Studios and Open Floor Plans

by Sherry Holetzky | More from this Blogger

13 Jan 2006 12:52 PM

Whether you live in a small studio or a larger home that has a very open floor plan, you may feel the need to break the space up into separate living areas. There are several ways to accomplish this without taking away from the overall appearance and feel of your home.

Add folding screens to section off areas, or use bookshelves and other large pieces of furniture to divide the space for different functions, such as to create a reading area. You can make one corner into a secluded little retreat for reading and relaxing, or you can use a screen to separate a dining area from a living area.

Use care when deciding where to place each "room" in a studio. For example, if you don't want visitors to have to pass through your bedroom to enter your living room, set your bedroom up opposite from your front door.

Place the bed, making sure to leave plenty of room to walk around it, and then place freestanding bookshelves between the bed and the open area. A neat idea is to place two or three bookshelves in a row, alternating which way they face. If you have room for three, have the two on the ends facing the living area, and one facing the bedroom. If you only have room for two, face one each way. This way, you can not only divide the space, but also add storage to both areas.

To make the back of a bookshelf more attractive and make it feel more like a wall, hang a print or painting on it.

You can also hang heavy fabric between two spaces to separate them. One simple way is to hang heavy mug hooks from the ceiling and add grommets to the fabric that you can slip over the hooks.

Learn more about Sherry Holetzky

Sherry Holetzky is a work at home mom and freelance writer. Married to her best friend, Sherry and her husband are raising their family in a quiet rural setting in the beautiful Ozark Mountains.

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