As the name implies, an open floor plan features standard rooms such as the great/family room, one or more dining spaces, the kitchen, and, frequently, multiple points of entry/exit onto the exterior space that function as a single living/entertaining space.
These large, connected spaces encourage family togetherness while increasing your entertaining options by combining interior and exterior family spaces. Eliminating walls, doorways, and room division helps create a spacious feel to the floor plan and highlights shared family experiences, whether prepping food, dining, or gathering as a family.
These floor plans are highly coveted in homes with smaller footprints; however, larger homes can undoubtedly benefit when integrating standard rooms into a shared space.
Open floor plans are an excellent option for homes of any size! Here are some pros to consider when browsing our selection of open-floor-plan homes:
Open floor plans are not always necessarily cheaper to build. While it may seem that they would be more affordable since they use fewer materials because there are fewer walls, the lack of borders may make open-concept floor plans more costly to build. Expensive, heavy-duty, load-bearing beams may need to be used in the ceiling.
For an open floor plan to feel worth it, you need to identify what's essential for you in the shared living spaces of a home. For example, an open floor plan is right for you if you like entertaining or spending time together, even when preparing meals.
Another reason many people choose open floor plans is that they feel less cluttered due to the elimination of doors and walls.
The open floor plan is the most popular type of home because it's suited to a wide range of lifestyles and needs. If you're thinking about building a new home, here are some reasons why you might want to consider open floor plans:
If you have an open floor plan, several options exist for hiding the kitchen.
The first option is to remove the wall between the dining room and kitchen. This makes it appear that there is no separation, making the space feel larger and more open.
Another option is to use cabinets to separate the two rooms. This works exceptionally well if you have a wall that needs decoration, like artwork or built-in shelves. You can put up a piece of artwork or shelf on one side of the wall, then put cabinets on the other side without worrying about them looking like they were built next to each other in an unfinished home.
If your home's kitchen has an island, you could consider using it as a sort of divider between your dining area and living room by placing it smack dab in the middle of both rooms.
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