Open plan living - how do I accessorise/decorate etc?

[tracyk]

I have open plan kitchen (breakfast bar) leading onto dining area and lounge. One big room - rectangle - 13m x 5m.
Come in back door into kitchen and can see right through dining and lounge to end of room.
Kitchen in mid brown units, creamy w/surface, creamy floor tiles.
Lounge/Dining has mid/dark wooden floor, dark leather couches and dark wooden dining table and chairs. Wall/ceilings all cream.
Large (not very nice) windows. 1 straight ahead at far end of room behind couch 1, 1 on the right hand wall behind couch 2.
Patio doors on right hand wall beside dinner table. All have cream tab top curtains at mo.
Window on right hand wall in kitchen - no curtains.
Also need rug for in front of rugs and under dinner table.

Now - do I go for the same curtains/blinds on all windows - even kitchen? Same rugs? or can I have 1 type of curtain in lounge area and different at the dinner area and wooden blinds for kitchen?

I would say that you need to keep a fairly similar theme running through, so 3 different type of curtain/blind sounds too much, but managing different types of curtains/blinds in the same colour could work. How firm do you want to be in your zones? We have a fairly large open plan area but I like having some fluidity as to how large each area is.

Well - the kitchen is a fixed size due to the breakfast bar thingy.

The lounge area is at the far end with a fireplace, but is naturally divided by 3 little steps coming down from the hall. and the dining area fits in the space in between and I've centred it at the patio doors.

I was quite happy with my cream coloured curtains - till I popped into Laura Ashley and saw all the lovley curtains/cushions etc and made me want them.

I would say that you should keep to a similar colour /theme but you can change the patterns or types of curtains etc.

It may be worth you having a look aound some show homes as they do this really well.

Ie use cream as your main colour and in the living room have cream and chocolate but in the kitchen go for duck egg blue, cream and brown.