Hi Everyone,
Recently, I’ve been looking on Reddit for good blog material. Well, there’s no shortage of it. I have offered to fix a few places, but no one has taken me up on the offer. There are thousands of poorly laid-out floor plans, and almost all are open-concept. To be clear, not all open-concept floor plans are bad, and there are situations where it’s appropriate, such as in the home that Janet wrote about in the comments.
Also, it depends upon the arrangement of the open-concept floor plan.
For example, if a second floor is open to the open-concept, this will be a noisy home. That’s fine if an older couple lives alone, but for a family home, it’s probably not the best. However, if it’s a one-story home, having fewer walls for the primary living spaces should be okay.
Today, I am adding onto Sunday’s post, because I found a whopper on Reddit yesterday morning. The floor plan is so poor, I wonder where they found it.
So, like most two-part posts, if you missed part 1, please keep reading from the top. However, if you’ve already read part 1 or would like to read it in reverse, please click the link below.
Part 2 Begins Here
Hi Everyone,
This is a re-edition of a post from early January 2020.
Remember 2020?
No? I don’t remember it either. haha.
Oh wait. That was the year I purchased my Boston condo!
Okay, enough of the silliness, because the old open-concept floor plan is still with us.
So, for whatever reason, you’re stuck with an open-concept floor plan and hate it.
You can’t stand it any longer; living, eating, cooking, reading, watching TV, etc, ALL in ONE room.
No interior walls.
And, no delineation of spaces.
In addition, if you’re real lucky, you’ll have a second story interior balcony six feet away from the master bedroom, so there’s just no place in your 3,000 square foot home to get away from the noise, cooking smells, and mess.
(Wife to husband) Honey, why did we buy this open-concept home? Could you remind me?
- great school district
- close to his/her parents, siblings, friends.
- near a park
- it’s in our price range
- house was move-in ready and new.
- good for resale value. (hmmm… I’m not so sure about that!)
These open-concept homes have become wildly popular with builders. And, with the all-knowing HGTV. Oh well.
This form of brainwashing has CONvinced many of us that we WANT to live in one room. AKA: The open-concept-floor plan.
Of course, maybe you do want to live in one room. That’s cool.
Well, Laurel, if it’s just the home builders who think an open-concept floor plan is what we want, can’t we just let them know it’s not?
Ummm… Sure, I guess. However, most people won’t bother. They might not even realize they don’t like it because they think they’re supposed to like it.
Of course, if you have a plan, you can modify it before it’s built, which is preferable. I would consult with a good interior designer. That is, unless you’re making structural changes. In that case, you’ll need an architect. But, you don’t need an architect to add walls.
Well, why are the home builders so gung-ho on building these barns of open-concept floor plan houses?
Builders have convinced us that we like it. Of course they have because it costs them less to build. Right?
*Fewer walls, less materials, more time, should equal a lower price, but I don’t see that happening. Like salt-free canned tuna, you pay more for what you don’t get. It’s a wacky world.
So, I’ve done this for today: I took three open-concept floor plans and did my best to “fix” them.
We’ll begin with one of my worst architectural peeves.
The entrance to the home brings one straight into the living room.
And, in this case, just feet from the fireplace, nicely centered on the interior wall.
Now what?
Oh, from the outside, it looks quite nice if you’re looking for that modern farmhouse style. (Is this beginning to look a tad dated? For me, it’s the large expanse of black roof that I find difficult to look at.)
For the answer to whether you should do it or not, click here.
What should really be going on is that there should be a center HALL behind the front door.
Alas, there is not.
Below is how I fixed this open-concept floor plan.
This one took me the longest. The teal walls in the back of the living room represent a new walls that was added.
We could also add some French doors possibly. But, at least, we separated the kitchen/dining area and the living room. Below is an image I found ages ago. This is the idea of the wall separating the “island” from the eating area. I didn’t indicate the soffits over the doorways, but I did over the doors entering from the living room.
Below is another version of the glass wall as a separating wall.
design by @kitchenlabinteriors on instagram photo by @michaelakaskel on Instagram.
Separation is achieved, along with architectural interest, and there’s no loss of light.
It reminds me of this post, which featured many walls like this.
But, Laurel, no one can sit at the island now.
Yes, but no one does, anyway. I’m not saying you can’t have them, but in this space, I’d much rather have the separation.
Let’s go to house #2.
Above is a traditional home that also looks like a center hall colonial.
Alas, it’s not.
By the way, these homes from floor plans.com can be customized.
Again, we find ourselves walking straight into the great room.
And, the staircase is a little too close to the front door, as well. The “great” room is really a glorified entrance.
In addition to the entry, I’m not too fond of the kitchen. Just too many angles.
Angles = Contemporary.
And, this is not a contemporary home. What they’ve done doesn’t make sense.
Before
After
I like this one a lot. The walls delineating the great room from the entrance hall could be a pony or a regular wall. Or, a wall with interior windows. There are lots of options. Please check out one of my favorite posts for some terrific pony wall ideas.
For the front door, I would leave off the side lights (row of vertical windows), which are only on one side of the door, anyway. Then, I think there will be room for a small chest on each of those small walls.
I squared off the kitchen and added some walls, which is much better. For the new, longer wall between the dining room and kitchen, there could be an interior window and/or pass-through.
Our 3rd home is below.
Another open-concept floor plan home with a fairly traditional facade.
This one is not as open. And, we have a proper center hall entrance.
This one was more about making tweaks that make the space function better.
I renovated the kitchen and took away the pass-through stool area. Instead, I put up an interior wall with a large window. Underneath the window is a server.
A round table in the dining room can expand to seat up to 10. And I added corner china cabinets. I had to move the door into the pantry. It’s also a mudroom, which I’m not in love with. I could work on this one some more.
