Open floor plans are becoming more and more popular with home remodels and new home builds because of the diversity of design options that become available to homeowners when the walls are torn down.
That being said, closed floor plans are still dominant in many older home designs and a have a very comfortable feel for many homeowners. For today's post, we're going to take a look at the advantages of both open and closed floor plans, and how to best determine which might be best for your home. But first, an essential question:
What is an open floor plan?
Like the name suggests, this type of home layout usually contains one or more large, open rooms that function as multiple rooms within a single living space. The most common of these is typically known as a "great room," which combines the kitchen, dining room, and living room in one shared space. Open floor plans are more commonly seen in homes with less square footage, whereas larger homes have more leeway to work with when integrating rooms into a floor plan.
Prior to the '90s, most homes were designed to have numerous separate rooms, many of which were really only separated by three-quarters of a wall or an open walkway. The idea behind this layout was that the more rooms a house had, the more attractive, compartmentalized, and functional it was.
Since that time, designers, builders, and homeowners alike have realized that homes with open floor plan designs could fit more usable living space into the same amount of square footage.
The Advantages of Open Floor Plans
Over the last 20+ years, spacious homes with fewer walls and open floor plans have become more popular than ever. Some of the advantages of this design choice include:
- Providing a more social environment- The person cooking or cleaning in the kitchen can converse with people in other rooms.
- Allowing parents to keep an eye on kids- Great rooms allow parents to cook and do other household duties while their kids play in the same room.
- Increasing views and natural light through the addition of more window space- The removal of interior walls allows sunlight from windows in the exterior walls to permeate throughout the house.
- Better entertainment space- When guests are over you can be part of the group while you prepare and serve food.
The Advantages of Closed Floor Plans
Although we've made a strong case for open floor plans, many homes are already designed for a closed floor plan. As above, closed floor plans offer a larger number of smaller sized rooms that can provide the following advantages:
- Increased privacy- Many family households have people contending with different ages and schedules, from babies to teenagers and grandparents or nannies that all live in the same home. Enclosed spaces may work better in a house where everyone needs their own space.
- Allows for more wall space to decorate- If you like to decorate by hanging art or other objects, more wall space can be a good thing.
- Noise reduction- Open floor plan designs have more acoustics and cause noise to travel farther, while extra walls can help contain and limit noise.
- Customized spaces-Additional rooms allow for more separate spaces to be dedicated to individual uses, such as home offices, "mancaves," craft rooms, workout rooms, or guest rooms.
Choosing the Right Floor Plan for You
Open floor plans sometimes seem to benefit single people or couples without children the most. It's a way to take advantage of more of the space in the home without having to contend with as many privacy issues.
But really, it's not like your household needs to pick one or the other. Most of today's homes contain some combination of open and closed floor plans, which offer a variety of layout options. It makes sense for most households to maintain a more spacious design on the main level and smaller, separate rooms on the second floor, in the basement or the attic.
Regardless of your home's current floor plan, if the layout's not working for you anymore, maybe it's time to think about how you can make better use of the existing space. And that's where MDV Remodeling comes in! With ourTruYouDesign™ process, we can help you plan your remodel to suit your personal needs. Be sure to contact us for a fast,freeestimate today!
*image courtesy of Getty Images/Thinkstock