Ten tips for the proper design of rooms without borders

Kya deLongchamps considers the hidden demands of an open-plan lifestyle, and reminds us that getting it right at the planning stage can make all the difference to that great wide open.

Open plan, as we know is a floor-plan in living areas that does away with some traditional internal walls that would in the past have divided rooms into smaller function pockets.

With the exception of fire safety (for example ensuring there’s a second escape route if the main stair terminates in the open plan living space downstairs) there’s really nothing you cannot do once the engineering and architectural logic allows. With the addition of load bearing RSJs, even traditional or period homes can open to the light.