If you have been thinking about remodeling your home and doing any research you probably have stumbled across the phrase “open-floor plan”, or “open-concept design”. This style of interior architecture has been the dominant trend for years and has been the goal in many major remodeling projects. The objective is to join the kitchen and dining room, dining room and living room, or all three into some form of communal living space. If you’re thinking about renovating your home and are considering an open-floor plan, read on to see if it would work for you!
What exactly constitutes an open floor plan? The most accurate definition of an open floor plan is; an open floor plan is a generic term used in residential architecture, that makes use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms. Generally, these spaces have two or more common spaces joined together to form a larger space by eliminating partition walls.
That being said, this doesn’t mean that every room needs to be connected to constitute an open design. Open floor plans apply only to common areas, most often some combination of kitchen, dining room, and living room. The openness of the space is meant to foster communication and bonding of those who live in the space, as well as create a sense of togetherness and interaction while entertaining.
Pro Tip: A kitchen and dining area are seen quite a lot as connected spaces, and can be “separated” by an island or peninsula!
Open floor plans have dominated the market for over 3 decades, becoming the primary architectural trend of new constructions starting in the 1990s. They first started gaining popularity around the 1950s, when entertainment became less formal overall. Pre-World War II entertaining was a relatively formal affair in which the kitchen was distinctly separate from the entertaining/dining space and always off-limits to guests of the house. It wasn’t until after the war that the open floor plan that we know today really started to take shape. Formality gave way to a more casual attitude and began to incorporate the kitchen, offering more design flexibility for reconfiguring the space as the family changed and grew. Due to the baby boom, more homes were being created in the same amount of space, meaning that floor space became a premium. No longer were luxuries like libraries, sitting rooms, and studies deemed important in home architecture, rather growing families were looking for a way to keep an eye on multiple children at once, while still performing tasks like cooking or cleaning. Thus the open floor plan became the go-to style of the decade.
While this design style was viewed as “modern” and “cutting-edge” in the 1950s, by the 1990s this was the norm in home design, particularly in suburbia. This trend holds true today, where being able to use the terms “open floor plan,” open concept,” or “great room” adds real estate value to a home. Recently, we have seen more families starting to explore the more traditional, closed-room architecture model, particularly with more and more people working from home today. It allows for greater privacy and can help homes feel less cluttered. Still, for the vast majority of homeowners, an open floor plan is highly prized when shopping for a new house, and creating an open floor plan is a major reason why people undertake major remodeling projects. Open floor plans allow for individual activities and social togetherness to coexist: family members can do their own activities, yet still communicate with one another. And for entertaining, the kitchen, dining room, and living room blend together into one large party space.
Hopefully, this has given you some insight into what open-floor plans are and how they may work for you. There is a lot to consider when thinking about completely changing the layout of your home; do you value privacy and alone time? Are there load-bearing walls that could cause an issue? Do you need a separate place to work from home? All of these considerations will help inform you if an open-concept design will work in your home. To get some help from a professional designer, please reach out to our incredible team with any questions!
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