While you may not have given it much thought, the floor plan of your home can play an essential role in how your family spends time together and what they feel like they can do throughout the day. Traditional floor plans are very famous, but open concept floor plans are becoming increasingly popular due to the freedom they provide their residents. How you design your home’s floor plan can go a long way in determining how you want to live in your house, whether it’s with your family or on your own.
Whether you are in the market for a new home or planning a home renovation, one of the first things you’ll need to decide is whether you prefer an open concept floor plan or the traditional setup with separate rooms for dining and living. Using an open concept floor plan can make life in your home more accessible, more enjoyable, and more efficient. Traditional floor plans tend to restrict traffic flow from one room to another and make gathering around the table for dinner with the family complex. This blog covers both options so that you can make an informed decision about which type of layout will be best for you and your family.
Know Everything about Open Concept Floor Plans
Open floor plans make it easy to see what’s going on in other rooms, so if someone asks you something in another room, you won’t have to get up or go find them; plus, there are no corners for anything to hide behind. Open plans also give you some freedom when choosing furniture because your options are less limited. For example, it might be easier to select an oversized dining table with an open floor plan living room and dining area that would feel too big for a closed-off space. These types of things contribute toward making your home feel larger than it actually is—plus, they can make entertaining guests easier. Think about how fun dinner parties would be in one of these spaces!
- Choose an open-concept layout when cooking isn’t vital or enjoyable or when other parts of the home are areas where activity occurs regularly (like children’s bedrooms).
- Open-concept layouts aren’t necessarily worse than traditional layouts if you’re preparing food for large groups at once; though not ideal for these circumstances, some cooks feel liberated by not being boxed into one spot during meal prep!
The Not-So-Good Things about Open Floor Plans:
- In smaller homes especially, an open concept layout means wasted space. An open kitchen layout usually leads into a walled-off living room, which sometimes leads into additional areas like a den or sunroom. There are generally more walls between sections in a traditional home, meaning there isn’t much excess space that goes unused. So, know that open concept floor plans don’t work well with small places.
- Also, keep in mind that open concepts often mean fewer bedrooms, so open plans may not work best for you if you have kids or sleep separately from your partner/spouse at night. Eventually, some people just like being able to close themselves off from everyone else in their home. With an open plan, you always need to leave your bedroom door open so people can come in and out freely.
Open concept floor plans are trending now, but traditional layouts still win out in some areas of the country. A good tip for people interested in open concept floor plans is to ensure their appliances don’t block any walkways or pathways through a house because there wouldn’t be much point in being an open concept. Open concept kitchens and bathrooms allow more effortless movement, better communication, improved moods, and greater productivity.
Know Everything about Traditional Floor Plans
- If you love home cooking, you will appreciate having your kitchen close to your dining room and living room – which are typically next to each other in a traditional floor plan. This setup allows you to walk from one area of your home to another without feeling too much like you are going through a maze! Having your kitchen near these main areas of your home also allows others to quickly help you if they want to cook with you or just want something right away. You can keep an eye on them as well!
- While many people prefer an open concept for their homes, it’s important to know that there are still walls even when you do have an open concept. Walls between cabinets and appliances mean that your family will not be able to see what’s happening inside every cabinet or cupboard at all times. An advantage of closed floor plans is that everyone is always aware of what’s happening because everything remains visible. There’s no hiding what’s being done in certain parts of your kitchen!
The Not-So-Good Things about Traditional Floor Plans:
- It can feel more crowded with everyone sitting around one table close to each other. That can be part of its charm for some homeowners, especially those with small children! However, if you’d instead take your meals seated at different places throughout your home, then an open concept may work better for you.
- With most traditional floor plans, there are usually no halls running between rooms, so you must go outside to get from one place to another. For instance, if you go downstairs only to realize that you forgot your laundry detergent upstairs – too bad! You’ll need to retrace your steps (and maybe grab an umbrella!) and head back up again.
Most open concepts include high ceilings, great for making rooms appear larger but not necessarily cozy or comfortable looking due to their height. In contrast, traditional house floor plans often provide lower ceilings that tend to feel cozier overall.
Things To Consider When Choosing Between Open Concept and Traditional Floor Plan:
Consider all aspects of your lifestyle before deciding which floor plan will work best for you. Here are some questions that you should ask yourself when it comes to choosing between open floor plans and traditional floor plans. Let’s have a look:
- Do you prefer having a separate dining room, or would you rather have an open space where guests can mingle and move freely?
- Do you want to use your kitchen for entertaining, or are most of your parties held in other rooms of your home?
In many cases, it’s helpful to visit homes that have both types of floor plans and envision how they might work within your own home. However, whether it’s creating an open concept design or a traditional floor plan, it is more than just connecting or separating rooms. Choosing fixtures, cabinetry, tiles, and furniture takes careful consideration; often, you’ll need to consider height differences between various components of your layout, such as overhead lighting fixtures. Most importantly, remember that renovations may be costly initially but can pay off handsomely over time as they increase the market value of your home while also increasing its functionality.
When choosing between designs on paper, determine what works best for your life–not what looks prettiest on paper! If you do decide to renovate your home, ask friends and family members who have renovated in the past if they found their new layout worth it.
Sum Up:
Open floor plans and traditional floor plans are both good choices, and it really comes down to personal preference. Take a look around your neighborhood—which style do most people seem to use? What does your family want most in terms of shared spaces? And will any architectural limitations prevent you from building according to one or the other? It’s worth thinking through all these factors before deciding whether open floor plans are suitable for you or go for a traditional floor plan.
Both the floor plans have some benefits and some drawbacks that you should consider carefully before deciding what type of home remodeling project will work best for your home and lifestyle.
When it comes to the open concept floor plan vs. the traditional floor plan, you must ask yourself questions such as: what kind of floor plan would make you more excited to spend time at home? Are there any unexpected benefits to either type of design that were overlooked here? If you have the answers to these queries, then it’s best to decide for yourself. But if you are confused about both the choices, then it’s wise to take professional help.
Do you need any professional help deciding on open floor plans or traditional floor plans for your house designs? Contact homednb, share your needs with our consultants, and let them help you decide which floor plan best suits your needs and desires! You can register at our website and submit the project details then we will connect you with the vetted home renovation contractor to get the job done to make your space according to your desires and within your budget!
