How to Guide: Divide Your Living Room in Two with MIO Dividers
Open floor plans are common, especially for modern homes. They make the room feel larger, allowing for more natural light, entertainment room, and additional furnishings. But sometimes, open floor plans result in living rooms that are just too big.
But you don’t have to redesign your entire home and give up the open floor plan – you can just divide the living room into two rooms. And there are plenty of effective ways to divide without compromising functionality or aesthetics.
Why divide a living room into two rooms?
A big living room may not seem like a problem to most people. But for others, it’s the difference between a dream home and that “awkward space near the kitchen.” On the other end of the spectrum, smaller living rooms may require separation to prevent design creep between neighboring spaces like dining rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. And from a functional perspective, a division among spaces adds privacy that may have been missing from your home.
Benefits of dividing a living room into two rooms
There are many benefits to dividing your living room in two or separating it from neighboring spaces. Here are a few that apply to every style of home:
- Maximize the functionality and style of the space - Stylish room dividers can bring your living room to life with color, dimension, and texture. And if you want to create smaller intimate spaces within the large room for nooks or shelves, while also injecting some personality, room dividers are the ideal solution.
- Balance your home - At some point, your living room will be used as your dining room… and your storage room, home office, and maybe even as a bedroom. Clearly dividing the space keeps it functional and inviting. It also keeps it from degrading into a catch-all room.
- Enhanced privacy - Living rooms are where your family meets to talk, relax, and entertain. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy some alone time in the space. Dividing the room creates visual and acoustic privacy between the living room, dining room, kitchen, and other surrounding spaces.
How to divide a living room in two with room dividers
Separate one living room into two
It’s common for larger homes to have two living rooms. One is usually more formal, suitable for entertaining guests on sofas and armchairs. The other is often referred to as a den or family room, designed for a more comfortable feel and outfitted with couches, TVs, and games for the family to relax and socialize.
If you think that your current living room is too big, it probably is. But with some additional furnishings, a quick rearrangement, and modular dividers, you can turn one living room into two separate environments, each with their own energy and functionality.
Create a functional dining room
A dining room is more than just a table and a few chairs. And though it’s common for dining and living rooms to be adjoining spaces, they sometimes benefit from a clear separation.
Dining rooms promote healthy eating habits and family bonding. And as any dietician or psychologist will tell you, nothing disrupts healthy eating and family time like a living room full of TVs and other distractions. But if you want to maintain the open floor plan feel, a permanent wall isn’t the solution to your problems.
Strike a balance between thoughtful separation and complete division with a portable divider to demarcate the two spaces. The height is the important part here – you want to preserve open space near the ceiling but make sure it’s high enough to clearly separate the space. We recommend a screen that’s near eye-level (roughly 4-5 feet tall).
And if you love to host guests, don’t worry – their portable design makes it effortless to move them around as needed so that your guests can mingle freely.
Add a conjoining bedroom
Modern interiors often blur the lines between living and sleeping spaces, especially in the case of compact studio apartments and tiny homes. But this doesn’t make privacy any less important.
You should be able to sleep comfortably without feeling like someone is watching you. And similarly, your bedroom should be reserved exclusively for sleep, not a makeshift couch that you retreat to multiple times per day.
Build an “actual” home office
Your home office can make or break your work day – it’s critical that you have your own private space to focus. And if your current office is just a desk in the corner of the living room, you know this to be true.
But if you have enough space for a desk and chair, there’s plenty of room for a divider to boost your productivity. Set up a visual and acoustic partition that prevents the sights and sounds from the living room from disturbing your flow.
Retreat to a private nook
Turn unused space in the corner of your living room into a nook that lets you read, write, and meditate in peace. And to make sure nobody bothers you, use acoustic room dividers to absorb sound from the rest of the space.
Benefits of room dividers
Room dividers are meant to do exactly that – divide. But ours do so much more; from soundproofing to portability, this is what MIO dividers can do for your home.
- Aesthetic design – MIO dividers are designed for creatives searching for that minimalist, modern look. Available in a suite of colors, materials, and custom options, there’s more than one divider that will suit your needs.
- Acoustic control and spatial soundproofing - Dividing a living room in two is more than just a visual need– it’s also about controlling the acoustics. Our soundproofing materials absorb sound waves to reduce noise levels from the television, music, and social chatter in your home.
- Portable - Your family uses the living room for entertaining, talking, watching TV, and more. The point is, living rooms are flexible spaces – your furnishings should be too. You can easily move MIO dividers around as your needs change, from family game nights to weekend get-togethers, and back again.
- Low-cost - Dividing your living room shouldn’t require expensive furnishings or expensive, lengthy renovations. Separate your space in just a few minutes for just a few hundred dollars.