Open Floor Plans: An Enduringly Popular Choice

What is an open-concept home, and why is it a major trend?

In modern design, a specific type of home has become increasingly popular. You’d recognize it on the pages of your favorite architectural magazine or in the advertising brochures of real estate brands. It has a sleek style that maximizes space and creates a cohesive home with a good flow from room to room. This design trend is the open floor plan. 

In an open floor plan, the walls that separate each room are limited, which effectively combines several rooms into a single large space. This establishes a broader, less confined feeling. For example, many people will have living rooms that lead into kitchens, or kitchens that lead into dining areas, without any walls separating them. 

The idea to remove walls and doors from floor plans is a rebuke to the classic home in which each space is clearly defined and laid out. Its many benefits have made the open layout extremely popular in the past several decades, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a chic, contemporary home design.

Key Benefits of an Open-Concept Floor Plan

Homes with an open floor plan provide homeowners with several core benefits that have led it to become a trend that many designers embrace. Let’s look at some of the benefits of open-concept living.

Improved Cohesion: Have you ever walked into a home where each room had a distinct design and it gave you a strange feeling? With an open floor plan, this is rarely the case. Each room flows naturally into the other, making it easy for homeowners to have a cohesive, consistent design that gives the home an improved overall aesthetic. Houses with open floor plans have a blended style where, while each room is different, they all feel the same.

Easier Communication, More Social: In a home with many enclosed spaces, there can be feelings of separation. Some prefer this design because it is more private, but with an open floor plan, this isn’t so much the case. Parents can prepare dinner in the kitchen while children play games in the family room with no walls in their way. It is a more communicative approach to home design.

Spacious Atmosphere: You’ll immediately notice the spacious feel when you enter a home with an open floor plan. When you remove its doors and walls, a room suddenly feels much more open and gives the impression that it has significantly more space. According to Realtor.com, residences with open floor plans sell for more because the feeling of spaciousness increases a home’s value

Shared Natural Light: One of the nicer aspects of an open-concept design is what it does for illumination. Walls and doors obstruct a home’s natural light and keep it from spreading into other areas. With an open-concept design, the light that enters from one window can spread through a much larger space, giving a home more natural light and a brighter setting.