The Basic Principles Of The Open Floor Plan

If you would like to have more space in your home, the overarching question is, would an open floor plan be a good idea for you? But if you’re not sure what an open floor plan is, you may not know whether your answer is yes or no. So we are going to run you through a very brief guide and show you what exactly makes an open floor plan so popular. It doesn’t always mean that walls are taken down, they can be minimized and left standing to give some privacy to the lounge and kitchen. But the majority of plans will mean all your room walls have to go. But the benefit you get is amazing.

Kitchen and dining

Perhaps the place where it all began, was the kitchen and dining room merging as one. Nowadays you probably think that it's normal to have a dining table in sight of the kitchen, or in the same room. This is actually a new concept, that only truly took off when the kitchen island came into being. This freed up so much space, as all the cooking, cutting, cleaning, was done in the same place. So the dining table could be moved into the room, as there wasn’t a need to have a U-shaped kitchen layout anymore. Thus, the rooms were inherently merged, knocking down the wall and making the dining area larger and the kitchen area more comfortable. 

The lounge and the house

A true open floor plan is one that has no interior separation walls. This makes the lounge room incredibly larger and well, open! The airflow is massively improved, the floor has to be given new lighting and spatial design ideas but if you have interior architects with experience in how to do this, you will be fine. Speak with these types of professionals about making a giant floor which only has the staircase separating it. The foyer will be merged into the room as well, so you have a full vision from your front door, into the lounge, kitchen, dining area, and even the patio. The open design will mean that natural light has to be incorporated to a greater extent, so large wall windows are a good addition.

It's colder?

People worry that their home will now be cooler thanks to the open floor plan. Yes, to some degree the home will be a little colder, but there are ways to solve this no problem. Firstly, you can have large area rugs to cover the floor and capture the heat in your home. You can also have thick curtains that keep the warmth in. Open floor plans are great for large families, but they pose a challenge to retain heat in areas other than the kitchen. But if you place radiators across the wall this will stop cold patches from occurring. 

An open floor plan is amazing for any modern home, just be mindful that there are some hidden challenges by going with this design. If you can manage the heat and lighting issues, you will surely love the sheer space you have.