Open-Plan House Design

An open-plan house where walls guide movement, extend visual perspectives, and create a calm relationship between private spaces, nature, and everyday life.

https://on.contra.com/8QGwMK

A residential house designed around an open and flexible spatial layout, bringing together living areas for men and women, a kitchen, seating areas, and a space for activities within one cohesive composition.

The house extends into the rear courtyard through the swimming pool, seating area, circulation paths, and wild plants, making the landscape a natural extension of the house and part of the movement experience.

Wood and marble were selected to introduce a sense of luxury and calm both inside and outside the house. Different furniture color options were also tested to achieve visual harmony with the overall atmosphere and concept of the house.

The main idea was to rethink the way people enter and move through the house. Instead of relying on one main entrance and a conventional sequence of spaces, the walls were designed to guide movement and allow users to discover the house through different paths.

At the same time, the sleeping and private relaxation area was separated from the heart of the house through an independent staircase, creating a quieter and more private zone while keeping the main living areas open and connected to nature.

The main challenge was to balance openness and privacy through the architectural composition itself, without relying on conventional spatial divisions.

The walls therefore became elements that organize movement and define boundaries without completely enclosing the spaces. Marble was applied along the edges of the walls specifically to create a sense of visual extension toward the end of each wall, making the boundaries feel less abrupt and allowing the visual line to continue further.

Large windows maintain a visual connection with the exterior, while subtle curves are introduced within the simple linear forms to soften the rigidity of the composition and add movement to the massing.

This project showed me that an open-plan layout does not mean the absence of boundaries. Instead, boundaries can be redefined through massing, wall orientation, circulation paths, and different levels of privacy.

I also learned that small details, such as the way a wall edge is finished or how materials and colors are selected, can directly influence the perception of a space. Architecture is not only about organizing areas, but also about shaping how users see and experience a place as they move through it.