I and A Mag Oct19

From Open Plan
TO BROKEN PLAN
Despite the allure of large, bright spaces, it is not necessarily convenient to live in an
open-plan home all the time. Hence the development of ‘broken plan’ design.
Everyone loves open-plan living. Light, bright,
spacious and airy, an open-plan home is always
desirable. Or is it? Sometimes, let’s face it, we all need
a quiet space, somewhere to feel separate in one’s own
small world. Huge open spaces can be difficult to heat,
too, and there can be times when noise is an issue.
Enter ‘broken plan’, a practical evolution of open plan,
that retains all the great elements of open plan that we
love, particularly good light and a feeling of openness,
but introduces subtle elements that divide large spaces
into more manageable ones, with different zones that
can be used for different activities. Spaces may even
(depending on the design) be opened up or closed off
whenever you wish. Broken plan is flexible, dynamic
and interesting, and offers sociability combined with
privacy – truly the best of both worlds.
When renovation or building work is being carried out, one
way to achieve the broken-plan effect is to create differences
in floor levels. A step up or down from, say, the sitting room
into the dining room can give a great sense of two discrete
areas. It may also be possible to lower the ceiling in one area
of a large, open room in order to enhance a sense of intimacy.
And in homes with very high ceilings – a barn or industrial
conversion, for example – there is the opportunity to introduce
a mezzanine level, perhaps as an office, snug or guest bedroom,
which combines the feeling of open plan with the practicality
of a separate space. Other structural solutions include building
internal glass walls or floor-to-ceiling steel-framed windows
(the best-known trade name is Crittall) in order to subdivide
a space. Stylish and luxurious, these suit both modern and
traditional homes.
More typically, especially in a period home where two groundfloor
reception rooms have been knocked through to bring in
more space and light, a great way to add flexibility to what is
often a long, thin, hard-to-use room is to add glazed or timber
double doors. If made from timber they could be panelled to
match the architectural features of the house; ideally the doors
would slide and fold away, or else be hinged so that they fit
seamlessly back against the walls when open. An alternative
way of connecting/separating two rooms is to build pocket
doors, which slide into the slim walls on each side – great for,
say, a dressing room off a bedroom.
Often, of course, it is far more convenient (and less expensive)
to employ temporary ways of dividing a large room: a screen,
for example, a large floor-standing bookcase, or even simply a
slender console table – which could be the base for a pair of
lamps, some vases of flowers or a sculpture. These have the
advantage of being relatively easily moved around or removed
if you feel like a change.
An open-plan space can be divided visually, using simple tricks
such as changes in paint colour or floor finish – from carpet in a
seating area to floorboards in a dining space, for example – and
it is easily possible to create mini ‘rooms’ by grounding furniture
arrangements on a rug
or on an area of contrast
flooring. Finally, employ
lighting as a powerful
tool to delineate space.
Think of forming ‘zones’
by using different
types of lighting in the
different areas, including
pendants (perhaps over
a dining table or kitchen
counter), wall lights, and
careful positioning of
floor and table lamps. If
possible, install different
circuits (controlled by
switches or dimmers)
that will allow you to
break down the spaces
and illuminate different
parts to suit your needs,
whether it be a living
area or bedroom, a
kitchen or a dining area.
by Kathrine Sorrell
Image: Red Baron bookcase by Piero Lissoni for Knoll, poa, Chaplins Furniture: 020 8421 1779; chaplins.co.uk.
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