If we were asked the question, what is our most requested project?

Without a doubt, it would have to be transforming an existing kitchen and dining room into an open plan kitchen, living and dining space!

Some open plan living projects involve working with the homeowners existing footprint, while others include the addition of space in the form of an extension.

In this blog, we are going to focus on creating an open plan living space from your existing footprint and look at one of our recent projects as a case study – our Ballycullen Project

Most traditional homes were built to include separate rooms for each defined activity.  Some homes have rooms off an entrance hall with no connection or flow to other rooms, while other more modern style homes have the kitchen with internal door(s) into a dining room and then another internal door(s) into the living room.  The only real connection to the rear garden was usually a kitchen window, rear door or if they were lucky - a small sliding door from the dining room to the rear.

The concept of open plan living has attracted numerous homeowners over the years to take the leap and implement the necessary alterations in a bid to create a better open-plan living space for their families.

When the heart of the home is dis-jointed, it can create many day-to-day problems.  There is simply not enough space in any given room to comfortably allow for the entire family to interact, so the family tend to branch out into separate rooms particularly at mealtimes which is far from ideal. 

Some kitchens can lack the space to allow for family members to cook together.  Storage in any one room can also be a bone of contention along with lack of sufficient natural light.  Some standard homes do not have the luxury of a utility room or area which is a necessity these days.

For modern family living, these traditional layouts lacked flow and functionality and were void of any real connection to their gardens.

Some homeowners may feel that a transformative open plan kitchen, dining and living space is not achievable - without the need to extend.  However, our case study below will prove otherwise and show you that with carefully planning and execution - you can create your dream open plan living space!

When deciding if an open plan living concept will be right for you and your family, you may need some help and advice from a professional. At Placelift, would always spend time finding out more about how the family live in their home existing home in terms of what is working for them and what is not. We delve into their specific needs and requirements in other words their lifestyle – how they intend to live in their home, their storage requirements and their wish list. 

 Our Open Plan Living - Our 7 Top Tips

1. Ensure that you have at least one other room in your home that can allow for that break away relaxing space from the hustle and bustle of the main open plan living space.   

2. Consider how the entire family intends to use this space and compile a detailed wish list.

3. Introduce as much clever storage as possible to avoid a cluttered and untidy open plan space.

4. Do not try and incorporate too much into your open plan space.  Be realistic about the space in hand in terms of spatial planning and what will provide sufficient comfort and flow.

5. Rethink your overall lighting plan and consider secondary lighting in the form of wall sconces or table lamps.

6. Consider how to best connect to your garden, this may involve new windows or doors - but now is the time to do it!

7. Running the one floor throughout the entire space will help create a uniform and cohesive look.

 CASE STUDY

Our Ballycullen Project – A four-bedroom semi-detached family home.

This was a typical semi-detached home with a standard kitchen to the rear of the home with an internal door connecting to the dining room which then had double doors back to their front living room.  This home also had a conservatory off their dining room (open access) and what was the old rear door from the kitchen now accessed this conservatory and there was access to the garden via a side door in the conservatory. This conservatory like most was too cold in winter and too warm in summer so the homeowner changed out the roof a few years ago which made all the difference in terms of comfort, but they still found it difficult to make good use of this space. 

As you can see this kitchen was dark and the homeowners struggled to provide enough storage space to meet their specific requirements.

From our initial consultation with our customers, we delved into exactly what was not working for them with their existing layout.  We then had an open discussion on what the entire family hoped to achieve.  We helped them prioritise aspects, compile a comprehensive wish list and we then we about suggesting some clever design ideas. 

After careful planning of a new open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, we provided our customers with some layout options which allowed them to visualise the end result.

Once a layout option was decided upon, we arrange for our engineer, plumbers, and electricians to survey and we put a solid plan in place. We carefully paid attention to every detail to ensure the perfect outcome. 

While our customers were happy to retain their existing kitchen (which was in great condition), they wanted us to give it a complete makeover. They also wanted us to include some additional units at one end of their kitchen and extend the other end to increase storage. The provision of a new kitchen island with seating was also high up on their agenda.  Our clients also wanted to create more natural light in this space and upgrade their artificial lighting with some statement lighting. Overall, they wanted a light and airy kitchen space with storage well thought out to suit their specific requirements.

As avid book readers, they wanted to provide ample storage in their dining space but also wanted to create a feature bookshelf unit. We took this a step further and incorporated a cosy reading nook to one side which also helped balance the scale of this extensive wall unit.

For their conservatory they were hoping to create a cosy snug with a sofa and media unit with storage. We blocked up the old opening from the kitchen to this space and a bright new modern colour scheme greatly enhanced this space.

We also upgraded their guest w.c., and re-decorated their hall and living room, giving the entire downstairs of their home a cohesive aesthetic throuhout.

This renovation had such a highly positive impact on the entire family and how they now live and interact and hopefully for many years to come.  Our Ballycullen project just proves that when you carefully re-imagine and re-configure your existing layout of your home, you can greatly enhance it and take it to a whole new level - which will massively impact on your day-to-day life!

Our next blog will feature a further case study but this time with a new open plan living space which included a rear extension.

If you would like to explore creating an open plan living space in your home, please just get in touch for a chat!