Open Concept Living

Open Concept Popular Family Trend

This family of four lived in their desired neighborhood but found the small individual spaces in their home constricting. When together in the kitchen it was a tight fit and when meals were being prepared it was difficult to be present with the children during homework or to share about their day. The answer to the dilemma is open-concept living.

open concept living room and kitchen

: BEFORE: Wall between family room and kitchen

: BEFORE: Wall between kitchen and family room

After taking time to find photos of open-concept living the homeowners were able to offer our design team inspirational images that were representative of what they had hoped to do in their home. This required the removal of walls that divided the kitchen from the family room and dining room. The result was an open and airy feel and a space that could provide this family with plenty of interaction and also the ability to have larger gatherings.

: BEFORE: Previous Kitchen door way to dining room

: BEFORE: Previous dining room off of kitchen

Family Friendly Kitchen

Now, mom and dad can enjoy catching up during meal prep and the kids can be close by for help with homework. All said and done the family gained more seating in the kitchen as well as an island full of cabinetry. Who doesn’t need more storage? The dining room also includes new built-ins that match the kitchen keeping continuity in the open floorplan. This provides a serving area as well as storage for large platters, seldom-used dishware, and the like.

large seated island for open concept

matching cabinetry in dining area for open concept

Open Concept Design Ideas

Often the open kitchen area is linked to a dining area. This can consist of a breakfast bar to a classic dining table and chairs. The dining table offers a border dividing the food prep area from the rest of the living space. The kitchen island is a perfect working surface and can include a sink or cooktop often used to separate the living space from the kitchen area. Extra cabinetry for storage can be housed on the island and can also provide a bar area for seating. The centrality of the island allows for several people to work in the kitchen at the same time and provides a perfect place for socializing with the cook in an open concept.

Check out these Kitchen Island Design Ideas and how to plan for your kitchen island.

Open Concept For Family Togetherness

Whether looking for a new home or revamping a current residence, homeowners continue to be drawn to the feelings of spaciousness, easy flow, and welcoming togetherness evoked by open floor plans. Pioneered in the early 20th century, open floor plans remain popular today. Some benefits for those homeowners considering removing the walls of the interior of their home are entertainment, safety, and flexibility. In an open-concept home, hosts and their guests can converse easily because no walls are dividing common areas. Open-concept floor plans can provide safety by allowing parents to keep an eye on their children while cooking, working, and completing other chores around the house. This type of floor plan allows flexibility to make dining areas as big or small as needed and can even adjust the rooms on occasions when entertaining a crowd.

: OORS

An NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) survey found that 70 percent of buyers want a kitchen-family room area that is either completely or partially open, with 32 percent wanting it completely open. And owners of existing homes are choosing to open things up, too. Remodelers reported that 40 percent of their projects involve opening existing homes’ main floors by removing interior walls entirely or by using countertops, cut-throughs, or archways, rather than full walls, to define separate areas in a more open way. In 2016, 84 percent of builders reported that most of the houses built had an open-concept design and the trend is still very popular.

Open Floor Plan Interior Design Experts

The “open concept” is clearly the trend and is the popular choice for consumers as they choose their interior design plan. If you are considering a move to accommodate your growing family perhaps our design team can help you design a new open-concept floor plan in your existing home. Our Home Interiors By Design team can offer their services for interior design and interior decorating including furniture, window treatments, and many other custom services.