Trend Alert! Broken-Plan is the New Open-Plan

Broken-plan is a trend popping up in more and more interior designs.

Although open-plan designs have been increasingly popular over the recent years, there are some drawbacks to such open spaces in the home. Large open spaces are often harder to heat, difficult to make cosy and impossible to gain privacy, making noise a problem.

Therefore, broken-plan is taking over. Not only does it make the house feel more open and light, it also gives an air of sociability, with all the rooms separate, but connected. Broken-plan designs retain these benefits while offering solutions to problems such as lack of privacy.

Here are some ways to incorporate broken-plan living into the home.

Lighting the way

Broken-plan living is about retaining the spacious and light feel of open-plan but by having interconnected spaces as opposed to one large space.

Using glass in the home is perfect for the flow of light. Place partition walls with windows between two rooms or spaces. This way, the wall does separate the rooms, making it easier to find privacy, while the glass still lets light flow. This creates an illusion of openness.

To further maximise the light – which is what makes a space feel more open – try installing skylights, or glass screen doors.

Varying Levels

One of our favourite methods within broken-plan living is to use different levels within the home.

Mezzanines are great for creating extra space within a home, and providing a greater distinction between spaces with different functions.

The perfect place to use separate levels is between your kitchen and living area. By using separate levels you can create a distinction between the busy atmosphere of the kitchen, and the living room, which is used for socialising and relaxing.

Pictured above is a great broken-plan design by Della Valle Architects.

Half ‘n’ Half

Half walls are a great way to separate your spaces if levels aren’t for you. Place a half wall between two distinct areas, to create the broken-plan living effect.

There are benefits of half walls compared with glass partition walls. One is that while they still separate the spaces, they also allow more sociability between rooms. A half wall will be perfect for you if you’re not worried about the flow of noise throughout your home.

Less Permanent Changes

For those not wishing to make permanent structural changes to their homes, you can still achieve a broken-plan effect.

Strategic placement of furniture is a method, which can be used to create ‘partitions’ between spaces. This will give the illusion of separated rooms, while still keeping the spaces connected.

Try using a shelving unit or a decorative screen as a partition. Beneficially, these items won’t completely separate the space so you’ll still retain the light flow!

The beauty of broken-plan living is that it is customisable to your preference. You can make the layout of your home as sociable as you’d like. While retaining the much sought after light and open feel.