How to make a living-dining room feel like separate spaces

Combined living-dining rooms first became popular in the first half of the 20th century – open-plan design layouts replaced the stuffy and formal mazes of reception rooms found in traditional Victorian houses.

So while they are a fairly contemporary idea, they can also feel like a bit of a dated concept already: modern 21st century living, particularly in small-yet-stylish flats, often sees the kitchen incorporated into the living area without the need for a dining table, with a raised kitchen island and sofas around a coffee table providing an open, social space for cooking and eating.

Flawless flooring

If there's one thing that really ties a room together, it's the floor-coverings – be they rugs, carpets, laminates or tiles. If a living-dining room has consistent flooring throughout, you might struggle to make them feel like different spaces.

A great way to provide some contrast is to start with a base of a warm laminate floor style, and then use rugs to separate the two different areas. Arrange sofas and chairs around a large square rug in the living area, and use a similar styled rectangular rug – with a noticeably different pattern – under the dining table.

If you don't want to lose the soft carpets in your cosy living space, then consider separating the dining area with laminate flooring or tiles. The two different flooring styles side by side will create a noticeable contrast, with the added bonus that food spillages during dinner can be easily cleaned up.

Feature walls

Standout feature walls are a perfect way to inject a large dose of personality, colour and style into a room, so one in each area could help to create two distinct styles for one room.

To avoid overdoing things with a cluttered look, each wall's features will have to be a little more subtle than usual. Also, although they will need to be in contrasting styles to really distinguish both areas, be careful not to select styles that clash!

In the living area, select warm tones for your feature wall to create a cosy feeling – decorate with a frame cluster of family photos and mementos for a very homey touch. In the dining area, on the other hand, opt for a cooler palette. Perhaps use different shades of the same colour, or paint the living room area and then opt for dining room wallpaper with a pattern to make both ends of the space stand out in their own right.

Decorate with a different theme in the dining area: food and nature are obvious choices, though you could also consider a giant chalkboard for a quirky way to leave notes and reminders for the family, or even display the menu during a dinner party!

Make the right furniture choices

If you have a tendency to get stuck in one style when it comes to your furniture choices, then it will do your living-dining room no favours if you are really trying to make the spaces feel separate.

Break out of your comfort zone and choose a contrasting style for your different room sections. A sleek and minimalist styling in the living room, to accompany your TV and various gadgets, doesn't necessarily have to be at odds with a more traditional-styled corner of the room for a simple and honest space for eating and socialising.

Tie the two looks together with similar tones – a modern dark wood-styled TV cabinet, and a rustic dark table won't be at odds, creating two distinct areas of a unified room. Alternatively, go all out and choose styles as different as possible – just be wary of clashing colours!

Partitioning potential

Depending on your room's layout, a partition is the easiest way to divide your living-dining room into separate spaces.

A full partition will obviously separate both areas in to two different rooms, which will defy the point of that big, open-plan space! But there are plenty of other methods of dividing the space up a bit while still keeping the room intact – a screen, pillars, or carefully selected shelving can subtly break up the room into separate spaces.

Different halves of the same whole

It may seem like a challenge to merge two design styles together in a way that both ties the room together while letting the different sections feel separate, but it's a great excuse to really let your personality loose on a room! No matter how much you love a particular style or aesthetic, there are always other options that you may have considered and almost gone for in a particular room – this is a chance to have them both on display in the same space!

Show off your professional side with a functional and minimalist dining area that doubles as a work space, and your fun side with a cosy and warm living room. Alternatively, let your rustic side run wild with a country cottage-styled dining area for cheerful and traditional family meals while satisfying your contemporary tastes in a modern tech-heavy entertainment centre. As long as both sides are tied together by some common threads, you will have a beautiful living-dining room with the best of both worlds, no matter which ones you choose for yourself.