Our Summer Column, "How to decorate joining rooms that are contained in one large open space."

This living room was separated from a family room by adding a wall with an archway.  

Peggy of Reading Township emailed us and she asked:

“"My Living room and dining room are contained in one large open space. Should I paint them the same color or treat them as separate rooms and paint them different colors?"

Many of today's modern homes are built with several open rooms, so we are often faced with the challenge of unifying the joining rooms while still differentiating the spaces. It is most important to be sure there is a visual flow between the rooms. This will create continuity and will allow the eye to flow around the space.

While every home is different, in most cases we suggest painting both joining rooms in the same color. Try adding architectural details between the two rooms such as columns or arched passageways to give the rooms the appearance of being separate. In many cases you can even add a wall between the two rooms leaving a large opening.  Also consider the use of a chair rail and applied molding below the chair rail in one of the rooms. Then paint the chair rail, below the chair rail and all of trim in both rooms the color of the trim. This will accent the woodworking of both rooms. 

It is important to decide on an overall style of the joining rooms and incorporate it into both spaces. For example, if you decide you want this area of your home to be a more contemporary formal area, do not decorate one room with cottage style furniture and the other with updated formal furnishings.  We often mix antiques with new items, but being consistent with the style is of the utmost importance. The style of your furniture and lighting in both areas should work well together and your accessories need to coordinate with one another. In addition, all artwork should be of the same style and framed similarly.

Be sure to select fabrics for both rooms that coordinate well together. Keep in mind that you may pull a chair or two from one area into the other area when entertaining, so the chairs should look great in both rooms. In most cases, when the rooms are one open space, the window treatments in both rooms should be made of the same fabric.  If the window shapes are different then you may want to treat them with different shaped treatments using the same fabric. Try to incorporate two different, but coordinating area carpets in each the space. This will add interest while helping to distinguish the two areas.  If the rooms already have wall-to-wall carpet, you can still lay area carpets on top of the carpeting for added design and visual appeal.

In conclusion, we usually recommend painting the walls in the same color and using some architectural elements to define the spaces. Make sure all fabrics coordinate in both rooms and pay attention to the overall style of each area, coordinating the furniture, fabric, lighting, art accessories and carpeting. As always have fun and good luck! Linda & Bill