How to Choose Art for an Open-Plan Living Space
Open-plan living gives a home light, movement and flexibility. It also creates one surprisingly common design problem: where does the artwork belong when the kitchen, dining and living areas can all be seen at once?
The answer is not to fill every empty wall. In an open-plan room, art works best when it helps organise the space. A well-chosen piece can anchor the living area, give the dining zone its own identity and connect different finishes without making the whole room feel overly matched.
Start with the main sightline
Walk into the room from the entrance you use most often and notice where your eye naturally lands. That first clear wall is usually the strongest candidate for a hero artwork.
In many Perth homes, the main sightline runs from the entry through to the living area or across a kitchen island towards the dining wall. Artwork placed there has to work from a distance, not only when you are standing directly in front of it.
Take a photograph from the entrance, another from the kitchen and one from the main seating position. If the same wall appears in all three images, it deserves careful consideration.
Use art to define each zone
An open-plan room may not have physical walls between its functions, but it still needs visual boundaries. Artwork can create those boundaries without closing anything off.
- Living area: anchor the sofa or main seating arrangement with one substantial piece.
- Dining area: choose art that gives the table a sense of destination and works at both seated and standing height.
- Kitchen: keep nearby artwork clear of heat, steam and heavy traffic, and let it support rather than compete with cabinetry and stone.
- Transition spaces: use smaller, quieter pieces only where they help the eye move between zones.
The goal is for each area to feel distinct while still belonging to the same home.
Choose one hero piece before adding more
Open-plan spaces are often large, which can make several medium-sized artworks seem like the safe choice. In practice, too many competing pieces can make the room feel fragmented.
Begin with one hero artwork on the most important wall. Once its scale, palette and framing are settled, decide whether the other zones genuinely need more art. Negative space is useful. It gives the feature piece room to breathe and prevents the interior from feeling busy.
If you are working above a sofa, the artwork should relate to the furniture rather than the full width of the wall. Our guide to artwork above a sofa explains why the sofa sets the proportions.
Let scale do the work
A piece that looks generous in a smaller room can disappear in an open-plan interior. Long sightlines, high ceilings and broad walls all reduce the apparent size of artwork.
Measure the usable wall area, then mark the proposed canvas dimensions with painter’s tape. Step back to the kitchen, entry and opposite side of the room. If the taped outline feels timid from the main viewpoints, the finished artwork probably will too.
For practical starting points, see our canvas size guide. Custom artwork is especially useful here because the dimensions can respond to the room instead of forcing the room to accommodate a standard print size.
Connect the palette without matching everything
In an open-plan space, the artwork may sit beside timber flooring, kitchen cabinetry, stone, upholstery and dining furniture. It does not need to repeat every colour.
Choose one or two visual connections. An earthy red might relate to warm timber, a soft blue might balance a coastal view, or a deep neutral might pick up dark window frames. The remaining colours can introduce contrast and personality.
Think of the artwork as a bridge between zones, not a catalogue of every finish in the room. If you need help identifying the right relationships, our artwork colour guide offers a simple way to begin.
Consider Perth light throughout the day
Western Australian light can change an open-plan room dramatically. A west-facing space may feel bright and warm in the afternoon, while the same artwork can appear deeper and quieter after sunset.
Look at the proposed wall in morning light, afternoon light and under your usual evening lighting. Strong natural light can intensify warm colours and reduce subtle contrast. A shaded wall may give deeper blues, greens and layered neutrals more presence.
Direct sun can also be harsh on interiors over time. Position valuable artwork away from sustained direct sunlight where possible and consider blinds, curtains or UV-conscious glazing for exposed rooms.
Keep the framing consistent with the architecture
Framing is particularly visible in open-plan interiors because the artwork is seen from several angles. A timber float frame can connect with flooring, cabinetry or furniture without needing to match them exactly.
Natural timber often softens a light coastal interior. A dark frame can relate to black window frames, lighting or joinery and give a large canvas more definition. The frame should support the architecture and the artwork, not become a separate statement competing for attention.
Avoid these common open-plan mistakes
- Choosing several small pieces before deciding which wall matters most.
- Centred artwork on the wall but not on the furniture or zone below it.
- Using identical colours everywhere until the room feels overly coordinated.
- Selecting canvas dimensions while standing close to the wall instead of viewing them from across the room.
- Ignoring how the piece looks from the kitchen, entry or adjacent dining area.
- Adding art to every wall simply because space is available.
A simple open-plan artwork checklist
Before choosing a piece, ask:
- Which wall is visible from the greatest number of positions?
- Which zone needs the strongest visual anchor?
- Does the proposed size hold its presence from across the room?
- Which one or two colours or materials should the artwork connect with?
- How does the light change from morning to evening?
- Will the framing relate naturally to the surrounding architecture?
- Does the room need another artwork, or would some clear wall space make the hero piece stronger?
Good open-plan art does more than decorate a wall. It gives the room hierarchy, connects separate zones and creates a focal point that can be appreciated from every direction.
Not sure which wall should lead? Send Hunt the HUE photos taken from your entry, living area and kitchen, along with some approximate measurements. We can help you work through placement, scale, colour and framing before the first brushstroke. Explore our custom canvas art gallery, see how the process works or start a conversation.