There’s another post where I’ve taken an open-concept floor plan and “renovated” it.
You might also enjoy this post featuring our old post-modern townhouse. It was light and airy but very difficult to furnish.
Below is a graphic you can save to your Pinterest boards for reference.
I worked on the last two for about three hours to make them better than they were. Oh, they can always be better, but the objective is to make them better than they were to begin with.
The bottom line for an open-concept floor plan that is too open; make it less open. ;]
Adding some small walls can do wonders for creating a separation of space without losing that light, open feeling, if that’s what you want. I love how Nancy Keyes worked with Melissa Tardiff’s renovation. You can see more examples of the small walls I’m talking about.
Oh, and did you see this unfortunate mess of a renovation? If you missed it, you’ll see my old apartment in New York before I moved into it and the sad renovation of a unit like mine.
I have another open-concept floor plan that’s one of the worst I’ve ever seen to share on Monday evening.
xo,
*********************************************************
Part 2 Begins Here
Monday, March 31, 2025
Okay, it’s interesting. This person asked for help and had several comments and then took down her floor plan. For one thing, it’s impossible to read the measurements. However, I know the front door is most likely three feet wide, so I keyed off that and the counter depth of about 24″.
I realize it’s tiny, but not only is this open-concept floor plan a barn of a first floor, it’s poorly laid out.
The poster did say the island would be turned around. However, let’s start from the entrance on the left. We walk into a wall only about four feet ahead, and that area is a windowless study.
The master bedroom is in the front of the house. That’s okay, except usually that faces the street, which most people don’t prefer. However, it depends on the location.
After the study is the primary bedroom with some oddly placed windows.
But then, we have to walk through the bathroom to get to the closet. I’m fine if there’s an entrance from the bathroom to the closet, as long as one doesn’t have to walk into the bathroom to do so.
Then, as if that isn’t bad enough. If you are in the bedroom and want to do laundry, you either have to again go through the bathroom and closet. Or, walk all the way around the wide-open staircase, through the kitchen and into the laundry.
That’s seriously no bueno.
While the image is small, the actual space is not. This is about 1500 square feet, which is more than ample for one bedroom with an adjoining den, closets, bathroom(s), laundry area, and pantry
connected to a kitchen, dining area, living room, and entry.
I suppose whoever designed this inefficient open-concept space has never heard of a hallway.
You guys remember what a hall is, right? ;];];] It’s a narrow space designed to move traffic from room to room so one doesn’t always have to walk into a room to get to another room.
Like, duh… Right?
I was able to ascertain that this is an A-frame home with a steeply pitched roof, so that means it’s almost definitely in a place with a cold winter. And yet there’s no fireplace.
The entry is horrendous. There’s no sense of entrance. We are either funneled to the left or right.
The living room is ridiculously deep. I good depth for a living room is from 12′ – 18′. The only exception is a living room where we enter from the side instead of the back or front. You can see some examples of good living room layouts in this post.
Okay, I did two open-concept floor plans, and you’ll see why in a second.
For plan one, I created a gracious center hall entry with a turning staircase. Turning left, we enter the living room through double French Doors. I did not draw most of the doors because they’re tedious and also make the drawings quite busy. However, they are there.
I created a fireplace. To save money, it could be a gas fireplace that doesn’t require a chimney.
Walking through the living room, we connect to the dining room. The two short walls could be floor to ceiling or a pony wall, with or without a column.
We can also enter the kitchen from the living room. Or, we can enter the kitchen via the center hallway.
By creating more walls in this open-concept floor plan, we can have more furnishings, more storage, and a flow that makes this home feel warm and welcoming. Otherwise, it could double as a barn.
I put the primary bedroom in a more private spot.
Okay, I will stop here and resume floor plan number 2 because I realized the library and den could be better. I decided to do away with the den and make the library slightly larger.
Beginning back at the entry and turning right, I created a small, intimate space to have tea or a convo across from more closets. Maybe this area could have pivot doors and wallpaper like my entry. However, this space is now part of the entry and is an area to pass through, primarily. We can access the library from the living room or the master bedroom suite. This area could also be a home office. Wouldn’t this be a lovely area if the homeowner had a business where they saw clients?
I think this is far more conducive to entertainment than the barn of an open-concept floor plan.
As you can see, I added two more closets to each end of the long transverse hallway.
Please note that this plan makes a perfect loop with no impediments.
Laurel, why didn’t you make a separate laundry room? I didn’t because the pantry is really a butler’s pantry, or almost like a second kitchen with long counters and a washer/dryer. They could be side by side, but I love my stacked units.
I did add a second full bathroom, instead of a powder room only. One bathroom has a shower, and the other has a tub with a shower.
I am sure there are other ways this layout could be improved upon. I did this after spending maybe six hours. Working for so many hours on my own home was good training for me!
Do you see any glaring errors, ways to improve the design, or questions?
xo,
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Shortly before the first edition of this post, my beautiful friend Liza Jones had just passed away, so of course, I want to leave her dedication up.
I can’t believe it’s been over five years. We shared the same birthday, and one year, when we met at KBIS during our birthday, she gave me a beautiful mug with the letter L on it. I use it daily, and when I do, I always think of Liza.
She was beautiful, talented, and one of the kindest, warmest women I’ve ever known.
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100 Responses
We built our house 33 years ago. I play a grand piano, and I don’t see how an open concept would even work unless I lived alone. We connected the communal spaces with French doors (double ones beween the foyer and the living room). There’s plenty of light bouncing around in these rooms, the doors provide sound barriers, and we can fling them open when entertaining, providing a nice flow! Other than providing a line of sight while raising young children, I’ve never gained much appreciation for open concept homes.
