Open Concept Living Room Design: Beautiful in Theory, Tricky in Practice
- Marieke
- May 8
- 4 min read
If you’ve ever watched more than three minutes of a home renovation show, you’ll know that “open concept” is practically a sacred term. Walls? Tear them down. Doors? Who needs them.
The dream, apparently, is one glorious expanse of light, air, and seamless entertaining space. And I’ll admit – there’s something undeniably appealing about it.
I’ve worked with plenty of open concept layouts over the years, and there’s a reason they’re so enduring. Done well, they feel generous, social, and uncluttered. But they’re not without their design challenges.
If you’re considering opening up your living room – or you’ve already got a wide-open space you’re not quite sure what to do with – it helps to think beyond the buzzwords.
Let’s talk about what works, what doesn’t, and why sometimes a little separation isn’t such a bad thing.
Why Everyone Loves the Idea of Open Plan
It’s easy to see the appeal. Open plan living rooms promise togetherness – someone’s cooking, someone else is reading, someone else is scrolling through their phone – and everyone can still see and hear each other (for better or worse).
It’s particularly popular in smaller homes and apartments, where knocking out a wall can instantly make things feel brighter and more spacious.
In my own home, everything is completely open plan. But I did keep the original stained glass pocket doors that once separated the ensuite in our 1890s house. Taking them out felt like sacrilege, so I left them in place, and I’ve never once regretted it.
They’re beautiful, characterful, and an absolute blessing when we occasionally want a bit of separation. I can still see through them – the stained glass filters rather than blocks – but when friends are over for drinks and a nibble and the kids want to watch TV, it’s surprisingly helpful to be able to slide them shut.
In general, I’m very much a fan of open spaces – but even I’ll admit that having the option to close something off, just occasionally, feels like a small luxury.
The Challenges No One Tells You About
Open layouts can be surprisingly tricky to furnish. Without defined walls, you don’t automatically know where to place things – where does the sofa go? Which way should it face? Where does the dining table stop and the lounge area start?
People often end up with awkward floating furniture, or worse, pushing everything to the edges like a school hall awaiting assembly.
Then there’s the question of sound. No matter how good your extractor fan is, you will hear the cooker. And the dishwasher. And the person chopping carrots.
If someone wants to watch TV while someone else is cooking, one of you will need headphones – or nerves of steel.
And don’t get me started on heating and cooling. One large space means you need clever zoning to avoid sweating in the kitchen and freezing by the windows.
How to Design an Open Plan Living Room That Actually Works
The trick, I’ve found, is to treat the space not as one giant room, but as a series of connected zones. You’re not abandoning structure – you’re just redefining it.
Rugs, lighting, furniture placement, and even changes in ceiling height or floor finish can help delineate different areas without putting the walls back up.
For example: anchor the lounge area with a large rug and a sofa that faces inwards – not towards the nearest wall. Use pendant lighting above the dining table to create a visual pause. Or have a visible change in ceiling height / texture to divide the space.
If you’re renovating, partial walls or built-in shelving can be great ways to add structure without full separation.
I’ve used two-sided fireplaces, open shelving units, and even a low cabinet that doubles as a bench – all of which help define the space while keeping it light and open.
When Open Plan Doesn’t Make Sense
Sometimes, the best thing you can do is not knock down a wall. Open plan living isn’t ideal for every lifestyle. If someone works from home, another person is watching football, and someone else is trying to read in peace, a bit of separation can be a blessing.
There’s also the matter of mess. Real life comes with clutter – paperwork, dishes, toys, mismatched socks – and when your kitchen, dining, and living areas are all in one line of sight, there’s nowhere to hide it. Open plan requires a level of tidiness I personally find admirable in others.
What I Recommend
If you’re planning an open concept layout, start with how you live. Are you a dinner party type who loves a connected space? Do you need a quiet reading corner or a designated workspace?
Think about your daily routines – and your worst-case scenarios – before knocking anything down.
And remember: open plan doesn’t have to mean completely open. The most successful designs create the feeling of connection, while still offering pockets of comfort and calm.
And if you’ve got something as charming as a set of original stained glass pocket doors hiding somewhere in your walls – for the love of good design, keep them.
Want More Ideas?
If you’re wrestling with layout questions, working out where to put the sofa, or wondering how open is too open, have a look through my other blog posts for practical tips and real-life examples or order my Furniture and Space Planner Template.
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