With light and space becoming essential in any house post-lockdown, it’s no surprise that many homeowners are opting for a more open plan living space.

Here are a few simple tips to help you build a beautiful integrated living and dining area.

Consider your specific requirements

What would you like to achieve from your project? It’s a good idea to make a list of what you need from your new space.

Do you want to be able to watch movies or play music, and what sort of storage do you need it to have?

Will you need planning permission?

To create your living and dining area, you could refit the existing space or extend on what you already have.

Before starting any major projects, always contact your local planning authority to confirm whether you need to apply for planning permission.

Always follow building regulations

Your project may not need planning permission, but it will need to comply with building regulations. These will include rules around ventilation, insulation, heating and fire protection.

You may need to seek professional assistance

You might want to seek help with design and technical drawings of your new space, depending on the scale of the work being undertaken.

An architect would be able to help you with this. If the dining area is going to incorporate a kitchen, you may need to seek out a kitchen designer to make the most of your space and give you the guidance you need.

Let natural light in

If you want to add light to your open plan space, then installing glazing and bi-fold doors is an easy way to do that.

Another option is adding roof lights or a roof lantern to get rid of any dark corners.

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