Hi Vivian,
I think it doesn’t work for most people. To be clear, I’m not talking about the ubiquitous open kitchen, dining, family room, I mean all of that open to the second floor that also has an open area, and also open to a living area, if there is one. I mean OPEN with no walls, columns, pony walls, or even short 18″ – 36″ walls. I love wide doorways with the option of being able to close them off or leave open.
Thanks, Laurel for the lovely response. I love having an interesting discussion and this has sparked some interesting ideas.FYI, I would like to comment to Nina about the Property Brothers doing most of their work in Canada.It is my understanding that the majority of their work takes place in California but they were brought up in Canada.We do have some terrific designers here, Sarah Richardson, Tiffany Leigh, Tommy Smythe to name a few. Please check their work out if you are not familiar.
I’m with you, I much prefer a closed floor plan, although a semi-open kitchen that isn’t completely walled off from everything might be nice. I love old houses, but they can have quirks and be less than functional. My current kitchen has been the same spot in the house since the 1890s and it is a long hallway away from the dining room and even farther from the back door or the living room! It is less than 8 x 10′ and is a 1960s time-capsule. It is cute, but truly a “one-butt” kitchen.
In re: to your search for blog material, my favorite posts are (1) your high/low posts, and (2) when you tweak subscriber rooms to make them better.
Thank you, Sue. I like those kinds of posts, too.
Looking at your last design, I think your library could double as a guest bedroom. Perhaps the primary bath could be a little smaller allowing you to add a closet in the library along the bathroom wall. I would reverse the closet and little bath, so it is closer to the second bedroom. I love what you’ve done to make this home more functional and cozy.
Hi Susan,
I agree with all of your assessments.
One of my “must haves” in my dream home is having very large closets be accessed via the bathroom. I love having everything contained that way, cleaning up, getting dressed, everything easily accessible. That’s a standard style of building homes in Texas. I know you prefer small bedrooms and closets, but I want space. And a wonderful soaking tub in a pretty bathroom. And I definitely don’t want my primary bathroom accessible to everyone off a hall. I like the foyer in your plan, but the original primary suite is more my style.
Hi Carolyn,
I realize it’s hard to tell, but all of those openings have doors, either pocket, traditional, and at least one set of embrasure doors. So, it is completely possible to block off the bathroom, as well as the bedroom from the rest of the house– or not. It depends who’s visiting.
I have plenty of space to get dressed in my small walk-in closet. I can also get dressed in the bathroom which was a little tight before. The bathroom is about 20% larger now.
Apologies if it has already been mentioned….. but I think you mean closets and not clients at the ends of your corridor in part 2. 😅
Thank you, Dee.
Hi all, very interesting posts. I have lived in 2 traditional homes and 2 open concept.I love both designs and I think it depends on your stage in life and what your outside view is.For us, the open concept works very well and I love the design of the house.We built during Covid and it was a very unpleasant situation, which has taken the joy out of the project.That being said, I would change a few things, learning to live with the mistakes for now.I mentioned the view because we have a most amazing lot with a beautiful river in the back, the sound is magical, mature trees, nature, peace and I can see this new from almost every room.I do miss wall space, especially for art but I love that we have a separate area for guests, with a full bath and 2 rooms{we use 1 as a den but easily converted to a 3rd bedroom.The master is on the other side of the house, so privacy!There is one large wall that was supposed to have a fireplace and I decided at the last minute, to exclude. I did not want a TV over the F/P. I have been in too many houses watching TV with a sore neck and we watchTV at night.So still not happy with that but I think I have found a solution.I have had F/P or wood stoves but realized, I only missed decorating a mantel ,so I did the unthinkable, and restored a 1850s wood mantel and put it in the dining area. Not perfect but it works for me. in our climate, the propane is so expensive that most rarely use it and the mess from the wood drove me crazy and hard to control the heat. I’m into comfort at this stage, infloor heating is lovely, although expensive.I think there could be a happy medium with both designs and aren’t we lucky to have these problems, life is good to us!
Hi Evelyn,
Your home sounds amazing and very thoughtfully laid out. Another option I’ve seen done well, is a low wall, usually a bookcase used as a separator. However, it depends on the house and the size of the area. One thing that also helps, not with noise but in adding dimension is to have beams or coffers on the ceiling.
Yes 🙌 well done. Who would want to live in a big barn when you can have that library and a tea sipping spot instead?!
I’m looking for a floorplan with a corner entrance.
That sounds, like an interesting idea, Kate.
I love your floor plan improvements for this project.
I have a kitchen with doors that can be closed off. Everyone manages to find their way into the kitchen anyway. However, for my sanity, I can close the doors with a kind reminder that if you’re not cooking, washing, or being sous chef, please go enjoy yourself elsewhere as I am overwhelmed.
Hi Diane,
I hear you on that one. Unfortunately, I had no viable choice with my kitchen. One, I would’ve destroyed the 145-year-old architecture, and two would’ve blocked off all natural light into the kitchen.
So sorry to hear about your friend.
If this house was a vacation home and on the water (waterfront side is located behind the fireplace) would you design it differently? In case you need another challenge! Thanks!
Hi Jeannie,
Most likely, I would design it differently. Or else the house might be oriented differently. Or, the fireplace could be on an interior wall, or between the living and dining area which is a more contemporary treatment, but might be nice for a vacation home with water views. Great question!
