30 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. Although everyone loves open-plan living, sometimes we need a quiet, separate space. Huge open spaces can be difficult to heat, too, and noise can sometimes be an issue. ‘Broken plan’ is a practical evolution of open plan, retaining the elements we love, particularly good light and a feeling of openness, but with subtle elements to divide large spaces into more manageable ones, with different zones for different activities. Spaces may even be opened up or closed off as desired. Broken plan aims to be the best of both worlds. One way to achieve the broken-plan effect is with differences in floor levels, perhaps with a step between the sitting room and the dining room. A ceiling can be lowered in one area of a large, open room to enhance a sense of intimacy. And in homes with very high ceilings, a mezzanine level, perhaps chaplins.co.uk as an office, snug or guest bedroom, combines open-plan feel with practicality. Other solutions include internal glass walls or floor-to-ceiling steelframed windows to subdivide a space. More typically, especially where two ground-floor reception rooms have been knocked through, a great way to add flexibility is to add glazed or timber iqglassuk.com double doors. Ideally the doors would slide and fold away, or else be hinged so that they fit against the walls when open. Alternatively, connect/separate two rooms with pocket doors, which slide into the slim walls on each side – great for, say, a dressing room off a bedroom. Temporary dividers are convenient and less expensive: a screen, for example, a large floorstanding bookcase, or even simply a slender console table. They can be relatively easily moved around or removed as necessary. An open-plan space can be divided visually, using simple tricks such as changes in paint colour or floor finish and mini ‘rooms’ are easily created by grounding furniture arrangements on a rug or on an area of contrast flooring. Finally, employ lighting as a powerful tool to delineate space. Form zones of different lighting types, including pendants and wall lights, and carefully position floor and table lamps. If possible, install different circuits (controlled by switches or dimmers) 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 Katherine Sorrell
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