Dining Room Furniture for Open Plan Homes

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You may think furnishing a room to be difficult, but it is significantly more difficult to furnish an open plan dining room. It is never easy to make the right decisions when furnishing open spaces with multiple uses, and here are a few tips on how to furnish open plan dining rooms without making the more obvious errors that most people make.

Open plan areas cannot be regarded as individual rooms, with their own style of décor and furniture, but as matched or contrasting split living areas - which, to be honest, is no less than they actually are! It is important that when selecting furniture for open plan arrangements, you also consider the existing de;cor, lighting and furnishings, and also the requirement for a central area, or focal point, within each room that is involved in the open plan space. This could be an entertainment unit, for example, or a fireplace or buffet an even a large window in the room, or the dining table itself as a focal point.

You should choose dining room furniture so that it fits the space available to it comfortably without appearing to be squashed in - cramming in too much furniture will spoil the open plan effect. You should select a table, for example, that allows ample room for traffic and for guests to be seated. This applies to any dining room of course, but is particularly true of an open plan arrangement.

Many open plan dining areas are fairly small, so a small table would best, but one that can be extended to seat more when you have dinner guests. A slimline buffet for your crockery and cutlery would also be useful, and many are available today that take up very little floor space when set against a wall. They also look good

Selecting Materials and Color Schemes

The materials and colors you select can make all the difference to open plan living, and you have a wide choice of each when choosing furniture for an open plan dining room. If you have a small dining room, you can give an illusion of space by using metal frame glass tables, or even acrylic furniture. However, for many that might be too radical, and light-colored dining room furniture is a good alternative.

Many people furnish the living room with solid ark stained oak or American cherry, and use lightly stained oak or even white furniture in the dining area. By combining a good choice of furniture with well-placed lighting, it is possible to expand the apparent depth of a dining room in comparison with the general living area.

You can make a smaller room appear larger than it is by the intelligent use of mirrors. When you are selecting home furniture you should also take into consideration the benefits that mirrors can offer, particularly with respect to the concept of open plan home design. Some choose to set up mirrors in their dining rooms to reflect each other, so giving a sensation of depth to the room, and by using such a set-up between your dining and living room, you can bring the two together as though they were one room. Carvers' Guild, for example, offer decorative mirrors suitable for both living rooms and dining rooms, and are ideal wall decor for open plan living areas.

Avoid a Clash of Styles

Many people ask whether the various areas in an open plan design should share a common decorative theme. If you employ the same style of furniture and furnishings between the two open plan areas, then they will appear to flow into each other with a professionally designed appearance: the two areas should be treated as one room, while making sure to emphasize the difference in use between them with home accents such as mirrors, lamps and vases, and with appropriate home de;cor.

For example, do not use a Stickley classical colonial style in your living room and Simply Amish mission furniture in your dining room because they will clash and not look right together. By using lighting such as spotlights, accent lighting and even different levels of lighting, you can differentiate between the two areas visually, and you can also do a lot with the windows in each part of the open plan area.

Colors and Drapes Should Match

If your dining room is also an open plan kitchen, then solid wood cabinets can be used to match up closely with the style of the dining and living room furniture. A hardwood dining table and chairs, and the other dining room furniture then match with the style of the living room. It is important that the two areas match in general decor, and that colors do not clash - wall coverings should go well between the two and drapes should be of the same general shade if not necessarily of the same design.

It is often difficult to add your own personal touch when choosing furniture for an open plan dining room, but there are ways to add character. You have a number of possible options as to how you demarcate the separation between the two areas, an you are sure to be able to come up with some fabulous ideas that will impress your guests and occasional visitors.

By use of individual focal areas, home accents such as mirrors and lighting and also dividing the rooms using a good choice of furniture, you can stamp your own personality on your home while maintaining a continuity of design between the open areas. Choosing furniture for an open plan dining room is not as difficult as you may at first believe because there are many furniture stores that will give you all the help and advice you need to do a good job.

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