Nothing like a good pony wall bookcase & lighting for the win
Laurel, I am just catching up with your last few posts. I was so sorry to read about your friend – my condolences to you and her family. And, I agree with several of the comments about this post – it was fun to see what changes could be made. I have to say though many of your posts are fun to read. Regarding open concept – I am of mixed feelings. We built a traditional center hall colonial back in ’93 – have a formal entry banked by a formal dining room on one side with a formal living room on the other. Neither of these lovely rooms every see any use – well maybe once a year at New Years. We live on the other side of the house – my 14′ x 24′ kitchen opens up into our 20″ x 20″ family room with fireplace and big tv There are sliders from the kitchen to deck with patio – oh, there is a study and powder room at the other end. When we have friends over, everyone crowds around the kitchen island. I have tried setting up “appetizer stations” in other places – but my friends are like homing pigeons, they wind up with their glasses of wine at the island. I wasn’t joking about spending all of our time on this side of the house. If our bedroom and master bath wasn’t upstairs – I don’t think we’d ever go up there. So, I guess if we were to downsize I just might go with open concept and half the size of the house we have now. 🙂
Hi Laurel,
I’m glad I finally found time to sit down & read your post. I love when you “Laurelize” a space. You have such a good eye. My current home has separate rooms. I appreciate it so much more than my previous home that was open concept. I can paint my living room & not have to worry about needing to continuing the color onto the kitchen, dining room & every other space
I’m sorry about your friend. It never gets easier. One of my best friends moved 90 minutes away & I felt terrible about it. I can’t imagine her passing away.
Gimme all the open concept floor plans when my home is on a beach, lake, or backing up to mountains. If the best view is my kitchen island add walls and doorways. I am sorry about your friend. I am glad the mug has you remembering her.
One of my projects, a lovely remodeled Georgian that recently sold for close to 10 million dollars, had been opened up by the prior designer so that you could see the double glass-doored Traulsen refrigerator (remember those) looking through the formal dining room from the formal living room. I wasn’t allowed to close the opening that the architect created from the kitchen to the dining room even though there was a huge open family room, family dining area attached to that kitchen. A real challenge. We ended up with 2 36″ Sub Zero’s with paneled doors. An improvement.
In plan #1 I don’t really understand your island against a wall. It seems to lose any advantages it might have had as an island and left you with problematic access to what looks like might be a 12″ wall cabinet along the back. Bad ergonomics. Unless the uppers are supposed to be accessed from the other side?
In general I do agree with criticism of the disadvantages created by these great rooms that don’t allow for privacy, odor control or good acoustics, particularly if you have a big screen tv over the fireplace.
One thing I’ve done, that doesn’t seem to be a common solution with a kitchen, is provide a cabinet running across the back side of the kitchen island that is taller to hide the mess but low enough to be able to see over. It provides great storage for a dining area but hides the clutter.
Retired after some 50 years as a designer, I enjoy your website. I’ve seen so many trends come and go over the years. When I was in design school in 60’s in the Pacific Northwest it was all about modern open plans.
I didn’t really develop an appreciation for the classic center hall Dutch Colonial til later. Still a favorite.
Hi Merv,
Thanks for your kind comment. I should’ve deleted the dotted line over the island as my plan doesn’t call for uppers, but instead a window wall which gives a semblance of separation while not blocking the light.
My husband was a builder and built mostly colonial style homes. When we built our second home together on a lake, we wanted open concept! I wanted to be able to enjoy the fireplace while I cooked, and we wanted to be able to see the view from as many places as possible. After 30 years in this home and the passing of my wonderful husband in 2023, I still love the open space where I can cook my dinner, enjoy the fireplace and the beautiful views. I think there can be a case for both styles depending on what you want. Also, building a home without walls is actually expensive because of the structural and other building code requirements. Not sure there is a cost savings in doing away with walls!
Hi Janet,
That sounds fantastic, and interesting what you say about the price being the same. I think I need to do a post with some terrific open concept plans.
I actually discovered your blog when I was searching for ideas to modify an open concept. I’ve always lived in (an loved) quirky older homes that had separate spaces that flowed. We’re buying a new home in a 55+ community that offers 5 different house plans, all of which are open concept. Fortunately, there is wiggle room to customize, because the idea of having a sink in the middle of an enormous island open to the living room is horrifying to me. Sure, it looks pretty when it’s staged, but when you’ve got your sponge and bottle if Dawn on display, let alone a few dishes drying? No thanks! I want my sink on an outside wall with a window over it. I played around quite a bit with graph paper to try to rearrange things. I suppose I should have consulted a professional, but things were moving fast, and I ended up having them add a wall to create a galley kitchen. I also moved the pantry door from the garage hallway to the kitchen. Why would I want to go around the corner every time I need something from the pantry?We’ll see in a few months how it turns out!
I’ve been shopping for a new home and there are so many badly done open concept homes. I recently went to an open house where you could see both the stove and the sink while sitting on the living room sofa. I’m a messy cook and I don’t want to see my pots on the stove while they simmer. This post is great and I’ll be thinking about how I can add some interior walls as I continue my search.
I have been in one open concept home that I really liked and that’s because it had a predominately glass back wall with 180 degree ocean views you really wouldn’t want to block. It was a really large great room and the kitchen was at the front far left with a large island that partially blocked the view of the stove and sink.
Also forgot to mention in previous comment, the absolute worst part of our open concept home was the dining location in the middle of the room between the kitchen and family room … yuck. 👎 how we let that happen is a long story.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend.
Take care
Hi Kate, that arrangement is very common. About 15 years ago I had clients who had kitchen, dining, and family room situation and we put up a pony wall with a bookcase between the dining area and family room. It was quite lovely, but the best was fixing the horrendous lighting.
