(Newswire.net — March 1, 2018) — Just a decade ago, the question of which is better – an open or closed floor plan – would not have even been asked. Homebuilding and renovating trends come and go, ask any renovation contractors in Winnipeg. Over the past several decades many homeowners have opted to either build an open floor plan or to renovate a closed one to make it open. But the newest trend is having smaller spaces that are designated to have more privacy and create more intimate places to gather.
The return of the dining room
The dining room used to be an essential place in people’s homes, where they would gather at the end of the day to share their experiences over the dinner table. Due to hectic schedules and more lax dinner rituals, many families have found that an eat-in kitchen that opens to the living room allows everyone to “hang out” and spend time together. Recently, that has made the formal “dining room” not all that important. What homeowners and home sellers are beginning to find, however, is that many people are attempting to return to the traditional gathering space of the dining room.
There has always been a desire to have a place to sit and spend holidays and special occasions in a room that is especially set up for your family to eat around a table. But due to having less time to spend together on a regular basis, many people are finding that a formal dining space might be more than just a logistical place to sit and be peaceful. Many homebuyers and homebuilders are realizing the importance of gathering around a table to share the day’s events and reconnecting as a family. That means many more people are looking for floor plans that are closed to create a sense of intimacy.
Open floor plan
The entire idea behind an “open floor plan” is that everyone is together living in the same space. But any realtor knows that what once was old is new again, and many families and buyers are looking for more privacy to find their own little spot in the house to be their designated “area.”
Although the “man cave” is no longer the biggest trend, home office spaces, kitchen nooks, and closed-off “personal” spaces are very important to many homebuyers. It isn’t that they don’t want a great space for the family to get together; it is just that people are beginning to see that if you have an entirely open floor plan, there is no way to section things off. If everything is open with no boundaries, then no one has privacy or a place to find a place for themselves in the grand scheme of things.
Closed versus open floor plans
The newest trend is not trying to return to a time when a home consisted of tiny little rooms that were barely livable for just one person, much less an entire family. The idea now is that there should be gathering spaces in addition to private rooms. Sectioning off places to gather, like formal dining rooms or a place to work from home or do your homework, is the new trend that homeowners are seeking. All those renovated homes where walls were knocked out and removed are beginning to see walls reconstructed and put back up.
So, which is right for you?
If you are wondering which one is right for you, then the answer is probably a combination of an open and a closed floor plan. Opening up rooms to create space to be together is an awesome idea, but not at the expense of not having your own space to live and escape. Although it’s important to find a place for everyone to spend time together, don’t negate your need to find your own shelter that can provide you with peace and quiet, especially if you have little ones.
For the past several decades, small living spaces and closed floor plans have given way to opening everything up. But these days, there is something to be said for maintaining some semblance of privacy and having a space all your own amidst the chaos of family life.