Working with an open concept
Creating rooms where there are no walls is integral to the success of open-concept design in a home
Whether it’s a detached home, semi-detached or a condo, the most common design element in today’s new residential construction is an open-concept layout. It is what buyers are asking for, so it makes perfect sense that developers work it into their plans.
“Open-concept homes evolved out of necessity,” said Montrealer Cheryl Skean, who has been an interior designer for three decades.
“In the past, the family member doing meal preparation ... was isolated in the kitchen and had difficulty keeping an eye on the
“Without walls, it is necessary to find ways to delineate zones for different functions.”
Cheryl Skean
kids.” The addition of an island with a few bar stools around it meant the cook could have company, Skean said, and the removal of a wall or two allowed her to see through to the dining room or den, where children were playing or doing homework.
“These designs result in stunning homes that are full of light and typically offer a lovely simplicity with their clean lines,” she said. “But, without walls, it is necessary to find ways to delineate zones for different functions.”
Skean explained that exposed columns, beams and half-walls make great boundaries. These features, which are already in place as part of the home’s support structure, suggest divisions naturally.
“Another simple method for making adjacent areas distinct is to apply a different shade of paint to walls, trim or mouldings,” she said.
“The human eye will stop at the colour change and conclude that the two are separate.”
After completing interiordesign studies at Ryerson University in Toronto, Naomi Weissmann plied her trade there for several years. Then she fell in love with a Montrealer, got married and moved here.
Her company is called Interiors Designed.
“There are a great number of ways I create zones for my clients in open-concept homes,” Weissmann said. “The simplest and most common is the strategic use of rugs, furniture, shelves and lighting.”
A rug’s perimeters will delin- eate the edges of the room, she explained. For a living room in an open area, a sofa can be placed with its front legs on the rug and an upholstered chair or another sofa positioned, facing it, to create a conversation area.
Weissmann said that designated areas for adults and children can be suggested in an open space with the right accessories.
“Using a playful bookshelf as a divider and then setting down interlocking puzzle-shaped foam floor squares will easily identify that part of a room as being a kids’ zone,” she said. “Adults can still supervise the children as they are close by and within earshot.”
When it comes to lighting, Weissmann said that many of us tend to underestimate its importance. Any table with a chandelier or pendant fixture centred over it will be perceived as a dining room.
Joanne Padvaiskas of Wow Great Place has worked in interior design for 20 years. She agrees that bookcases and other types of shelving are great for suggesting divisions in large open areas.
“A few beautifully bound books — held in place with bookends, small vases and knickknacks — can be placed here and there on shelves, leaving gaps in between so that light can filter through, especially important if a portion of a room is windowless,” she said.
Padvaiskas explained that a natural way to divide rooms is to exploit changes in ceiling height, which may exist because of pipes or ductwork.
“Another way to suggest separate zones is with wall-mounted photographs and artwork,” she said. “When several photographs or canvases are hung close together, they will suggest separ-
“The simplest and most common (way to create zones) is the strategic use of rugs, furniture, shelves and lighting.”
Naomi Weismann
ate areas within the same room.”
She explained that groupings can be based on subject matter, such as family photos, or by using the same colour, texture and width of frames.
Another detail, on which all of the designers agree, is the importance of light dimmers.
They are great tools for drawing people f rom one zone to another as it is human nature to move out of a darker area into a brighter one.