I think the whole “open concept is great for entertaining” is a bunch of bunk, and not just because it makes it difficult to hire a caterer — or even the kid down the street to help serve. I’m amazed how many people tell me they don’t cook much (or ever) because they don’t want to keep their kitchens tidy. You know what I do if I didn’t get around to last night’s dishes yet? I close the door to the kitchen so the dog walker won’t see. The doors also mean that if I have a dinner party, none of my guests are subjected to spending the meal staring at the dirty roasting pan sticking up out of the sink. BTW, I once owned a smallish condo with a wonderful 10×10 kitchen accessed through an arch with no door. I hung a simple curtain over the arch so that I could close it while my guests were eating. It was much more appetizing that way!
I love these floorplan posts! Wish I would have found you before we broke ground on our new build. Between the poor floorplan and the poor location we chose to sell after the husband finally finished building. The closing is scheduled in a couple weeks. I have not been keeping up on your blog and look forward to reading back through everything closely after the stress of this closing is finished and we can look forward to our next chapter. We are under contract for a small home on a double corner lot in a fantastic location contingent on our closing of course ! We will do an addition. I’m not sure until I get back over there to measure but I think the footprint is about 30 wide right now and will not be able to expand much more in terms of width, but can go 50-60 deep with the garage being behind the house on the second lot. You have me thinking about a proper centered hall entry with a dining room and butlers pantry leading into the kitchen but if we chose to not add a second story for bedrooms I’m not sure if that will be feasible… who knows. All I know is this time around we will plan the floorplan to our satisfaction before we begin !
We built an open concept cottage (southern living low country cottage) in 2014. It was wonderful when all my children were small but my eldest is nearly 10 now and I feel very much over this style. I love my home, my neighborhood, but I think we need walls. Everyone else thinks I’m crazy. Just today I tried to use painters tape to tape up contractor paper to create faux walls (they are all falling down). I have been trying to do what you did in this blog post, took my original layout and created walls. Almost every wall in my house has several windows. My ceilings are tall. There is plenty of space even though its only 2100 sq ft. I see pocket doors and swinging doors in my future! The only thing is my plan I mapped out doesn’t have that coveted circle where people (kids) can tear through the house in a circle. But oh well. I was reading some of your other posts and your apartment one reminded me of some of the ranches we would tour when looking for a house, they were older and added on to. They were actually so fun because the hallways were winding and nothing necessarily made sense where it was. Made it feel unique and neat and not a part of everything. Also the powder room is basically in the dining room in my house (but also the kitchen, living, and dining are all quite literally, one large square).
Are you able to offer suggestions if I send our floor plan to you? We built our home 5 years ago and I miss walls/separation. Would love ideas!
Hi Brooke,
Sometimes I feature reader’s homes on the blog. I adore fixing floor plans that are too open! If you’re a subscriber, you can respond to any email you receive from me.
I have lived in 4 open concept homes which I designed. For me, if u have a framed out opening to the kitchen , it would make me feel that I am a drive up waitress taking orders and would need a sign saying “kitchen closes at 7:30. U r separated from everyone which cancels the open concept. It’s emotional as well as physical. I think it has to be with how close I want to be to family and guests. i want to be with my guests not emotionally separated. And yes, that does happen.
I’m sorry for your friend Liza and your sadness over losing her. I’m catching up on your blog during a tough time, and you give me some smiles, as usual, with this OC post.
On principle, I just cannot see plunking down a million bucks *easy* here in greater Boston–by the time you’re done paying 30 years’ interest–for a charmless “cook-in living room” that the builders were too cheap to put any walls in. It’s so beyond nickle-and-diming the buyer. For that kind of money, a homeowner really ought to be able to host a nice dinner where the guests aren’t staring at the dirty dishes.
It’s a mixed bag for me. The couple who built our house cut an opening through the wall where the plan had intended kitchen cabinets. I need that missing storage but I do like the ability to join in on conversations, etc. Interior French doors allow light to pass, but we have run out of wall for hanging things. And I always have to consider wall color as a whole-house issue. The noise is also, as you’ve noted, a problem. I am still not, after years here, firmly in one camp or the other.
Dear Laurel,
I love how timely this post is, just days after I wrote to you about this subject. I’ve been agonizing over my one-room condo, where you walk in the door and see the length of my house with the kitchen cupboards on the back wall, the stupid diagonal peninsula, and the counters and sink sitting there in all their messy glory. I’m not OCD, but I’m becoming easily overwhelmed with visual and auditory stimuli, cooking smells filling the living space, and waving at people who peek in my front door and see me in my kitchen, frantically wiping counters and throwing stuff into the pantry. You have enticed me with the possibility of a couple pointers, along with a few of your past blog posts that have inspired me with ideas on how to reconfigure my house.
My heart swelled with the picture of Liza and her untimely death. I’m sorry for your sadness.
Your devoted fan,
Jody
I’m so sorry about your friend, Liza. It’s hard to lose someone you’re close to, especially to that devil, cancer. I’ve lived in a partially open concept home (formal dining, living and entry are open concept but separated from the kitchen, family, breakfast open concept combo) for the last 20 years. I love it and find myself loving to cook more in this home than my former more traditional home. Also, entertaining is much more fun. In fact, I want a smaller home with all of the living space open concept. I live in the south, and you can’t sell a home that isn’t open concept or one that can easily be changed to that style. I guess we’re just less formal here in the south now, even though we throw wonderful parties with family china, crystal and silver! I love the first floor plan you worked with, but I would have liked your teal wall moved all the way to the right. That way the kitchen would be completely blocked from the front doorway. And I don’t like angles in kitchens either, but not because they’re contemporary. I have an angled island, and it greatly reduces the amount of cabinet and counter space available in the kitchen area. Thanks for all of your work to present these ideas!
Thank you too Donna!
