Welcome to broken plan living

We've all heard of open plan living - but broken plan living is the new interior design trend.

It's basically open plan mark II.  Open plan living has numerous advantages, it can make a series of small or average rooms seem vast and if your family enjoys communal living, it's the perfect solution for you.

It allows a seamless transition throughout one floor of the house and it's easy to create one cohesive interior design plan.  The room is bright and spacious which makes it natural and inviting. 

Open plan living can be hugely beneficial in your home. It can improve the overall appearance of your kitchen living room and dining room, increase the opportunities to let natural light and it promotes communal living by bringing your family together. 

Open plan living can create an easy and beautiful flow right from your front to back door. However, open plan can be noisy and even intrusive.  Even the closest families like to have their own space.  Broken plan is the solution.  

Essentially broken plan splits your open plan room into carefully designated areas that are cleverly thought out and designated specific areas. As your open plan room is one big space, your flooring will be the same throughout and so the best way to mark out your broken plan sectors is with rugs, preferably large area rugs. 

In the study area, throw down a deep red Persian rug and place the desk, reading light and a comfy chair on the outer area of the rug.  For the living area, go for something soft and deep such as a a rug from our Laura Jade collection.  In the dining area, set your dinning table on a Pakistani Bokhara while in the entertainment zone, something more modern such as a Timeless collection rug.

 

How to give your room a new look

We all  get fed up with looking at the same space.  However, if you are on a budget you won't have the cash to splash around on new furnishing and redecoration.  Never fear, it's easy to update your room by simply reconfiguring it.

Take a long, hard look at your lounge.  How easy or difficult would it be to move your TV to a different corner of the room?  Most of the rest of the furniture is configured around the telly, if you can move that - you can then think about moving everything else.

So the sofa moves and an armchair goes somewhere else too.  Then before you know it, you realise that the book-case would look better on another wall and the coffee table could go in the centre of the room, not in the corner.

If you can't move the TV because of the aerial then think about swopping the sofa and the armchairs around.  If that won't work, look at your peripheral furniture instead.

Occasional tables, lamps, book cases, sideboards - they can probably be swopped around.  And if they don't easily swop, think about furniture in other rooms.  Would the standard lamp in the dining room look better in the lounge?  That shelving in your bedroom may work better in the dining room.

Once you have moved the furniture - hopefully without spending a penny - you may decide you need a few new soft furnishings.  We always say a new rug is the easiest way to transform a room. FrithRugs has 1000s of rugs in every style, size and budget you can think of - and so you are sure to find something you like.

Finally, a gallery wall will also give an old room the wow factor. You don't even have to use pictures - mirrors, record covers, magazine covers - just use your imagination.

Once your new rug is in-situ and you have a couple of new cushions - you have a room with a whole new look.

It's easy.

Bring the outside in

  

Whatever the weather where you are right now, summer 2018 is going to go down in the record books as one of the best ever. 

Even the most palest of British skin has been looking sun kissed as all try to make the most of our outdoor space.  In this blog, we will touch on how you can link your indoor and outdoor living areas - even if you don't have a garden.

Outside space, no matter how small can be made to feel an integral part of your living space by complementing the inside colour with the outside.  If you have a garden, a backyard, a courtyard, a patio, a shared garden - large or small - the trick is colour co-ordination.

It's about getting the styling and colours linked so that they eye sees one large seamless space rather than separate ones.  Start with your window dressings - if you are not overlooked - get rid of them.  Having bare windows or patio doors will break down that space barrier.

Around the door area get masses of plants or plant pots on either side - both inside and out - this will also help to create the oneness you are looking for.

On the floor use the same rugs or certainly rugs of the same colour inside and out.  It's summer so go for something really bold in a bright colour.  Our Indian Dhurrie rugs are perfect for the job.  Handmade from wool woven onto cotton, you can use them outside (but obviously bring them inside if the weather is wet or particulary windy).

Make sure you garden furniture is complemented with accessories in the same colour.  In this example, a rich red tablecloth, plant pots and cushions will keep that co-ordination.  You can't beat some outside lighting, fairy lights on your plants for small spaces or bigger festoon lights if  you have the space.
 
It won't be too long now before we have to pack up the garden furniture for another year so make the most of whatever space you have for the next few weeks.