Hello everyone,
After almost a year’s break, we have resumed our building project and are planning a new floor plan.
We’re stuck when it comes to the open-plan living area, so I would like to hear your opinions!
Our garden faces west, and to the south, the neighboring property begins after three meters (10 feet).
Option 1:
Overall, we like this option best. BUT: Is it possibly too tight? About one meter (3 feet) between the sofa and table—is that too cramped? It’s enough for walking through, but maybe it compromises comfort on the couch? Currently, we have much more space between the couch and table, but not as much room depth as in the planned layout. We are thinking of trying to place the table this close to the sofa in our current apartment to get a feel for it.
Pros: Great window view to the west, a skylight to the south (brings in plenty of light but prevents the neighbor from looking into our house), from the couch you can see the room, the garden, and the TV.
Cons: Is it too narrow in width?
Option 2:
Same setup, only the table is rotated. Basically, a table with a footprint of 1.00 x 2.00 meters (3 x 6.5 feet) requires a total space of 2.00 x 2.00 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet) to accommodate chairs. In this arrangement, all guests could look out to the garden. In option 1, both the sofa and the kitchen island have visual contact with all guests.
Option 3:
The sofa and the entertainment wall are swapped. The skylight to the south changes to a floor-to-ceiling window, but the window to the west is removed.
Pros: More freedom of movement in the room, sofa hidden behind the fireplace, more coziness.
Cons: No view of the garden from the sofa, loss of a west window, view of the fireplace only from the side.
We have gotten so lost in the planning that we can’t see the forest for the trees right now.
What do you think?
Thanks and best regards,
Ypsi
After almost a year’s break, we have resumed our building project and are planning a new floor plan.
We’re stuck when it comes to the open-plan living area, so I would like to hear your opinions!
Our garden faces west, and to the south, the neighboring property begins after three meters (10 feet).
Option 1:
Overall, we like this option best. BUT: Is it possibly too tight? About one meter (3 feet) between the sofa and table—is that too cramped? It’s enough for walking through, but maybe it compromises comfort on the couch? Currently, we have much more space between the couch and table, but not as much room depth as in the planned layout. We are thinking of trying to place the table this close to the sofa in our current apartment to get a feel for it.
Pros: Great window view to the west, a skylight to the south (brings in plenty of light but prevents the neighbor from looking into our house), from the couch you can see the room, the garden, and the TV.
Cons: Is it too narrow in width?
Option 2:
Same setup, only the table is rotated. Basically, a table with a footprint of 1.00 x 2.00 meters (3 x 6.5 feet) requires a total space of 2.00 x 2.00 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet) to accommodate chairs. In this arrangement, all guests could look out to the garden. In option 1, both the sofa and the kitchen island have visual contact with all guests.
Option 3:
The sofa and the entertainment wall are swapped. The skylight to the south changes to a floor-to-ceiling window, but the window to the west is removed.
Pros: More freedom of movement in the room, sofa hidden behind the fireplace, more coziness.
Cons: No view of the garden from the sofa, loss of a west window, view of the fireplace only from the side.
We have gotten so lost in the planning that we can’t see the forest for the trees right now.
What do you think?
Thanks and best regards,
Ypsi
Y
Ypsi aus NI20 May 2021 13:14Myrna_Loy schrieb:
I’m also wondering how that would work in practice – the sofa is right next to the dining table. When guests arrive, are they immediately asked to move away from the sofa? There would have to be some kind of spatial separation, as mentioned earlier. Even if just a room divider. But as a guest, I would feel a bit odd having a forbidden zone in an open-plan living area.It’s not that bad ;-)Is it the power of habit? Well, I can only say that in our case it has established itself without any rules. There was never any intention behind it. Maybe it will be different in the new house. But the basic idea would still be the same at first: sofa/TV as a private way to end the day; dining table/kitchen/conservatory as the main social area.
P
pagoni202020 May 2021 13:14The conservatory seems to be confirmed. What is the planned design for it?
If possible, I would visually integrate it more into the living area; for example, it could also serve as a dining room. I wouldn’t treat this space as an afterthought but as a fully usable room. Consider removing a few windows in the current living room to accommodate TV placement.
If possible, I would visually integrate it more into the living area; for example, it could also serve as a dining room. I wouldn’t treat this space as an afterthought but as a fully usable room. Consider removing a few windows in the current living room to accommodate TV placement.
Y
Ypsi aus NI20 May 2021 13:15Myrna_Loy schrieb:
then you must NEVER light the fireplace when guests arrive – otherwise, they’ll be quicker to sit down on the couch and stare into the fire than you can say HUSCHWEG! 😉 You can even see it from the dining table, and it’s actually closer than the couch ;-)
Let’s see how it all turns out in the end :-)
M
Myrna_Loy20 May 2021 13:15Then you would need to arrange access to the conservatory differently – as it is, you have to go through the kitchen or pass by the narrowest part of the kitchen. Ideally, the conservatory would be accessible through the middle window by the dining table.
Y
Ypsi aus NI20 May 2021 13:18pagoni2020 schrieb:
The conservatory seems to be fixed. What is the design going to be like?
If possible, I would visually integrate it more with the living area; for example, a dining room could be located there. I wouldn’t treat that room as secondary but as a fully usable space. Maybe remove a few windows in the current living room because of the TV setup. That’s not meant to be a secondary treatment. The conservatory is positioned to provide a full view of the entire garden.
We have considered moving our entire dining area into a heated conservatory, but it never felt quite right.
The dining area is for family plus maybe a guest now and then. The conservatory is for spending time with several guests. That’s how it is now, and we like it that way.
Myrna_Loy schrieb:
Then you would need to change the access to the conservatory – as it is, you have to go through the kitchen or past its narrowest point. Ideally, the conservatory would be accessible through the middle window by the dining table. But then you have the problem that to get to the garden, you have to go through the conservatory. That’s the case in our current home. In the new house, I definitely want two doors from the open-plan area: one into the conservatory and the other directly into the garden.
Maybe we need to experiment with this a bit more.
M
Myrna_Loy20 May 2021 13:21But doesn’t that contradict the large kitchen island and the goal of entertaining in the open-plan living area???
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