I can see benefits of kitchen/family rooms being open to each other for young families. For myself, however, I would feel ill at ease. I can cook if I am forced to, but when I do I definitely don’t want any witnesses.
I’ve wondered if the HGTV-open concept link didn’t come down to purely telegenic considerations. Maybe they just look better on camera and are easier to shoot and maneuver a camera in. I love cottage-like nooks and crannies. Even more so with five children! Having a kitchen with a door is heaven for whoever wants to cook in peace with music playing. I do like it to be an eat-in kitchen, but away spaces are sanity savers for introverted families.
So sorry for the loss of your lovely friend, Laurel.
today Jan. 6 is the one year anniversary of the death of my dear friend Darlene who’s lungs filled up with fluid until it hit the tipping point. She was the nicest and funniest person you would ever want to meet. We love you Darlene and will never forget you…Susie and Teddy
I’m so sorry to hear that Susie. {{{hugs}}}
Yeah, I’m one of those people who are sick of open concept. I like wide-framed openings where rooms flow into each other.
Some open floor plans are worse than others. If you you are practically in the kitchen the minute you step in the front door, it’s awful.
I’ve come to realize many things about floor plans. For instance, I like all the bedrooms on one side and the garage/laundry/kitchen on the other side, so that the noise of a garage door or washing machine doesn’t wake up the other occupants if someone’s an early riser.
I love this! We live in a restored farmhouse and saved the elegant parts–fancy custom millwork and such–with the help of a great architect who turned it from a two-family into a one-family home. With great flow–everybody says that. But it is not open concept. I was adamant that I did not want anything unsightly to be visible from the front door and I didn’t want to be able to see the sink from the dining room. Even Joanna Gaines uses cased openings rather than opening everything up. I can’t imagine living in a barn with few walls, where it is hard to find a spot to hang art or place a lamp. It makes furniture arrangement needlessly challenging. And I would personally not feel cozy in such a room, with the very lofty ceilings that seem to go along with open concept. People say they need open concept in order to be able to keep an eye on their kids. Really? Voice of experience: it’s not a bad thing to go into a room where your kid is, to check. The kid then knows the parent is interested. Here’s an “okay boomer” comment, from my perspective as a psychologist. If said parents would put their cell phones away, they would be able to keep an eye on their kids, even with walls. I love your take on this subject, Laurel. Very sorry about your friend.
I find this interesting. Every one of my clients WANTS an open plan, especially if they have kids. Nobody wants to be closed off from the rest of the family and/or company just because they are cooking. In more than 90% of my projects I am removing walls, not adding them. Maybe it’s a beach house thing but I live in an open plan where I can see my entire living/dining and kitchen areas from my office space. I love the feeling of openness, especially with my high ceilings.
Well, Laurel, like a great bra, you lift and separate.
Cath
hahahaha
My condolences on the loss of your friend. This still happens too often, and always makes us feel like lighting a fire under the researchers and treatments to make it stop.
I am also not a fan of open concept design. It seems like nothing more than a souped-up version of the two-room log house my father was born and reared in deep in the mountains of North Alabama. I have closed off some semi-open spaces in my own home, as I prefer the rooms to reflect the function I want them to have. My son years ago coined the term “auditorium with a firepit” about these too-open spaces. I thik it fits.
Thank you! I didn’t grow up in an open concept house. I live in one now but I really don’t like it. I like the idea of separate rooms. If I ever manage to build my little house it will Not be open. Finally,someone who appreciates things the way they’re supposed to be.
I am so very sorry to hear of your friend leaving us. I remember the first time you mentioned her and what an impact she had had upon your life and career. You introduced her to many many more people through your writing; thank you.
My sister has a very large open-concept modern home that was recommended because they entertain a great deal and her husband is a great cook. Gatherings there have become increasingly difficult for me because it is so LOUD. Conversations bounce off the marble counters, wood floors, and huge windows and there is literally no place to escape to save the bathroom. It also feels so empty when there are no crowds there because it is so open. I have come to love the idea of the “Not So Big House” that purports that people need cozy spaces to feel comfortable. If I want to feel awe, I go to a church and look up; I don’t want to have that in a house.
Thank you for all you do.
Dear Laurel,
Thank you for this post! I am using many of your ideas in our current remodel. I just painted the newly French doored sunroom rolling hills. Yay, I love it.
I have an idea for future posts. What if you took one of your favorite floor plans, and went through it room by room. You could choose and place furniture, lighting, rugs and, of course, paint color with links for us to buy stuff. Maybe each Tuesday post could be a new room in the Laurel house. I find it so hard to create good flow from room to room and the act of seeing an entire house come together would be invaluable.
Thanks again and deepest condolences, Jean
I just have to say, in defense of open concept, if there is no tv in the great room, it’s not necessarily that obnoxious. (I think the tv is the straw that breaks the combined-living camel’s back.) With three kids, if my kitchen were separated by walls from the main living area, it would feel like prison to me – I would be unable to supervise (or enjoy!) anything going on. I do think the glass-wall idea is great. Also, I’ve heard that every open concept house needs an “away room” – which makes sense to me. I think open versus walled depends mostly on who will be there and how they use the space. (Also, when we finally get our new kitchen done, I’m going to want to see it from every possible angle in my house. Ha, ha!) Thanks for another interesting post.
Oh Laurel, This post was very timely for me, and apparently many others. I hate the idea of the entirely open concept home. No cozy spaces, no quiet nooks to read or have a private chat with a friend. And especially I hate the idea of looking into the kitchen while dining. I love to entertain and I love spend time setting a pretty table. Pots and pans have no place in a dining space. We are retired and looking for a one floor home, but are finding it difficult to find a home that has not been ruined by the attempt to cram all home life into one room. When I see an OC home I always look to see if it can be “fixed” sadly most would require too much work. Wish me luck, as I continue to look. Carole T Culver City Ca.
