Decorate An Open Floor Plan For A Dining Room And Kitchen

A large, open kitchen is often the center of family activity.

An open floor plan offers infinite decorating possibilities, but the flexibility of this space can also make decorating decisions difficult. If you have an open dining room and kitchen space, find a way to make two distinct spaces while keeping the area open. How you position furniture, for example, can play a role in how your family uses the space. Well-thought-out decorating decisions can make your open floor plan functional and attractive.

Instructions

1. Assess the space to determine how you want to split it up. In an open floor plan, your kitchen will flow into your dining room -- and vice versa -- but you might want to distinguish the two spaces. Find a spot in this open space that is a logical place to separate the two rooms. Imagine this spot as an entryway.

2. Paint the space one color. While you want to make some distinction between the kitchen and dining room, painting the areas different colors takes away from the open, airy feel of your floor plan. Choose a neutral tone or light color to keep the open feel -- a taupe or pale gold creates flow within the space.

3. Choose an accent color for your kitchen that echoes the colors in your dining room. If your dining room chairs have deep red cushions, choose that shade as an accent in your kitchen. A deep red toaster, some dishtowels in the appropriate shade or a red vase can tie together the two spaces in this open space.

4. Situate your dining room furniture in a way that makes it accessible from the kitchen. Walk from the kitchen into the dining room and imagine the most functional way the table, chairs and other furniture could be arranged to make it flow logically. Use this setup for the dining room arrangement. Hang a chandelier or light fixture over the dining table, which helps ground the space.

5. Create an entryway with your decor. A side table or bench placed where you would envision a doorway separates the two spaces without losing the feel of the open floor plan. Place one end of the piece against a wall if possible so as not to block traffic flow.

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