Divide and conquer large space

Design Line

Our new condo apartment has a combined living room/dining area that opens onto the kitchen from the dining side. Because the space is quite large, we want to put a couple of lounge chairs and a TV set near our small dining table. We had a similar arrangement in our previous house, but it looked too informal - even messy - when viewed from the living room. Can you suggest how to distinguish the two parts of the room without putting up a wall between them? We do want to retain a feeling of openness.

One possibility can be seen in the accompanying photo, which is taken from the Taunton Press book The House to Ourselves, by Todd Lawson and Tom Connor. Movable panels on a ceiling track, with either opaque glass or fabric inserts inside a wood frame, will allow you to close off the dining area whenever you wish.

If you prefer to keep the room physically undivided, consider a variation on this solution. Install just one fixed panel of this kind on each end of the wall where the living room merges into the dining area. You'll still be able to see into the dining space from the living area, but there will be a degree of demarcation between the two sections of the room.

Another option focuses on the furniture. I don't know if you're planning to use the same pieces as in your previous home, but if you're able to make some purchases, choose lounge chairs that are more compatible in style and color with the furniture in the living room.

Changing the color of walls in one section of the space will also enhance the sense of separation while retaining the openness you desire. Flooring offers the same opportunity, as this photo also suggests. You could install a different surfacing material in the dining area or, more simply, just add an area rug in either of the room's sections.

The moral of this column is that color and material can divide or unite a room. When they're used for purposes of separation, however, it's important to establish a contrast while avoiding a clash.

Rita St. Clair is a Baltimore-based interior designer. Readers with general interior design questions can e-mail her at the above address.