Laurel, I love that you dedicated this post to Liza. I also love that you and I got to know Liza so well that we all became good friends. The Designers Cruise was incredible and it was Liza’s brilliant idea. So glad we’ve been able to share some wonderful times together and have fun, fond memories to last forever in our hearts. Love you my dear friend. xoo
Hi Claire,
Been thinking about you too. I didn’t know the cruise was Liza’s idea. But, I’m not surprised, either. The other day I opened my cupboard after I had been away for two weeks and saw the beautiful mug she gave me that trip. I just broke down. Love you too! xoxo
Great post! I have never been an open concept fan, and you have offered some workable solutions. Sorry for the loss of your friend.
Something interesting a firefighter told me recently–in a house with interior walls, you have around 10 minutes to get out of your burning house. In an open concept house? Around 2 minutes. Those walls weren’t there for no reason.
I prefer clearly defined rooms, and, being an introvert and a lover of audio books, I like a separate kitchen where I can cook something intricate and complicated while listening to a nice gory murder mystery!
Thank you so much for this post! I am in the process of looking for a new home and so many of them are open concept – or at least way too open for me because I like separate rooms for each activity. My current house is in a development where there are many others with the same floor plan. I have at least two neighbors who have knocked down all the walls in the common area, and now the living room, dining area, kitchen and family room are all one huge space. It seems so impractical, and from what I’ve seen of them, impossible to decorate and furnish well. If I end up buying a new home that’s a little too open for my preference, at least you’ve given me some ideas on how to fix it!
Amen!! I thought I was just “old fashion” when my retired friends were buying, or building their last home for retirement with the open concept. You are right on the money. When we visit for dinner or cards I just can’t get past the fact that I am sitting in one large kitchen with the added bonus of a 70″ Plasma TV. I am not a fan of the 60’s long hall and low ceilings either. Really is it that difficult to build a nice home. Thank you for your insight.
Thanks for the post and sorry about your friend. Our front door opens into our open concept living space. But how do you break up space that has a 28’ high ceiling? Sigh!!! There‘s a challenge. At least we have tons of natural light.
Enjoy your blog.
I’ve never really been a fan of the open concept house. I suppose it originated when people started converting commercial or industrial spaces, in urban areas, into residential spaces. With their original, old architectural features, they’re really attractive, and that makes sense to me. I’m sure one of the positive aspects, from a profit standpoint to builders and sellers, is that a house with less square footage, appears larger if it is an open concept house. I’m very fortunate to be blessed with an old house that has very large and spacious rooms. I live in California, and with the ridiculous price and scarcity of real estate here, people are often forced to settle for much less than might want and need.
I’m so very sorry to hear about your friend, Liza. I lost an old friend to breast cancer just this past November, and another one in December of 2018. It’s devastating.
Very timely post, Laurel. People are sick of open concept, and I never liked it to begin with. Yes, it was all driven by Lowes and Home Depot on HGTV telling the lemmings that they had to rip out walls. Dumb idea. So glad people finally figured out it’s not the thing. So much so that Realtor.com just did a big article about what people want now.
Hi Laurel, I am one of your biggest fans and have been since the beginning. I also am one who downsized from a beautiful 100 year old center hall colonial in westchester to an open concept town home on the Hudson River. I have to say I do really like the change and because of the layout, don’t think I could or would want to put walls up. I am currently in the process of making the dining space it’s own color (dark) so it feels more like its own room and taking down some upper cabinets making more of a kitchen that doesn’t look so much like a kitchen (art, Sconces, open shelving ). you’ve been the source of inspiration for these changes, so thank you!
Dear Laurel,
So very sorry to hear about Liza. It is never easy to lose a dear friend.
The post has some great tips to provide a little separation. Thanks for the mention and link of Melissa’s kitchen. I still smile thinking about the “The After”.
Sending love, Nancy
I agree. I never understood why people thought an open concept was the best thing that ever happen to home design.
Well, thanks to these philistine builders, the homeowner must spend a lifetime trying to brighten dreary spaces, build walls, and generally make the best of poor design. There! I got my daily gripe in!
Laurel, So sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. May she rest in peace free of pain. May the wonderful attributes you speak of inspire us all to live better lives.
Best,
Pam
Thanks so much Pamela!
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend. Despicable cancer!!!
Regarding an open floor plan… We moved from the east coast to Colorado and “downsized” to an open concept ranch with a walkout lower level. I absolutely love the floor plan! We have a wide hallway/foyer and don’t see the kitchen from the entrance at all. And we do have a separate study with French doors where we can read etc. away from the main living area. It’s not a giant main floor but with all the windows and high ceilings and view of the Rocky Mountains beyond, it feels and lives much larger than it would with separate rooms. It is perfect for entertaining. The key is keeping it neat most of the time. If I am cooking and someone sees dishes on the island…oh well. If they judge, they aren’t worthy of eating what I am serving anyway. I guess whether or not open concept works depends on the particular house and it’s inhabitants.
This was a fun read. I just spent a weekend at a friend’s house where they recently renovated to create an open concept living, dining, kitchen space. She’s very talented and it turned out quite beautiful. However, we talked about furniture placement issues for both the dining “room” and the living area—which required the purchase of new, smaller! furniture. As I sat there, enjoying the ambiance, I realized that while I adore spacious rooms, and while her kitchen was fabulous, I wouldn’t want it to be the focal point of my home. I love your fixes. What a difference a wall or three can make! Me wants house number three!
