It can be difficult to make a large living space seem warm and cozy, especially when this space consists of several different rooms. An "open concept" layout is one that consists of several different rooms that are combined into one large space without full walls to divide them. Such a layout can be spacious, but it can also feel cold. Warm up your living space with a few design tips. Here's how to achieve a cozy atmosphere in an open concept home.
Visually divide the spaces
You don't need a full wall to divide the spaces in your home. Instead, you can use visual tricks to create the illusion of separate spaces, while still being able to see from one room to another. For example, you can use your furniture layout as the visual divider between rooms, as well as screens, curtains and color schemes.
Choose an accent wall
Walls with architectural features, such as a fireplace or an archway, make great accent walls. Choose a wall that stands out and paint it a different color than the rest. Warm colors are often the best choice, since they move forward visually. For the rest of the room, choose a color that complements your accent wall, and that is either two shades lighter or is about the same darkness.
Decorate with warm neutrals
Warm and neutral colors can help to visually warm up a space, while cooler hues can make it seem more open and airy. To achieve a cozy atmosphere in your open concept home, choose warm neutrals as your base, and go from there.
Mix and match textures
Mixing up the textures not only makes a room more interesting, but it can give the space a cozier atmosphere. Mix rough textures with smooth ones. Shiny surfaces with matte. You can also achieve a similar effect by mixing up the color palette and layering with patterns.
Layer your lighting design
Lighting has a huge impact on the overall effect of your interior design. To warm up a large space, avoid lighting that has cooler undertones, like fluorescent bulbs. Instead, choose warm or neutral lighting and layer it as much as you can with general, task and accent lighting in each area of the space.
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