Open floor plans have been trending now for over a decade. These homes are a great way to maximize the space in small homes and get the most out of a home’s square footage. While this type of floor plan continues to be popular, it does lack the privacy and comfort that comes with individual rooms.
A great way to create the illusion of privacy in an open floor plan is to visually divide the space. However, that doesn’t mean you have to build walls or completely close off open spaces. There are many ways to effectively divide up the space and still enjoy the flow and space of an open floor plan.
Room Dividers
In the recent past, people have gravitated towards folding screens when they needed to separate spaces. These temporary dividers were once very popular, but have since lost popularity. This is partly because they make a room appear smaller, which defeats the purpose of having an open floor plan in the first place.
Screens and other dividers draw the eye horizontally, which visually cuts off the room’s height and emphasizes its width. This makes your rooms appear more squat than spacious. It is possible to create room division that draws the eye vertically, enlarging the space. One of the best ways to do this is through the use of posts and columns.
Drawing the Eye Vertically
The Greeks and Romans understood the aesthetically pleasing qualities of posts, pillars and other vertical architectural design elements. As a culture, the Western world has borrowed from these influences for centuries. We have adapted these features to be used in our personal residences.
These architectural features draw the eye toward the heavens and visually divide up the space for other uses. Columns are commonly used in homes these days to accomplish room division without compromising spaciousness. They effortlessly separate a living area from a study or a dining room from a kitchen. This creates the illusion of privacy and division without compromising the flow of the space.
Classic and Modern
Whether your taste in classical architecture with fluted grooves or you prefer the tapered posts used in a craftsman style home, they are the perfect room dividers for any space. They are a great way to give a room its own identity in a stylish, attractive way.
Don’t be afraid to explore your options in order to get a look that will complement your home’s existing architecture and style. There are more varieties of posts available to home owners today than ever before. You can’t beat the price or options for creating a space that is all your own.
Room dividers are an awesome way to create a work space, living space, or carve your own personal space out of home’s existing floor plan. Regardless of your personal style or taste, you can’t go wrong with columns. Their classic structure and design are one of the best ways to enhance your home and maintain its function.