Hey,guess what's passe:rooms.Rooms are passe.They are over,they are done.Knock down your walls.Free the oppressive shackles of labels such as'dining room'and'kitchen'.
Well,almost.As Susan Knof,senior interior design expert at SHH Architects notes,a number of homeowners are opening up their interior spaces to encompass large,flexible,multi-utility areas,where kitchens and dining rooms form an unholy chimera,and where bathrooms bleed into hallways.
But it's not just homeowners fuelling the trend,opening up their Victorian piles and modern apartments to let more natural light flood through their decors:young couples and modern types who look to make the most of their studio flats are also turning to Susan for advice on how best to arrange their open spaces.
"When it comes to large spaces,one can start to break down the volume through a variety of methods,"said the expert."Perspective,colour and texture can help to create a break in a space in terms of volume and scale."
But as well as using neat tricks such as feature walls covered in wallpaper and plush overlapping rugs,you can get the'three rooms crammed into one'feel with the right lighting.
When you use the same room to cook,dine,study and potentially sleep in,your lighting needs to be practical,flexible and elegant all at once.And that's just what flush ceiling lights offer:they sit neatly in a recessed nook drilled in the ceiling,offering various levels of illumination as per your needs.
"Lighting can always be a key ingredient,"nods Susan."I like to create variety in a space through multiple lighting techniques.I tend to shy away from uniform and even lighting,by offering both direct and ambient light,and light in a manner sympathetic to the interior as a whole.
