3 Ways To Create A Modern Open-Plan Living Space From Your Dated Home's Pokey Living Rooms

Modern Australian homes generally feature open-plan living areas, which is a reflection of the desire for the feeling of space and the ability for rooms to have multiples uses. Open-plan living rooms essentially mean that your home's living space is found in one large room. If you've bought a pre-1980s home, then you may be finding that having a separate dining room, kitchen, and lounge room feels pokey and dated in comparison to homes built during later decades.

Fortunately, with some simple home modifications and additions, you can bring your old home forward into the modern era. Here are three ways you can create an up-to-date, spacious, and airy feel to the living area of your home.

1. Replace windows with bi-fold doors

Bi-fold doors, as the name would suggest, are doors which hinge in two places. They're installed on tracks which allow you to partially or completely open them up, and they tuck neatly and unobtrusively against the wall when open. They are generally made up of door height panes of glass with a timber or aluminium frame.

Bi-fold doors are a mainstay of modern Australian home design because they allow you to completely open up your home to the external living areas. This allows for seamless movement between your indoor living space and your deck, patio, or veranda. Because of the large glass panels, bi-fold doors also dramatically increase the amount of light the interior of your home receives, which is great for creating a roomy and bright look.

2. Remove internal walls

Even though pre-1980s homes generally have a series of smaller rooms used for general living purposes, these rooms are almost always grouped together in one part of the home. This makes it easy to reconfigure your living space by removing some or all of the home's internal walls.

Removing internal walls will not only help to create one large, multi-purpose living area, it will also free up extra floor space which would normally have been taken up by walls. Even only a few square metres of extra space can make a huge difference to how much more room you'll have to live in.

3. Install new flooring

Pre-1980s homes are likely to have a variety of different floor coverings and surfaces for each separate living room. These could be a combination of carpets, tiles, timber, or linoleum. Modernising your living space means having a single floor variety throughout the whole open-plan area.

Depending on your taste, décor, and budget this could be tiles, timber, or laminate flooring. Carpet is another less popular option, because carpet in high traffic and cooking areas might not stand the test of time. It's wiser to use a rug if you'd like to have some soft flooring in the lounge area of your new living space.

Installing bi-fold doors and removing internal walls requires the expert advice and services of a contractor who can compete the work without compromising the structural integrity of your home. If you're considering this kind of remodelling with your home, then it's best to consult with an experienced contractor before you make any firm plans.