{"id":3870,"date":"2025-07-17T07:05:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T07:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/miriamprada.com\/?p=3870"},"modified":"2025-07-17T07:09:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T07:09:00","slug":"how-to-design-an-open-plan-that-feels-like-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miriamprada.com\/es\/how-to-design-an-open-plan-that-feels-like-home\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f3mo dise\u00f1ar un espacio abierto que se sienta como en casa"},"content":{"rendered":"

C\u00f3mo dise\u00f1ar un espacio abierto que se sienta como en casa<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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I often say: if you don\u2019t measure well, you simply can\u2019t design well. And I stand by that more than ever this week. Designing an open plan space is not about throwing a kitchen, a dining table and a sofa into a Pinterest board and hoping for the best. It\u2019s about listening \u2014 really listening \u2014 to the space. To its light, its movement, its structure, and yes, its silence too.<\/h5>\n
Last week, we talked about el origen<\/em>, the heart of the concept \u2014 the intention behind the open plan. Today, we\u2019re getting a touch more technical. Not dry-technical, don\u2019t worry \u2014 we\u2019re not building rockets \u2014 but the kind of technical that saves you from design heartbreak down the line.<\/h5>\n
So let\u2019s start where everything begins: with the tape measure.<\/h5>\n

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Why Measuring<\/em> is the Love Language of Interior Design<\/strong><\/h5>\n
I say this with all my heart \u2014 not measuring properly is the first step towards absolute disaster. You may laugh, but I\u2019ve seen it. A sofa that won\u2019t fit. A window forgotten. A column misread. Measuring isn\u2019t just a task; it\u2019s a conversation with the space. And we need to be good<\/em> listeners.<\/h5>\n
And here\u2019s the truth many miss: spaces aren\u2019t two-dimensional<\/strong>. That window you think you\u2019ve noted down? It has a starting height from the floor, its own height, distance to the ceiling, depth, reveal, position in the wall\u2026 and all of it matters. Every window, beam, step, socket, and curve is telling you something about how it wants to be part of the bigger picture.<\/h5>\n
It\u2019s not just about the \u201cwhat\u201d, it\u2019s about the where<\/em>, the how<\/em>, the with what<\/em>.<\/h5>\n
Even if you\u2019ve got high-tech laser tools, or just your own hand and a good shoe \u2014 yes, I do measure with the palm of my hand sometimes<\/em> \u2014 the point is: be clever, be consistent, and always use fixed references.<\/h5>\n

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The Magic of Functional Zoning<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Once we\u2019ve measured (and double-checked), the soul of the open plan starts to reveal itself through its zones. I always say this: an open plan without zones is like a novel without chapters \u2014 your eye gets tired, your mind feels lost.<\/h5>\n
Defining a kitchen, a dining area and a living space doesn\u2019t mean closing them off. Quite the opposite. The most elegant<\/em>open plans are those that breathe together while each part has its own distinct role.<\/h5>\n
A rug can do it. A pendant light can whisper \u201cdining area\u201d from above. A slight change in flooring, or a shift in ceiling texture, can transform a zone from casual to cosy \u2014 without a single wall in sight.<\/h5>\n
We don\u2019t always see<\/em> the boundaries. But we feel<\/em> them.<\/h5>\n
And honestly? An open plan with no boundaries exhausts the eye. It\u2019s like listening to a song that never changes key.<\/h5>\n

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Let Structure Guide You, Not Limit You<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Got a column in the middle of the room? Celebrate it. Let it be your anchor. Wrap a panel around it. Create a ceiling break right at that spot. Let it guide your layout, not limit your creativity. Structure isn\u2019t an obstacle \u2014 it\u2019s a co-author.<\/h5>\n
I often take inspiration from the Japanese engawa<\/em> \u2014 those beautiful transitional spaces that feel like neither inside nor outside, yet tie everything together. We might not live in Kyoto, but we can honour the same sensibility<\/em> \u2014 that soft, slow transition that calms the mind and defines flow.<\/h5>\n
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Flow is Everything \u2014 Think Like a River<\/strong><\/h5>\n
Here\u2019s something I live by: a home without good circulation is a home that frustrates.<\/h5>\n
I imagine movement like rivers. If you block a river, it stagnates. If you guide it, it flows. Designing your open plan means thinking about that movement \u2014 how you walk, how you live, how a tray of coffee gets from kitchen to table without stress.<\/h5>\n
Minimum circulation width? 90cm.<\/strong> Not a law, but a really good rule of thumb.<\/h5>\n
And when you visualise? Imagine yourself there<\/em>. Hosting. Cooking. Passing a glass of wine. What does your body want to do? Where does it want to go? Let that be your blueprint.<\/h5>\n

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Layouts That Work: L, U, Parallel & Central<\/strong><\/h5>\n
There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all, but there are<\/em> patterns that help.<\/h5>\n