My friend likes Grand Designs and I think that's where her inspiration comes from for her open plan, minimalistic look. She's spent quite a bit on the renovations and I think she's most likely to have decreased the value of her house.
She has a long, narrow room that connects to another long, narrow room which then connects to a tiny kitchen. Everything is stuffed into the first room at the front and the kitchen at the back of the house.
The middle room is partially open plan with the front room; it is virtually empty apart from oddly placed, unmatched pictures on the walls and the kitchen overspill - an oversized fridge freezer and the washer dryer. They are placed according to feng shui principles but are in perfect view of the front door. They would be less imposing if placed against the wall at the side.
The first two rooms are long and narrow because they were originally the sitting room and kitchen/dining room. The wall between them was removed and a section along the side was closed off to form the 'nook' or bar area and storage cupboards. The newly built extension at the end is where the tiny kitchen is.
She has two three seater sofas. One is in front of the fireplace, facing towards the centre of the room. The other is against the wall, opposite it. It looks dreadful but she refuses to have it against the window and radiator - it does fit but she doesn't want it in front of the radiator or window as it blocks 'the flow'..... but I'm certain the flow of the fireplaces shouldn't be blocked either....
The nook is too narrow to be useable. It is used for storage. It is not meant to be functional and the bar area has a bar top that looks as if it's an access point and lifts up. It doesn't. It's completely ornamental. The lines it creates are important and direct the flow.
In the bedrooms with fireplaces there are places that beds are assumed to go. Not in my friends house! She has one room with a double bed in it. The headboard is in the centre of the room, aligned with the door way. The foot of the bed is against the window so she can sit in bed and have a good view out of the window apparently but I've checked and there's a fixed net curtain so she can't see out. The alignment is important.