For the past three decades, open floor plans have been at the top of every potential homeowner’s list of must-haves. Many people have chosen to knock out the walls in their older homes to create open-concept living spaces. You can’t watch a home improvement show without hearing them mention an open floor plan at least once. We even wrote a blog post recently about all the reasons to love this type of home.
However, there is also a case to be made for the closed floor plan. While it may seem inconvenient at first glance, closed-concept living is becoming increasingly attractive for many families. If you’re building a new home or considering renovations, keep reading to learn more about the surprising benefits of closed floor plans.
A Decline in Open-Concept Living
After around 30 years of dominating the residential interior design scene, open floor plans, which eliminate walls wherever possible to create bigger living spaces, may be on the decline. In Zillow’s home design predictions for 2023, they determined that a growing number of homeowners are looking for homes with more private spaces. Mentions of “privacy” or “private spaces” in Zillow listings were up 7 percent, and Google searches for “closed floor plan” and “closed concept” have also seen an increase, suggesting that this alternative design scheme is coming back into style.
Why are more and more people turning to homes with compartmentalized rooms rather than sprawling spaces? It may be due to the lifestyle shift that occurred in 2020. With everyone spending more time at home, many people realized that wide open spaces are not necessarily conducive to Zoom calls, working from home, and schoolwork. This time period emphasized the importance of having spaces you can retreat to when you need some time alone.
Benefits of Closed Floor Plans
In addition to allowing for greater privacy, closed floor plans provide unique design opportunities, among other benefits. If the idea of a closed-concept home seems appealing to you, you’re not alone! Open floor plans are probably not going anywhere anytime soon, but for the first time in decades, their supremacy is less certain.
Greater Design Freedom
Open-concept homes can be difficult to furnish and decorate. When your entryway, living room, kitchen, and dining area are combined, it’s challenging to create a cohesive look and harmonious flow.
Closed floor plans, on the other hand, allow you to create unique interior designs in each room. This is perfect for individuals who favor eclectic styles and bold colors, as it eliminates visual clutter. Plus, with more walls, you have more space to hang artwork and other decor, showcasing your unique personality.
Easily Contain Messes
If everything in your home is contained in separate rooms, messes can be contained more easily. Instead of craft projects covering the dining room table, toys spread out all over the living room, and dirty dishes in the kitchen creating an eyesore when you’re trying to relax in front of the TV, you can simply shut the door to hide messes when needed.
This is especially convenient when you have guests coming over. No need to clean your whole home when the repair technician comes to fix your dishwasher — just shut the doors to your other rooms, and you’re good to go!
Enjoy Time Alone
As much as your family loves spending time together, everyone needs some time alone. When your kitchen, dining room, and living room are all on top of each other, it can lead to frustration and contention. When one family member is trying to watch TV while another is cooking dinner and another is working on homework at the table, chances are, you’ll end up interrupting each other, causing tension.
When everyone has their own space to participate in their individual endeavors, chances are, your family will get along better when you come together for meals and activities.
Drawbacks of Closed Floor Plans
Despite the merits of closed floor plans, there are also some drawbacks. With more walls in your home, you’ll have less space overall. Because of this, closed-concept living may not be suitable for smaller homes.
You may find that hosting gatherings becomes trickier when you have a closed-concept living area since you can’t interact with your guests as they lounge on the couch while you put the finishing touches on dinner. This can also be a disadvantage for parents who need to be able to keep an eye on their young children while they cook or clean.
Remodeling to Create Your Perfect Floor Plan
Whether you want to create an open or closed floor plan, Rosewood Paint and Remodel can help. Our expert team can take the stress out of home renovations, taking care of the whole process, from demolition to finishing touches. To get started on your home improvement project, contact us today!
