09 May . 2018
Is an open floor plan right for your family?
Most people love the look and feel of an open floor plan, but is an open-concept design the best choice for your family’s day-to-day living? Check out these open floor plan pros and cons from the design experts at HGTV.
PROS
- With an open floor plan, the family’s chef doesn’t feel cut off from the conversation and togetherness going on in the family room and dining room. “An open concept is a very neat fix for that problem,” HGTV says.
- It’s a truism that everyone ends up in the kitchen, no matter how well a party is planned. An open concept plan helps everyone. The host can finish up food and drinks without guests getting underfoot. Guests can graze the buffet or relax on the sofa while still being able to visit with the host.
- “Gorgeous open sight lines” are one of the biggest appeals of an open floor plan. They offer continuity of design, flow from room to room, and encourage indoor-outdoor living.
- Open floor plans also eliminate underused spaces, such as pristine formal living and dining rooms that are used only a few times a year.
CONS
- Cooking can be chaotic, and with an open floor plan, a messy kitchen is always on display.
- When hosting a party, it may take some extra time and energy to hide clutter from guests. Having good storage spaces where you can stash stuff away helps a great deal.
- With few walls, open-concept plans offer less privacy and seclusion from noise. Fortunately, many of today’s plans also offer studies, where you can close the door and get some work done. And there’s good reason the owner’s suite is often called a “retreat.”
HGTV concludes: Think about what’s right for you. Are you frequent entertainers, or mainly holiday hosts? If your family craves togetherness and loves indoor-outdoor living, that’s another plus for open-concept floor plans. If you’re the kind of homeowner who has glass-front kitchen cabinets filled with perfectly coordinated and neatly arranged dinnerware and glassware, then an open floor plan allows you to extend that look to the rest of the home.