Open floor plans are the biggest rage right now. All over social media, we see combined kitchen and dining rooms, or one large space for the kitchen, dining and living area. Older homes with separated spaces are seeing wall knocked down and beams taken apart, all to accommodate this growing trend. It makes the space feel larger, open and more modern.
However, is it truly worth it? Is it a good idea? Or one that only looks good but doesn't function well? Let's dive into the pros and cons of open spaces today!
PROS
Improved Traffic Flow
People can move through a space unhindered. Running short on time and need to check on something in the kitchen, while making sure the dining table is set up correctly? An open concept will allow you to move with efficiency and ease.
Improved Sociability and Communication
Gone are the days of yelling at the walls, hoping that your spouse will hear you and yell something muffled back. With an open concept, you can talk with ease across rooms.
Shared Light
Your natural light is now maximized throughout the house. Interior rooms that previous saw no sunlight, now gets light from exterior walls with windows.
Easier to Watch Kids
If you're cooking, but also need to supervise your kids at the dining table, you can easily do so from your kitchen space.
Multifunctional Spaces
You can decide what your space is for! Spaces with an open floor plan can serve as a recreation room, family room, home office or whatever fits your lifestyle at the time you decide!
CONS
Costly to Heat and Cool
These large rooms often drain energy, especially with their large windows on the exterior walls. With partitioned rooms, you're able to heat and cool certain rooms, but with an open floor plan, the entire space needs to be heated or cooled.
Poor Sound Control
With a lack of partition walls, there's nothing to block the noise, so open concept homes can be quite noisy.
Cluttered Appearance
You need to consistently make sure your place is organized and clean, as there's no partitioned rooms to hide messes.
Lack of Privacy
Open floor plans are great for social activity, but for studying, reading and alone time? Not so great.
So those are our pros and cons for open spaces! Are you a fan of open space floor plans? Why or why not?