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Showerthought: My trip to the model home village made me question open floor plans
I was at the new Oak Creek development in Springfield last weekend, you know, just looking at the model homes for ideas. Every single one had this huge open living area, kitchen right there, no walls at all. It looked nice in pictures, but standing in it felt wrong. The noise from the kitchen fan mixed with the TV, and there was no quiet spot to read. I talked to the sales guy, Mike, and he said 'nobody builds walls anymore, it's all about the flow.' But I think we lost something, like a place to actually get away inside your own house. My grandpa's place had a real dining room with pocket doors, and you could shut out the world for a bit. Maybe I'm old school, but I'm adding a wall back into my remodel plan. Has anyone else built a room divider or put a wall back in and been happier for it?
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xena_taylor645mo ago
Yeah, it's that whole 'flow' thing they sell you. But what flows is all the smells and noise, right? My friend put up a half wall with some shelves between her kitchen and living room, and she says it's the best thing she ever did. Still feels connected but you don't have to look at the dirty dishes while you're trying to relax. Makes a house feel more like a home with actual separate spots.
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the_jesse5mo ago
You're right about the flow just moving smells and noise. I read an article in a home magazine last year that called open floor plans "the great room mistake." It pointed out how hard it is to heat or cool one giant space, and how you end up living in a spotlight with every mess on full display. The writer said we traded cozy, useful rooms for a stage set that only looks good when it's totally clean. That really stuck with me.
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stellat873mo ago
My parents had an open concept house built in 2005 and within two years my mom was begging my dad to put up a wall. The heating bill was insane, like $400 some months in the winter because the whole first floor was one giant room. I totally agree with @xena_taylor64 too, the half wall with shelves is a smart move. My friend did the same thing with a butcher block counter on top of some cabinets, and it helped block the noise from the kitchen TV while she cooked. You can still see each other through the opening but the mess isn't right in your face from the couch. I think people are starting to realize that separate rooms actually make a house feel bigger because you can use them for different things instead of having one giant empty space.
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