A growing trend among modern homeowners is opening up the lounge and dining room to create one cohesive open plan space. Traditional dining rooms have seen less use over the years as families increasingly spend less time sitting down for meals together. By combining the two rooms, homeowners can breathe new life into underused spaces. An open plan lounge/diner not only improves flow and functionality, but also encourages a more sociable and connected way of living – while still maintaining a warm, cosy lounge area.
We were instructed by our client to refurbish the entire ground floor of their property. This included a full renovation of the hallway, downstairs bathroom, and the creation of an open plan space between the lounge and dining area – all delivered with a modern, contemporary twist.
The client’s primary goal was to create a larger, more functional space for hosting friends and family. The previous layout of the home felt restrictive and didn’t allow for easy flow. By removing the load-bearing wall between the dining room and lounge, we connected the entire ground floor – from the front lounge all the way through to the conservatory at the rear. This transformation allowed natural light from the back of the property to reach the front lounge, greatly enhancing the sense of depth and openness.
The client envisioned a sleek, contemporary design. One key element was replacing the dated coved ceilings with flat, sharp-edged modern ceilings – enhanced by a subtle but striking feature: a perimeter “shadow gap” fitted with recessed LED lighting. This addition provides ambient mood lighting, ideal for both everyday use and entertaining.
In front of the chimney breast, we constructed bespoke timber-framed cladding, perfectly measured to house a recessed television. This created a minimalist, clean look with a high-end finish.
The entire ground floor was replastered, including the ceilings, replacing the old-fashioned artex with smooth, modern surfaces. We also installed new laminate flooring and skirting boards throughout. This continuous floor covering helped unify the previously separate rooms into one seamless, contemporary living space.
The result is a balanced, multifunctional space that suits both lively social gatherings and relaxed family evenings – a modern open plan design that meets the needs of today’s homeowners.
Location
Heswall, Wirral
Project essentials
- Open plan living space
- Under stairs storage space
- Contemporary shadow gap ceiling with LED lights
- Modern laminate and skirting boards
- Artex removal
- Plastering
A happy customer
“Open Plan Space were brilliant from start to finish. We were recommended them from a friend, so knew of their work previously in open plan space specialists.
From the consultation, work, project management and after project support they were so helpful. Their work was outstanding, and were also really clean / tidy throughout which is super important when it’s a living space and you still need to live in the house!
What we were most satisfied with was the communication throughout. We had previous poor experiences with other vendors who were not good at communicating. Open Plan Space were at the other end of the phone to answer and queries no matter how small. They couldn’t be more helpful and were just a pleasure to work with. Couldn’t be happier with the results, and have since recommended them to many friends of which are all extremely happy also.”
