Open-concept living rooms were all the rage throughout the 2010s. Though this layout will never fully disappear, many interior designers and architects are thinking about closing up their client's spaces and looking to lean into the cocooning warmth of smaller rooms for 2025. As this trend gets more popular, homeowners are looking for new ways to invite light and brightness into their spaces. Reese Witherspoon is pioneering an especially appealing one: a glass wall of windows.
We got a glimpse of the glass wall Witherspoon uses to make her house lighter in an Instagram reel about her book club. In the video, the actress sits at a small marble table in her living room, working on a watercolor painting. On her left, a wall with hundreds of dozens of windows broken up by steel beams floods the space with light and blurs the boundary between the indoor and outdoor space.
This glass wall technique is right in line with interior design trends. Renovation expert Andy Simms explains: 'Open plan living has been popular for over a decade now, but while it hasn’t quite had its day, many are returning to smaller, functional spaces - with a twist. “Broken plan” is when a bigger space is cut into various parts using screens, archways, steel framed windows and doors, or textured glass.' In the same vein, Witherspoon's glass divider between indoor and outdoor spaces is a simple way to elevate a broken plan space. With these windows, this layout will never feel claustrophobic.
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Although it might seem unattainable to completely redo your window treatment idea to open up your space without knocking down walls, it's not the only way to brighten a broken plan space. Simms states: 'While building archways or glass walls might be a job for a professional, other broken plan ideas can be done yourself. Open shelving is one way you can achieve a partition effect.' Integrating open shelving isn't the exact same as integrating open walls as Witherspoon has done, but it's an easy way to brighten your space in a similar manner to her.
Simms advises: 'Once you have chosen a position for your shelving, you need to attach it to the wall. To do so, first, you need to find the wall studs where you want to place the shelving unit. Position the shelving brackets on the wall, marking the screw holes where they will align with the studs. Drill small holes in the correct position and then screw the brackets into the wall. You might want to use rawl plugs for a better fit. This method also works for a screen should you wish to attach it to a wall, with hinges for ease.'
As broken plan spaces grow ever more popular, designers will continue to innovate on how to keep these spaces open and bright. If Reese Witherspoon's living room is anything to go off of, I can't wait to see more.
