Is open-plan living really the best way? Our Editor explores the pros and cons

• News Home
• More from Homes and Gardens

Saturday, 21 January 2023 09:00

By Mary Goodsell

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Messenger
• Share on Messenger
• Share on X

Open plan design in our living spaces has long been heralded as the solution to family harmony, but as heating costs rise and families grow and change, Adele Trathan questions whether wall-less really is best

From the earliest days of human civilisation, the heart of the family home has been the hearth. In fact, in the 15th century it wasn’t uncommon for British homes to consist of just one storey and one large room. So, whether cooking, working or sleeping, a family could benefit from the warmth of the fire. 

Perhaps then, in this age where even young children generally have the privacy of their own bedrooms, our desire for intimacy while in the family living space is so vital to maintain this almost primitive desire for connection. Certainly, open plan living has been the dominant architectural trend for the past few decades with a seamless flow between kitchen, dining and lounge areas. 

The positives
There are still many reasons why such design is so coveted. It is a sociable way of living; you can cook in the kitchen while chatting to your partner who is, perhaps, relaxing on the sofa; or keep an eye on your children who are doing their homework on the dining table. 

It is also an effective way to give a smaller space – especially an apartment – a sense of capaciousness. That cubbyhole kitchen suddenly becomes a minimalist kitchenette diner when you remove a wall, creating comfort and connection where once was obstructive concrete. 

The negatives
However, the tide is starting to turn against the utopian idea of the open plan home, particularly given the recent increase in fuel costs, those without inner walls are realising how much more expensive it is to heat a large spaces. Also, the practical and contemporary benefits of tiles and wood flooring can make a cavernous room feel colder still. 

There is also a point where intimacy becomes an intrusion on privacy. Cooking smells permeate every area of the space until you are still being reminded of the fish pie you cooked for dinner while watching the end credits of the film you settled on the sofa to watch afterwards. 

Noise echoes, too. The sound of a TikTok video your teenager is watching on their phone interrupts you as you try to read a book across the room. 

In other words, what at first seemed as if it would bring you together as a family, is slowly making you all want to retreat to your bedrooms for a little peace and quiet. 

Middle ground
Just as you wouldn’t use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you don’t need to remove all walls (or put them all back up) to find harmony in the home. Instead, savvy interior designers and architects are coming up with solutions that make modern houses a little more flexible and intuitive. Sliding doors – preferably ones that can be tucked away out of sight – help to create cosiness when it is required. 

Then, during the summer months when heating isn’t an issue, you can open out the space again, letting the air flow freely. 

There is also a focus on insulation and triple glazing: features which increase house prices in the future as living costs increase and environmental impacts become even more of a priority. 

In conclusion then, it seems that our love affair with open plan may well be drawing to a close, but only so long as we can move towards a living style that maintains our desire for integration while also being more practical.  

More from Homes and Gardens

• Gardening: The Benefits of Hedges

  Gardeners are a flower-obsessed lot, greedily seeking out the latest, brightest blooms. That’s all very well, but ephemeral flowers need a stage to perform on. Plant a hedge - they add structure, benefit wildlife and look good all year round.

• Home Style: Treasure Trove

  The interior of a quaint, white-washed cottage in Sussex has been transformed into a colourful home full of character by a couple of keen collectors.

• Blooming Times: Awesome Alliums

  Easy-going and beloved by bees - now’s the perfect time to plant allium bulbs for a spectacular display next year. Flo Whitaker picks some of her favourites.

• Homes Extra: Truly, Madly, Deeply

  Fall in love with your soft furnishings again this autumn and make it the season to snuggle up in style, says Sara Whatley

• Home Style: Clear Vision

  Jacqui Elliott Williams has relished bringing this elegant Victorian house back to life with confident ideas, stylish choices and creative flair.

• Homes Extra: Parasol Power

  Pretty parasols are enjoying their moment in the sun and making our outside spaces spin with style, says Sara Whatley.

• Blooming Times Garden Lore - Fact or Fiction?

  The horticultural world abounds with bad advice and old wife’s tales, but some pronouncements are scientifically sound, says Flo Whitaker, as she asks, “True, or false?”

• Home Style: Beaming with Happiness

  Lisa and Matthew Good wanted a property to add value to, sell and move on – but they ended up so enamoured with their renovation that they decided to stay put.

• Sussex Homes: Transforming a dark and unloved cottage into a Greek Escape

  Helen Robinson has transformed a dark and unloved cottage from 1837 into a bright and inviting space with a Mediterranean feel in St Leonards-on-Sea.

• Sussex Homes: Transforming a once unloved oast into a colourful and funky family abode

  Sam Fallon, who works in advertising and husband Nick, who works in publishing have transformed a once unloved oast into a colourful and funky family abode near Tunbridge Wells for themselves and their daughters Tilly and Isobel.

• 7 Sustainable Design Tips For Hosting A Glorious Summer Garden Party

  ​​​​​​​Trying to take responsibility for our carbon footprint doesn’t mean we have to stop enjoying ourselves, far from it. With a few changes, we can continue to enjoy life as we know it but with a reduced impact on the planet.

• 5 eco ways to use old kitchen products in your garden

  So many kitchen and cleaning products ending up in landfill at the end of their lives, just think of all those sponges, scourers and rubber gloves that add to our waste problems! Here’s 5 eco ways to use old kitchen products in your garden.

• 6 of the best shrubs you can buy and plant for your garden

  If your garden’s looking parched and bare, why not invest in a few shrubs to fill the gaps. Flo Whitaker picks six of the best for late summer colour

• Stylish Home Upgrades To Help You Save Energy

  One of the biggest issues facing everyone across the country is the cost of living crisis. Whether it’s your weekly shop, new appliances or even where you get your electricity from, the costs have spiralled to a level that is forcing us all to feel the pinch. 

• Design Trends To Inject Life Into A Boring Bathroom

  For many people, the bathroom can be a problem room in their homes. Changing things around can be expensive and time consuming while the need for a plumber or installer is another common barrier – assuming you can even find one in the first place!

• What The Average UK House Price Could Get You In Sussex (And Beyond)

  In the UK right now the average house price is estimated at just over £245,000 (as of February 2021). But that figure obviously varies from region to region. So if you're a first-time buyer or looking to move to pastures new, which areas should you be looking at to get the best value for your money?

• Rhododendron's are show stopping flowers: here's why

  Most gardens can claim at least one rhododendron resident. Nowadays, they are commonplace plants, ubiquitous even, but rhododendrons are not native to Britain and were once considered exotic.

• Blooming Times: Fritillary Magic

  Fritillaria meleagris was one commonplace in our countryside, but its natural habitat of damp grasslands has declined to such an extent that wild colonies can now only be found in a few locations around the UK.

• Be Inspired at Village Bathrooms

  ADVERTISING FEATURE: These days the bathroom has become a place of refuge, wellbeing, indulgence and creativity; as exemplified by Darren and Alison Standing at Village Bathrooms in Uckfield, when Robert Veitch visited the showroom

• 6 decorating tips to cheaply transform your home

  It is an undeniable truth that homes require occasional renovations. A simple addition of a piece of new furniture or a fresh layer of paint can significantly transform the appearance of an older home in particular. Upgrading the look of your home can be achieved through various methods, such as installing new tiles or a modern bathtub.