, it is advisable to choose a maximum of two colours, preferring neutral shades, which can create a chromatic play and give dynamism to the space thanks to the addition of brighter colours with furniture and accessories. The most popular approach, because it is also the safest, is to choose a main colour and then play with its nuances. White, of course, is one of the most popular choices because it can give brightness and lightness to the space.

How to position furniture in the living area

The distribution of furniture in the living area is crucial to give the open space a unique and unmistakable style. Behind the choice of individual elements and their arrangement in the space lies a larger decision: that of the focal point we want to give to the space.

The sofa in the open space

If you have plenty of space, you can choose to build the room around an important sofa , now the undisputed star of the everyday living room, a linear and slender shape , as in the case of Bonnie, or a more reflective angular , such as Dakota. There are also other modular systems, such as Zenit, which allows you to play with the space and customise it to the maximum, to exploit the full potential of a design that is designed to meet the most diverse needs.

The table in the centre of the living room

As the open space combines the living area with the kitchen, the dining table can also become the protagonist of the space and determine its style and personality. The choice ranges from extendable tables or consoles capable of giving more dynamism to the space, to fixed rectangular, rounded, elliptical or square structures. The top and finishes will be the extra touch to recall all the other furnishings, from chairs to coffee tables and sofas.

Bookcases and furnishing accessories

There are also a number of design details that not only add personality to the living area, but also reformulate the space and give it added value.
A metal bookcase, for example, can be used to make a wall a protagonist and rich in style, or as a separating element between the living area and the kitchen, always in an open space perspective. Charlotte is a clear example of how a light and airy structure can contribute to the right visual balance of any space.

In the same vein, shelves and tables can also contribute to the division of space in an elegant and refined way, if they are designed in harmony with the surrounding environment.