I wasn’t a fan of open concept from the beginning because of the NOISE. You’re cooking, running appliances & the TV has be turned up, then everyone’s voice has to get louder… I now live in an open concept house – built in 1994 – with the front door opening right into the great room AND you can see the kitchen sink from the front door. I’ve grown to love it – mainly because I live alone with a cat and a dog. But when family comes over- it does get frenetic. Loved your ideas, Laurel. Especially for creating a foyer… Sorry for the loss of your friend. Realize grief is involuntary & must run its course. Hate for you it’s so close to the loss of your Mom as well. I know firsthand.
Another informative post as usual. I used to fear reading your posts out of thinking it would point out some heinous error I’d committed, but somehow, you seem to give my choices credence from afar and affirm that building to suit oneself (not the builder, or architect, or neighbors) is always the right decision. So glad we stuck to our vision and demanded an elongated kitchen peninsula, a partial dining wall, a ceiling height change from foyer to great room and a stairwell modification to emphasize foyer and build visually distinct spacal boundaries (despite significant eye-rolling from our builder and architect.) Sincere condolences in the loss of your colleague. She seemed to be a valuable treasure who will be missed greatly.
I live in a home with designated rooms. It’s an older home with many of them. I love the option of being able to leave one space and move to an entirely new one that has a completely different look, whenever I get bored with the one I’m in, or maybe just when I don’t want to deal with the kitchen mess/clutter that is almost always present. I would get bored with one ever present look and feel like I was in a large prison cell. The only problem I have with this house is the lack of symmetry. Whoever built it didn’t line up windows and doors or even place the fireplace in the center of the living room wall but pushed it to one side near a doorway, so I can’t out a chair on either side of it!! Trying to balance the placement of furniture in some rooms makes me crazy and may be the death of me yet!!!
I’ve had that situation of unbalanced rooms with many a client. I figure that the builders were drunk.
Loving tribute to a good friend.
I live in a small condo and have been customizing slowly over the years. Best thing I did was tear out the carpet and replace with luxury plank vinyl. I used a large antique cabinet to effectively create a sense of separation between my living room and kitchen, plus adding a ton of storage space. Your blogs are the best! Thank you for great content.
Thanks so much Rosie!
I am fairly traditional (definitely don’t want to see a kitchen from the front door, lol) but…in defense of the Property Bros (who seem to be doing quite well and certainly don’t need my defense, lol again,) it seems a majority of the homes that they take those sledgehammers to are attached homes, usually in Canada, that often only have windows at the front and back. There usually isn’t amazing architectural elements, and the ceilings are often low. Knocking down the walls and letting the light through lets the spaces breathe. To me, this type of open concept makes sense. A 4500 sq ft home (barn? arena?) that has no walls does not make sense.
I adore your blog, and am so sorry about your dear friend. She looks like a lovely person.
You make an excellent point. However, it would be interesting to see what they do with a different kind of home.
Great topic. I might incite your wrath on this one, but I really like my open concept home. I like empty space so I don’t feel claustrophobic. My problem is mostly where to hide the family’s clutter in the great room. I have a pretty dresser but it looks “off” no matter where I put it. Maybe a topic for another post? Adding hidden storage for when there are no closets.
No wrath. My old home was quite open.
Speaking of architectural peeves, these open floor plan examples fail on another level. Because the main living areas are all interior rather than at the outer corners, the space may seem dark and claustrophobic.
I know this comment is off-topic, but just what ARE these architects thinking?
Hi Gemma,
They usually aren’t architects designing these homes: they’re home builders who create these spaces.
Yes!!!!! My contractor thought I was crazy to build a wall between my dining and living room! But now I have room for a china cabinet and I can paint the dining room a fun color instead of keeping the same neutral around the house. Turned out great! It’s so nice to see others of the same opinion on open concept.
Thanks Katy. One wall at a time!
So sorry about the loss of your friend, Liza.
On the subject of open concept, thanks for defending walls. I recently had to make the decision to not open up a galley kitchen (I live in a city high rise), into our rather formal living/dining room because I didn’t want the sight-line being a sink.
So we have a walled off kitchen, which feels like some sort of decorating sin.
I hereby absolve you, Tracy, of all decorating “sins.” haha
I recently downsized and was shopping for a new house. One of my deal breakers was if I could see the kitchen sink from the front door. It was hard to find a house that met this criteria!
It’s mind blowing, isn’t it?
Also, I love the idea of small walls and interior windows to delineate spaces. We have a large open kitchen/dining area/living room/entry way and I keep daydreaming about putting a wall between the kitchen and just some narrow walls on the sides where the entryway connects to the living room.
We knocked down walls in our prior house but it was only parts of walls which let light into our narrow galley kitchen that had no windows. It worked. The space felt separate and you couldn’t see the kitchen mess from the living room and the kitchen no longer felt like a cave.
Sounds wonderful!
Sorry for your loss.
I also have a question about your post, I hope that’s not in poor taste because it’s less important.
In the house where you squared the kitchen, and added interior walls, if those walls are windows great we have lots of examples on your blog. But if they are solid, they are above counters. What do you do on those walls if it is an unkitchen? I can think of the dark DeVol unkitchen with the shelf and photos on it- are there other gorgeous pictures of wall space in a kitchen without uppers?
Hi Amy,
Probably, there are. If you go to the blog sidebar, and type in kitchen, you’ll see hundreds of kitchens. Ugh. My “zero” key
is on the fritz. I guess it’s time for a new computer!
Somewhere recently I read the main reason the open concept is such a hit on HGTV is because it means bringing in sledgehammers to knock down walls and that means more male viewers. (I don’t know if that’s true but it’s funny… in a sad way.)
Here’s the story from NPR:
Well, now it’s making sense. lol