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I am in a small home (bought new in 2004) and the living room and kitchen are separate. I was pleasantly surprised to see a floor plan that didn't have the LR&K one big room or divided by a kitchen wall with a pass though.
It's great to have different lighting options, like having the living room darker for video streaming (or a weekend nap ) and then walking into a brighter kitchen. I also declined the option of vaulted ceilings.
I worked from this home for almost 10 years and never felt cramped; sadly I don't work from home now, but I still enjoy this house after living here almost 15 years.
Almost every property or floor plan I looked at was open--which was (and is) hugely popular here--it's just nice to have other options.
The fad is fizzling out.
The powers that be(HGTV) will hold on for dear life, so when you watch their shows it still seems to be the "in" thing, but in my real world experience it is losing ground. I'm not against it at all, but I will say that the home should dictate the layout. An easy example is that an old rambling colonial or Victorian should NOT be open concept. A small ranch or bungalow probably yes, especially with lower ceilings as they can feel a little claustrophobic with separation. So basically yeah, the home should really tell you whether it should or should not be open concept.
The fad is fizzling out.
The powers that be(HGTV) will hold on for dear life, so when you watch their shows it still seems to be the "in" thing, but in my real world experience it is losing ground. I'm not against it at all, but I will say that the home should dictate the layout. An easy example is that an old rambling colonial or Victorian should NOT be open concept. A small ranch or bungalow probably yes, especially with lower ceilings as they can feel a little claustrophobic with separation. So basically yeah, the home should really tell you whether it should or should not be open concept.
Those lines are blurred all the time!
Just because it's a Volkswagen doesn't mean it has to have vinyl seats and an AM radio!
Is the open floor plan ever going to die?...mmmm...probably not (unfortunately lol)
Honestly, I just wish all types of floor plans would be given equal representation on HGTV (and all other home remodel type shows). I love closed floor plans, or at the very least semi-open plans. But I can see why certain types of people(extroverts) love the full on open style floor plan. It would only work for me in a small home with maybe just 1-2 people living there...more people = more need for me to be alone...I'm a big time introvert
Designers must push this concept also. Years ago, friends did a major remodel during which they removed all adjoining doors between their kitchen, breakfast area, dining room and living room. When it was finished, it was one LARGE room. Beautiful, and they were thrilled with it. I was astounded. And there was nowhere to go except the bedrooms if you wanted privacy. If you were cooking, you heard whoever was watching television, if reading a book in the former living room, the teenage kid running in from the pool...
Having lived in both types of homes, I prefer the walls between the rooms. I don't care how "dated" it looks.
This.
With open concept there is nowhere to go - how many times during a year people entertain and need that huge open space for their guests? And even then, what if someone wants to have a conversation with a couple people - they go together to a bedroom (or outside) so they don't have to yell over other 10 people and a TV/music? I realize this works for some people, but, personally, I would like to have more options when buying a house.
With open concept there is nowhere to go - how many times during a year people entertain and need that huge open space for their guests? And even then, what if someone wants to have a conversation with a couple people - they go together to a bedroom (or outside) so they don't have to yell over other 10 people and a TV/music? I realize this works for some people, but, personally, I would like to have more options when buying a house.
Without an open floor plan, you have different options, not necessarily more. You most likely won't have options like having 25 or 30 people all together watching the Superbowl or other shared event. You can't have a couple of dozen people all at the same table in the same room to celebrate Thanksgiving together, as opposed to being split up between different rooms.
And most larger houses with a great room also usually do have some separate rooms, so people seeing a place for a more private conversation will typically have a few places they can go.
None of that means that you should buy an open floor plan if you don't want one, but making unsubstantiated claims about them does nothing to deter the people who do in fact prefer an open floor plan layout, which btw, stopped being a "fad" several decades ago.
Without an open floor plan, you have different options, not necessarily more. You most likely won't have options like having 25 or 30 people all together watching the Superbowl or other shared event. You can't have a couple of dozen people all at the same table in the same room to celebrate Thanksgiving together, as opposed to being split up between different rooms.
And most larger houses with a great room also usually do have some separate rooms, so people seeing a place for a more private conversation will typically have a few places they can go.
None of that means that you should buy an open floor plan if you don't want one, but making unsubstantiated claims about them does nothing to deter the people who do in fact prefer an open floor plan layout, which btw, stopped being a "fad" several decades ago.
Agreed. I think that is the biggest takeaway from these threads that just repeat over and over every couple months here. No one from either side is going to convince someone of the other side to change their mind - and why should we really? Different people are going to like what they like.
I prefer open floor plan, always have always will. None of 'perceived negatives' from people that already don't like open floor plans is going to change my mind and most of them are not actual negatives to us living with our house either. And I wouldn't expect that I am going to change their mind on the matter either.
Believe it or not, we entertain at least 2 days/nights a week on average. Cocktail nights, board game nights, family dinners, brunch, or often just a friend dropping in for a homemade cocktail and conversation (I keep a very fully stocked bar - about 71 different liquors, liqueurs, and amaro). We love our floor plan. What would be the 2nd bedroom is also set up a a den with seating (no permanent bed - we dont want it to feel like a bedroom or have space wasted by a regular bed since it gets used for other purposes 99% of the time). When we are not having an overnight guest, that room is set up as an entirely separate conversation area / music room with guitars, keyboard, amps etc. The door can be closed if needed. If we have gatherings of over a dozen people or more, it will sometimes get used as a side conversation area. But most times, people just choose to hang out around the kitchen island/bar, the living room, or the dining table. Our setup is perfect for us.
People have different definitions of open. I wouldn't necessarily call a house open where the kitchen is simply open to an adjacent living space, especially if there is a separate office or dining space that's not part of that same area. My definition of open is what I have - a very large loft-like open area where you see the entire space the second you walk in the front door, with the kitchen wide open in the center of the space. There are multiple living spaces but the noise level is so loud that you can't have multiple conversations with a large group. There's just too much square footage for one open space. My husband didn't understand my dissatisfaction until he retired and realized you are never alone in this space. You can't be in the kitchen without being in full view of the rest of this floor. If you're talking about a small home, it makes more sense to not chop up the space, but if you have this much square footage, at least give me a foyer and some partial kitchen walls. I have no problem with the concept of open plans, I just don't like the one I have.
People have different definitions of open. I wouldn't necessarily call a house open where the kitchen is simply open to an adjacent living space, especially if there is a separate office or dining space that's not part of that same area. My definition of open is what I have - a very large loft-like open area where you see the entire space the second you walk in the front door, with the kitchen wide open in the center of the space. There are multiple living spaces but the noise level is so loud that you can't have multiple conversations with a large group. There's just too much square footage for one open space. My husband didn't understand my dissatisfaction until he retired and realized you are never alone in this space. You can't be in the kitchen without being in full view of the rest of this floor. If you're talking about a small home, it makes more sense to not chop up the space, but if you have this much square footage, at least give me a foyer and some partial kitchen walls. I have no problem with the concept of open plans, I just don't like the one I have.
I agree about a foyer and partial walls in kitchen. I also agree that there are many ways to have an open plan. And I don’t think this type of house going away any time soon.
In particular, I hate it when the entire kitchen is open and everyone can see. That means you have to keep your kitchen really clean all the time.
Other features I don't care for are too many windows (glass is cheaper than brick), small front yards, and vaulted ceilings in the entry. Particle board shelves are pretty awful, too.
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) and then walking into a brighter kitchen. I also declined the option of vaulted ceilings.
