According to Houzz’s 2021 Home Design Predictions, open-concept layouts are likely to fall out of favor in the coming years. The design site posits that, since people are spending more time at home than ever amid coronavirus lockdowns, open floor plans no longer suit the needs of many families.
What are your thoughts on transitioning out of open-concept living? As someone who loves to entertain I am not sure I want to have a closed-off dining and living area. We sure love being busy in the kitchen but still being able to interact with our guests in our open concept living area adjacent to our kitchen.
Whichever you prefer, here are some tips for transitioning an open space into more intimate zones.
- Partition off the cooking area. A glass partition is a natural solution when a separation of cooking and relaxing spaces is essential.
- Make a room within a room.
- Go half way! A half wall or pony wall can help visually divide a space.
- Set off the staircase.
- Divide a rectangle space into two smaller rooms.
- Try a transom window to divide two rooms into one.
I currently work in our front living room as my office, but the previous owner took out the doors and create a nice inviting open space to walk into. I love that I can hear what’s going on around me, but sometimes I crave the closed space that helps productivity. I definitely have mixed feelings about this emerging trend!
