If you're planning a renovation project, you will likely have considered taking down walls to create more space or light in a room. But before you knock two rooms into one — hold fire. That’s because experts are always keen to use an existing layout, if possible, and they have some tried-and-tested design tricks that work every time.
“When it comes to home renovations, most homeowners think they need to knock down walls to change everything up,” says Emma Deterding, founder and creative director at Kelling Designs. “However, embracing the existing layout can be incredibly freeing. Rather than seeing fixed walls as limitations or negatives, you should use them as a starting point for creativity.”
Experts agree that the first step is to study how you already move through each room and the function it serves. Look at where the light falls, where you naturally pause, and where clutter collects. These are five expert-approved ways to make the most of your property’s existing layout —before you get the demolition team in.
Article continues below1. Rearrange Your Furniture
“A thoughtful designer will first look at how the home naturally flows before making structural changes,” says Kunal Trehan.
Moving furniture around might seem pretty basic, but it’s an easy and highly effective design trick to get the most out of your room's layout without knocking down any walls, say the experts.
“Rearranging your furniture to improve flow, angling seating to create a natural conversation area, or floating furniture away from the walls can all make a room feel more intentional without a single wall being knocked down,” explains Emma Deterding.
The key is to introduce furniture layouts that zone your space and support your daily routines and lifestyle.
“Furniture has to do architectural work,” adds Simon Mayhew, founder and interior designer at TXTURED. “A freestanding bookcase positioned at a right angle to the wall can define a reading nook within a larger room. A half-height screen can separate a home office from a living space while keeping light moving through, and a carefully placed kitchen island signals the boundaries of a cooking zone without closing anything off.”
As a rule, allow 60cm between items of furniture so a space doesn’t feel too cramped — and remember to edit, edit, edit, say the designers.
“Overcrowding a space can make a room feel smaller and more restrictive,” says Bahar Seyed Tabatabaei of Tiam Architects, “while thoughtfully placed furniture can improve flow, define zones, and make each area feel intentional.”
Emma Deterding is a leading interior designer who has been named in the top 100 in the world. Her design studio, Kelling Designs, and homeware brand, Kelling Home, are based in Norfolk and London
Simon is the founder and creative director of TXTURED, a Manchester and London-based interior design studio specializing in high-end residential and boutique commercial projects.
2. Re-assess Lighting
“A floor lamp can be used to create a cozy reading corner, pendant lights can help add definition for meal times, and wall lights can help to free up floor space and help make narrow rooms feel wider,” explains Emma.
Lighting does more than you realize for your home’s layout, and it’s one of the most effective design tools for embracing the space you have.
“Both natural and artificial light can dramatically affect how a room looks and feels,” says Bahar. “Maximizing natural light with sheer curtains or keeping windows unobstructed can make a space feel larger and more inviting.”
Placing mirrors behind lamps and opposite windows is another way to bounce light deeper into the room, making tighter spaces feel even more open. Plus, a layered lighting scheme, using ambient, task, and accent lights, is the expert-approved way to embrace and enhance your layout.
“A pendant cluster hung low over a dining table anchors a zone within an open room, a well-placed lamp at the end of a corridor pulls you through it, and a recessed downlight washing a low ceiling makes it feel like a design choice rather than a limitation,” adds Simon.
3. Define Your Layout With Color and Material
Use bold paint colors to define the layout without having to knock through any walls.
Being thoughtful with your color, pattern, and material choices will also work wonders for your layout. All three design tools are great visual tricks for defining spaces and also enhancing flow in your existing layout.
“Using deeper paint colors or bold wallpapers behind a dining table, for instance, can subtly zone that space,” says Emma. “If you’re working with small or narrow rooms, then vertical strips, high-contrast trim, or a feature ceiling can draw the eye up, giving the illusion of height.”
For rooms that feel small, interior designer Laura Hammett recommends using a lighter color on the ceiling than on the walls. “This gives a sense of height that makes a room feel instantly bigger, without needing to reconfigure your architecture,” she explains.
Cohesive color palettes across adjoining rooms will also enhance the visual flow of your layout and help the space feel brighter, airier, and calmer. And in compact homes, this can make your layout feel more generous.
“Running the same flooring through a sequence of rooms, say a wide oak board or a continuous stone tile, dissolves the boundaries between spaces and creates a sense of flow that the plan alone doesn’t give you,” adds Simon.
Pay attention to finishes, too. Whether you choose matte, gloss, or textured walls, all interact differently with light and subtly change the overall character of the space.
4. Get Clever With Storage
Floor-to-ceiling shelving creates a practical and eye catching feature.
Maximizing the existing layout and architecture of your property often means getting clever with storage ideas. So before you plan on knocking down your walls to create more space, the experts urge us to consider elements like built-in joinery and floor-to-ceiling shelving.
“Bespoke joinery and built-in storage can transform awkward corners into practical features,” explains interior designer Juliette Byrne, “improving flow without altering the architecture. By focusing on proportion, balance, and thoughtful detailing, you can create a home that feels cohesive and spacious, without the need for major structural changes.”
Bespoke storage does two things for layouts: it provides a dedicated home for every object, and it removes the visual noise that creates a cramped feeling in a space.
"When we conceal the necessities of a household and integrate multi-functional features like window seats, the main living areas remain calm and focused on family connection," explains Ran Ankory, managing director at Scenario Architecture. "A practical tip is to utilize the full vertical height of a room with floor-to-ceiling shelving, which draws the eye upward and creates a sense of volume."
5. Put Doors Back In
Fitting glass interior doors between a single living space can help create more usable rooms while maintaining visual flow.
If you’re tempted to knock walls down to create more space, it might seem counterproductive to put walls and doors back in, but experts say it’s one way to help make your layout work better for your property and your lifestyle.
“Adding doors back in can be beneficial in creating a ‘broken plan’ space in an open plan setting,” says Alice Bettington, co-director of Golden. “We love using glass doors to keep the light, but they also help to carve up the space and create smaller areas that work for different uses. It’s particularly suited to clients where the lines between home and work/life are blurred.”
Alice has also worked on a recent project which involved filling a door to the sitting room and replacing it with an interior window. “It helped to flood the traditional, narrow, and quite dark Victorian hallway with light and revitalize both rooms.”
As Simon explains, “The first thing to do is stop treating the layout as a problem to be solved and start reading it as a set of instructions. For instance, a narrow hallway in a Victorian home isn’t a flaw to be engineered away; it’s a moment of drama that makes the room it leads into feel more generous.”
"Some of the most rewarding projects we work on are the ones where the brief is to work entirely within the existing structure," he adds. "Whether that's a listed building where we can't touch the fabric, or a homeowner who genuinely loves the bones of their house and doesn't want them disturbed. The constraint forces a different kind of thinking entirely."
If you want your living space to work harder, these living room styling tricks will help to create a space that is both elevated and properly put together. And for more design and styling ideas, why not sign up for the Livingetc newsletter, and they'll be delivered straight to your inbox.