Walls… But Not Really

As open-concept floor plans become increasingly more common, many rooms now feature so much space that laying out furniture becomes a painstaking mental exercise. Sometimes spaces are just big enough where traditional bedroom and living room layouts simply won’t make sense. Alternatively, maybe your space is standard size but your goal is to make it look and feel bigger. Of course, the obvious answer to this unique problem is setting up a folding divider, Shoji screen, or hanging curtains. However, keeping with the theme of an open space, you ultimately want it to work for you without fundamentally changing the room’s dimensions. A strategic way to accomplish this is by using the furniture available.

Start from the bottom up. Having two separate rugs delineating areas in a space will trick the mind’s eye into thinking that the room is not only bigger, but able to accommodate two distinct areas. With a living room, you can place your larger sofa & area rug in the most accessible part of the room, with a smaller rug and a couple accent chairs in the room’s other part- making a cute little reading nook.

If you have a tall, two-sided bookshelf- use it. Instead of putting it up against the wall, try moving it to the center, or wherever you want the room to be separated. The bookshelf can now be used from both its sides, and its gaps keep the room from feeling totally closed off. Make sure the bookshelf matches the room’s color palette, as a heavy contrast can make it an eyesore.

As always, live or artificial plants are a great way to not only separate a room, but reflect more light in the space. Consider adding a narrow console table into the part of the room you want to divide, and place a plant on top of it.