Is open floor plan actually better or just trendy right now?

I've been comparing two houses I toured last month in Austin. One had this totally open kitchen-living-dining area, looked great in photos. The other had separate rooms with actual walls and doors. The open plan house was impossible to keep quiet when someone watched TV while I cooked. The divided house felt cramped in each room but gave everyone their own space. Now I'm wondering if open floor plans are genuinely better for how people live or if we just think they look cool in magazines. Any of you done both and have a real preference?

3 comments

3 Comments

zara_allen8d ago

Oh this is funny because I used to be totally on the open floor plan hype train haha. I was all about that magazine look until I actually lived in one for two years and realized @reeseanderson has a point about the noise thing. The TV and kitchen sounds blending together drove me up a wall. But you know what, the_leo kinda made me rethink it - the connected feeling when my partner is cooking and I'm on the couch is actually nice even if it gets loud sometimes. I guess I'd say open plans work best if you're the type who likes background noise and company, but if you need quiet they're a nightmare.

the_leo8d ago

Gotta disagree with you here honestly. Open floor plans aren't just a trend - they actually changed how families interact. Living in a place with walls between everything means you're basically isolated from whoever else is home. When I had my old apartment with separate rooms, I'd be in the kitchen cooking and my roommates would be in the living room watching something and it felt like we were in different houses. Open layouts force you to coexist even if you're doing different things. Sure noise can be annoying but that's what headphones are for. The tradeoff of feeling connected to your space and the people in it beats having a quiet room you rarely use anyway. Plus natural light flows way better through one big space than through a bunch of smaller boxes.

reeseanderson8d ago

Yeah I see it totally different honestly. Open floor plans just mean I can never escape the sound of someone else's TV show or phone call and it drives me nuts lol.