Even a casual watcher of home improvement or house-selling shows is aware of one often repeated phrase that comes up: open floor plan.
According to The Spruce, the concept is relatively modern, having truly coming into effect in living rooms in the years after World War II.
Before then, homes had a basic floor plan in which the kitchen was tucked in the back and was not used for socializing in the least. By the 1950s, open floor plans began to appear more regularly and 40 years later, the concept was practically the standard for new builds.
“An open floor plan allows flexibility so buyers or renters can create multi-purpose spaces,” Georgia-based real estate agent Tambria Peeples told Apartment Therapy.
Other real estate agents also sing the plans' praises, lauding it for how it brings a nice range of movement to an area.
“It allows more natural light to come in and really create a freely flowing space,” said Los Angeles-based Compass realtor Dominic Kennedy. “The space seems less ‘box-like’ and has a nice energy flow, and it’s also great for hosting or having company.”
Still, there are some issues that can arise with the design, as Andrew Cogar, president of the Atlanta architectural firm Historical Concepts told The Spruce.
“There’s been a slow but steady change," he said. "The thought was that an open and informal plan would create a sense of ease, but people are realizing that it also means everything has to be organized or else the house can quickly feel cluttered. Closed-off rooms allow people to cut down on some of that visual noise. It may sound counterintuitive, but people are returning to separated spaces as a way of simplifying how they live on a daily basis.”
Additionally, Realtor Magazine reported there are some issues homeowners have with having unwalled spaces amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“Our homes will change post-COVID-19,” Beverly Hills, California real estate professional and founder of the architectural division at Compass, Bret Parsons, told realtor.com. “This pandemic is hardly just an annoyance, but rather a significant lifestyle change.
“I predict the pendulum moving back to more traditional homes, with segmented rooms for multiple uses, including office suites, an exercise room, and a separate en suite for multigenerational living,” Parsons added. "Who wants [parents] in a care facility anymore?”
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