If you’re planning to remodel your house then you may be wondering if you should connect some of the major rooms in your house. Specifically, should you connect your living room, dining room, and kitchen all together. Open concept floor plans are very popular in today’s home market, but they may not be the preference of everyone, which is why we think that it’s important to understand the pros and cons of an open concept plan in order to help you make your decision.
Pros of an Open Concept Floor Plan
Some of the advantages of an open floor plan is what they allow and how efficiently they utilize the space in your house. Connecting your living and dining room to your kitchen allows for an easier flow of traffic and the ability to stay connected and communicate with anyone who’s in any of these areas. It creates a nice big space to socialize, entertain and allows you to have an easier time staying connected with those in the house.
An open concept also takes advantage of all of the square footage in your house. Consider that if you were to have a separate dining room that would only be used every so often, then you could possibly be making poor use of the limited house space you have.
An open floor plan can also make smaller or limited spaces feel bigger than they actually are. Having an open concept can also be very visually appealing because you are able to create a flowing aesthetic that is the same throughout all three sections: dining room, living room and kitchen. Whereas, if you had enclosed spaces the aesthetic of your house could be broken up and not have the same flow and continuous look.
Cons of an Open Concept Floor Plan
There are some things to consider, however, about an open concept that it may not be able to provide for you.
An open concept limits the amount of wallspace you would have. If you like to hang up artwork or pictures then having an enclosed living or dining room can give you more wallspace to do so.
Some might have a preference for having enclosed spaces so that they don’t have to deal with the problems of one area affecting another. If dinner gets burnt then everyone in the living, dining, kitchen area would be dealing with the stench and smell, or if you’re trying to watch TV while people are still talking and laughing at the dining table then there’s no escape. Whereas having separate spaces for each creates individual environments for each activity.
Another thing to consider about switching to an open concept is the cost factor. It can be quite expensive to knock down walls and remodel the new, connected space to have matching materials and design.
There are many things to consider when deciding on whether or not to connect your living room, dining room and kitchen to create an open floor space. Much of the decision, however, comes down to personal preference of the homeowner. If you desire a very sociable, connected atmosphere in your house then an open concept may be the perfect plan for you. Whereas, if you prefer a more traditional house style with separation of each room then connecting each area might not be best suited for you.
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