The Rising Trend: Open Floor Plans for Spacious Living
A continuous trend has been taking over the housing market as more people are looking to buy homes with an open floor plan or seeking to create it in their current home. This open-concept offers multiple benefits to a families living environment and potential needs.
What is open-floor plan living?
Open floor plan living is a structural option to one’s living environment and has multiple benefits- not only for the aesthetics’ of the house, but how the home owners use it.
The open concept helps bring light and spacious ambiance to the living area as it makes the room seem airy, while also creating the illusion of a larger floorplan. Generally, the first floor has little to no dividing walls that would typically separate the kitchen, the dining area, and the living room. With one cohesive living space, also known as “The Great Room”, the home-owners can use this to their advantage in multiple ways.
Open concept promotes involvement
With an open floor plan, you now have the perfect party pad to entertain guests. With this layout, you can amenably engage in social interactions with the entire party as opposed to confining yourself to one room. You can even freely eat at the table while watching the game. We like to call that “luxury-living”.
More space for functional furniture
The options you are given with an open floor concept are endless when it comes to furnishing your home. With all the available space that’s offered, homeowners have free-range to design their living area to their liking as it offers much potential.
You are also given opportunities to section off different spaces without completely enclosing the area. Using typical furnishings such as tables, couches, or pillars, can help divide the space without losing that open, free-flow feeling.
This concept is also highly recommended for those who live in smaller houses or are buying on a budget. Traditionally, houses were separated into multiple rooms, ultimately closing off the open-flow feel. At the time, the more rooms the house had, the better (and more expensive).
However, a more modern way of living is gaining popularity and only increasing its momentum. When you open up the floor plan on a smaller house, it can potentially drive up the value as it is more visually appealing when you see a spacious living environment with great potential and loads of natural lighting. By creating a cohesive living space that consists of three different purposes, you are creating the illusion that the space is actually larger than what it is and shows the diversity in its functionality.
Greater Interaction
As previously stated, the space serves as an area to entertain and engage in social gatherings. However, for the work-from-home/stay-at-home parent, this helps them ensure safety for their children or maybe even elderly family members.
Parents can now easily do the dishes, cook dinner, catch up on their programs and keep an eye on their children, whether they be playing in the living room or doing homework at the table.
Kristin Wellins of ERA Real Estate told ThisOldHouse.Com, “Right now, buyers want a wide open floor plan, the living room right off the kitchen. They are into big spaces.”
Ultimately, the multi-functional room adds opportunity for more character and, overall, gives a feeling of a larger living space. In the market today, we see how favorable this concept is and just how popular it’s becoming.
According to TimesUnion.com, the open floor plan is “the trend that keeps on trending”. In a recent poll, they asked their readers if they like the open floor plan concept; Out of 112 voters, 50% (56 people) said, “Yes, I love open floor plans—they’re light and airy and feel spacious and inclusive; 45% (50 people) said, “No, they lack coziness and that homey feeling. Plus arranging furniture in these spaces can be tough”; 5% (6 people) chose other.
It’s quite obvious that although the open-floor plan hasn’t completely taken over, it is extremely favorable in the market right now. With all this in mind, we can also pay attention to making your house a home. In doing so, this floor plan can help create a sense of unity among family members. Each person is given the opportunity to be doing their own thing while still spending time together.