How to Change Interior Layout without the Use of Walls?

One of the practical and frequently used methods of separating interior space is to change floor levels.

A level change of a few inches, accompanied by a change in home plans floor covering, can easily set off a space for relaxing, sitting, or talking from one used for standing, movement, or storage. A section of the floor can even be raised high enough to allow significant storage underneath. Similarly, a change in ceiling height can be effective in setting off a small area for a specific use; if the change is great enough, the space above can be freed for other uses, ranging from book storage to a sleeping loft. The floor and/or ceiling height change may be accompanied by vertical partitioning of some sort e.g. curtains, shelving or sliding panels, for instance, depending upon the space constraints.

Of course, the effect of a change in level is amplified by an accompanying modification of light, material, color, or texture as discussed earlier. The addition of accenting elements such as shelves, moldings, niches or even a picture on the wall can help integrate the raise level visually. The eye usually seeks out light sources and strives to recognize individual contrasting elements in the brief split second before it calculates floor heights, wall angles, ceilings and so on.

So making the levels seem more like the location of desirable goals - sunlight on a wooden sculpture, inviting pillows, a bowl of tropical fruit - will allow the actual level change to be perceived as prologue to the consummation, not as an intrusion. No one, after all, wants to stumble over a threshold for no reason.

Finally, levels may be required for practical reasons - to accommodate a garage below or to create home plans the plumbing for a bathroom. In such cases, the need creates an opportunity for space segregation.