In Peterborough, open concept homes remain popular. Many current and prospective homeowners look at properties and imagine their new spaces with fewer walls, free flowing rooms and bright, wide open spaces. While open concept offers many advantages, it’s not for everyone. Separating rooms offers advantages too, including increased privacy, easily defined flex spaces and more wall space for furniture, favorite artwork or special family photos.
What is Broken-Plan Living?
If you are the type of family that prefers to walk around the corner into the living room and put that pile of dishes in the kitchen or stack of paperwork in the home office out of sight, then perhaps broken-plan living is right for you. Broken-plan living allows you to maintain all that you love about open plan but feel some separation of space through strategic Peterborough home renovations. Add half walls between rooms, incorporate smart shelving, internal windows or different floor levels to give that distinct feel in each room while still allowing light and air to easily flow throughout the entire home. With this concept, you maintain the look and feel of increased space that attracts so many to open concept but also gain the ability to escape noise and distractions when walking from one room to the next, making homes easier to live in and enjoy.
Broken-Plan for Your Home Office
With so many homeowners in Peterborough maintaining home offices for full or part time use, broken-plan living is an ideal choice to create necessary separation between work and living space without closing off a room and making it dark and uninviting. Some ways to do this include adding a wall of interior windows between the living space and office space, or installing large, open bookshelves for separation. This provides a quiet space for work time, conference calls or meetings with clients while also keeping the homeowner connected with the rest of his family and home.
Dividing Spaces with Levels
Broken-plan living can also be achieved by adding different floor levels to create the illusion of separate spaces. Add two or three steps between a living and dining area to help everyone feel as if they are stepping into a separate room when they walk from one area to the next. Combine this trick with wider openings instead of closed off doors or different paint colors, wall coverings or flooring choices to enhance the divide and give each room its own personality.
Planning A Broken-Plan Home
When planning your Peterborough broken-plan home renovation, think about what you’d like to get out of your home. If your open concept space is a bit too spacious and lacks those cozy nooks for reading, television or conversation, dividing large rooms up with strategically placed bookshelves, a two sided fireplace or even a half wall can completely change the feel of your house. If the wall between your study and main living space is making it difficult to use that space as a playroom or open library, replacing the wall with windows or removing the wall and adding a wide entranceway can make a difference. Consult with a Peterborough general contractor to get more ideas about how to transform your home.
Open concept is appealing, but it’s not for everyone. Sometimes, the solution comes in the form of broken-concept, an option that provides the right balance between complete separation of spaces and true open concept. If you’re ready to make the leap and change up your home, Alair Homes Peterborough is happy to assist. For a free, no obligation consultation, simply give us a call and learn more about how we can help you to create living spaces you’re sure to love.