This clever scheme is bursting with multifunctional features, for open-plan living at its most stylish Incorporating the sleek styling of Italian interiors, this beautiful space is full of multitasking pieces that look crisp, clean and timeless
A calm, neutral colour scheme ensures this multitasking room feels open and airy. Dark furniture and splashes of colour stand out crisply against it, but never threaten to crowd or clutter the space. To make open-plan living work efficiently, dedicated lighting and a rug ‘zone’ the areas, so the hallway, study corner, living and dining spaces each have a unique identity while still working harmoniously together within the entire space. Multifunctional designs incorporating vital storage make this room perfect for a busy family or a professional couple, helping it cater stylishly for daily life or shine as a venue for socialising and entertaining.
Storage is essential in an open-plan space to prevent it looking cluttered, and this room boasts a range of practical pieces that look sensational, too. An Italian wall and TV unit, with the clean lines that suit this room’s contemporary feel, accommodates an array of media while hiding the leads and cables which make a room look messy. Shelves above provide useful storage and display space, helping personalise the room, while the dark wooden elements tie in beautifully with other dark accents dotted through this scheme, from the armchairs to the shoe storage near the entrance. A slim table by the sofa and a smart coffee table create more useful surface space, but their neat silhouettes help them look unobtrusive.
This versatile dining area is compact enough to feel unobtrusive, but still works brilliantly for day to day life. When friends come over, the table can be extended, but its clean lines mean this corner always feels uncluttered. The table and chairs are another example of beautiful, contemporary Italian style and share the same neutral tones of the walls, helping them to ‘disappear’ against their backdrop. Two gorgeous pendant lights look like colourful artworks, popping out against the neutral surroundings. They create a wash of soft, mood lighting over the table, perfect when entertaining.
A little hallway area has been created by the front door. It fits seamlessly into the larger open-plan space, but also operates as a clearly defined entrance, complete with shoe and coat storage, a console table and dedicated lighting. A unique, ingenious cabinet, covered in leather and mounted on the wall keeps shoes from spilling across the floor, with a shelf above for keys. The mirrored cupboard is a practical and original solution to coat storage and its door, together with the circular mirror, helps boost light levels and increase the sense of space. Teal blue hooks look funky and continue the blues found elsewhere in the interior, while also providing a place to hang hats or bags. The dark tones of the console table and lamp match the shoe storage and painting, and with other dark accents peppered throughout this interior, create a truly harmonious look.
The sofas and armchairs in the comfortable living area were chosen to complement each other, rather than match, for visual interest. This is a flexible mix of seating; comfy but uncluttered for family lounging, and able to be reconfigured for entertaining. Seven people can sit happily together, with the wooden storage stools pulled into use and the soft desk stool creating an extra perch or, with the tray on top, serving as a useful side table. The long, generous sofa actually helps the room feel bigger —small sofas can make a modest space appear even smaller — while a large rug anchors this section, subtly defining the living area as separate from the dining space. Its teal blue colour brings warmth to the neutral scheme without standing out boldly and the colour is repeated on the charming cloud shelves above. The coffee table provides another useful surface for drinks or books, echoing the long shape of the sofa without dominating the floor space or reading as a centrepiece.
A wood-burning stove is a warm focal point for the living area — in every sense! This handsome design looks beautiful whether lit or not and its rich blue finish contributes to the blue accents dotted throughout, on the rug, shelves and also on the swirling artwork above. There is more storage in this corner of the room, in the form of beautifully slim shelves in a timeless, clean design which fit beautifully into the alcove. Wall mounting them helps keep maximum floor area visible, boosting the overall sense of space. The neat little hexagonal side table is a genius piece of multitasking furniture, perfect for any home where space is tight. It is light enough to be moved around and can be used as a table or stool and as storage.
To ensure this open-plan interior is truly multipurpose, a study area has been designed in a corner that might otherwise remain unused. The compact shape of this wall-mounted desk, which also contains speakers, helps it slot neatly into the corner and it can be folded shut when not in use, to maintain the clean, uncluttered feel of the interior. Dedicated lighting above is both functional and stylish, with the long pendants beautifully highlighting the room’s lofty proportions. The stool is a perfectly compact seating solution, its softly patterned upholstery providing a subtle pop of detail. Its tan colour acts as a soft accent, and is picked up and repeated on the leather tray and log storage featured elsewhere.