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An open floor plan home is an interesting and unusual concept as it’s living in one or more open spaces that functions as multiple rooms inside one large living space. The most common form of this is a “great room” which has a kitchen, living and dining room inside of it in one space.
If you have a home that’s small, you can visually widen that square footage by using this type of floor plans. It also works well for large households too for it gives extra freedom for the traffic to occur and gives a fresher and tidier feeling.
Image source: Michael Abrams Limited
Spreading in homes since the late 1980s, open floor plans have shown practicality and the trend lasts even today. Experts at Young Management suggest that this trend has increased the value of many homes and continue to do so, especially among the younger population. Of course there are two sides to it, as with everything else; not everyone can easily accommodate to this style of living because it’s very different and specific.
Recognizing the disadvantages and benefits of an open floor plan takes time and analysis and can be easily done by making the choices that suit you best.
The Good Sides
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For the types that want a satisfying view of a wide and open space, an open floor plan is the ideal setting as it adds to the aesthetic and gives a warmer feeling because of the shared space. It enhances communication and brings families closer. There is a wide range of benefits to consider when thinking about an open floor plan.
Great For Multitasking
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This setting could work great for parents of young children, as they can see them playing and this is a good way to keep an eye on them. Open floor plans for houses is a great way to work, cook and get stuff done while being present as it creates a great multitasking opportunity.
The Family
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Want some quality family time? This is just the way to decrease the isolation that can occur when walls part the family members.
What to do with Small Homes
Extra space is just one of the many benefits an open floor plan has – you can enlarge the rooms and provide a fresher space to live in. When the walls are removed and the rooms connect, the ambient drastically changes, becoming a more pleasant and comfortable environment to be in.
Best for Entertainment
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If you’re the type of person that likes to host some entertaining dinners or evenings in general, this could be the best way to do it – you can place much more people by having larger living spaces. The traffic and airiness of the room is maintained, allowing a more communicative vibe.
Decorating Becomes Easy
Image source: Andrea Swan – Swan Architecture
Open Floor Plan ideas offer tons of decorating advice, which is easily applied as one space is not at all difficult to decorate. Incorporate one recurring theme throughout your whole home, instead of having to individually design every single room.
You can choose one color palette to work with and adjust the furniture, flooring, drapery and décor to that style. It’s a simple and effective way to enlarge and tie together your home in a unique style.
Natural Light
Image source: Godden Sudik Architects Inc
Let the light flow through the room by making the space more open. You won’t be in need of any windows when you have a wide and bright space. Letting light come in from plenty directions allows an increase in freshness and creates a feeling of free flow; this way lighting is no longer a problem, both financially and aesthetically.
Spend Less
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It costs significantly less to create and decorate a home that has an open floor plan. You no longer have to worry about spending money on doors, walls, painting and hardware.
Save your time and money by using as little elements as possible as this also adds an open and spacious feeling.
A Popular Design is Easier to Resell
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Following trends like these is a priority for most homeowners that want to get with the times and make their home as stylish as possible.
Making the choices that work best for a fashionable setting is not at all difficult as many television shows, and the media in general, always give out pointers and knows just what to sell to the people looking for good and modern home improvement and real estate.
There Are Also Slight Disadvantages
The pros and cons of open floor plans are something that’s really important to consider. Even though there are countless benefits to applying this design, there are also a lot of challenges to keep in mind.
Think twice before you buy or create an open floor plan, as there are some things that may not work as well as you think.
Privacy Can Be a Challenge
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Even if you have installed room dividers in the space, you don’t get too much privacy. This layout gives you a lot of overall freedom, but you have to sacrifice some of your alone time.
Because of this, most often an open floor plan is most recommended for a small family.
Clean! You Can’t Hide a Mess in the Kitchen
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Let’s be honest, things tend to get messy when you cook, so when an open floor plan a kitchen should be intensely taken care of because when all the rooms are connected, just one corner being messy ruins the whole visual impression of the space.
Many people also use the kitchen for multiple purposes, like work, so it could get really cluttered really quickly. Reevaluate how tidy your family is and is this a challenge that’s easy to handle for you.
Hazards for the Little Ones
Small children tend to be hyperactive and curious, so with an open floor plan it could be a bit difficult to keep them out of the dangerous zones like the kitchen that’s filled with countless dangerous items like sharp utensils and hot stoves.
Even though doors won’t change a lot concerning this, it might be better for the kitchen to be hidden behind locked doors. An easy solution for this would be putting locks on your cabinets.
Things Get Noisy
Image source: Giffin & Crane General Contractors, Inc.
Noise travels without difficulty in an open space, so unless you don’t mind a mix of sounds coming from your children, the television and so on; it could feel a little overwhelming. Remember, with visual connection you also get auditory connection as you’re put in a situation where you might perceive more sounds than usual.
Many Types of Smells is also a Frequent Occurrence
Whatever problem you might have in any of the rooms will surely spread across the whole home with this type of design. Whatever meal you make will be smelled throughout the whole apartment, but a plumbing issue or garbage odors will also spread quickly.
Arranging the Furniture
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By minimizing the number of walls to work with, arranging furniture can become a little complicated; if a wall isn’t big enough for a piece of furniture that needs to be laid against it, you might have to sacrifice a window. Think about where you’ll be putting bookshelves, storage units, and of course the TV.
Keeping an Ideal Temperature
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The bigger the space – the longer it takes to heat or cool. It can be a real time and money waster to heat up one big room instead of several small ones. Also look at the height of your ceiling, as it’s also a key factor in the time needed to get to the temperature you want.
Conclusion
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Even though it’s a popular and definitely stylish option, open floor plans aren’t meant for every homeowner. You need to be absolutely sure that this type of interior design suits your lifestyle, taste and needs.
If you’re the type of socialite that enjoys quality time with the family and hosting entertaining gatherings, then this might be your best choice.
This type of home doesn’t go good with people who want to live peacefully and value their privacy. Open floor plans are known to suit singles or couples, as they can enjoy in the space without having any kinds of privacy issues.