Your home should be a place you can relax, where you can just throw all worries out the window and enjoy your own space. What better way to do so than with an open floor plan – a cozy, fun approach to setting up your living area. Unsure of the perks that it can bring to your home? Keep reading for some tips and insights into the world of open floor plans.

What is an open floor plan?

A common misconception of an open floor plan is that the entire house is free of any walls – but in fact, you can actually make your space as open or as closed off as you’d like. Maybe you want to integrate your kitchen and your dining room, and maybe you’re feeling extra social and want to throw the living room into the mix. With endless possible combinations, an open floor plan allows you to open up your space as much or as little as you’d like.

Okay, so what are the benefits of having an open space?

The reasons here are plentiful. Having fewer walls and more combined rooms helps lead to a greater sense of community within the home, even if it’s just amongst family members. It’ll also make it much easier to keep an eye on any young kids you might have running around the house, without confining them to one room.

Open floor plans can also lead to increased real estate value, says The Spruce. The high desirability of this style can lead to higher offers and more competition for your house once if you eventually put it on the market. They also point out the added bonus of using this shared layout for multiple purposes, such as combining an entertainment space with a more social room.

How popular are open floor plans right now?

Open floor plans have become much more common as of late, with their modern twist on home setup and abundance of benefits. Timber Home Living points out that the elimination of walls adds to a feeling of openness, allowing for more social interaction. Not to mention the fact that a small space can be made to feel much larger when the walls are taken out – giving you the opportunity to take advantage of all of your space.

What about furniture and decor?

If you want your open floor plan to really work, you need to have a good strategy in terms of your furniture setup and your decor composition. Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) suggests tying your rooms together through color. Keeping one constant color scheme throughout your home will really help to bring your connected (but separate) rooms together.

BHG also recommends trying to incorporate some substantial furniture arrangements. By adding more furniture in a strategic way, you’ll be able to bring your rooms together while still providing some substance. With this, keep your layout sensible by bringing in pieces that will add to overall functionality.

Think about what you want to see from room to room. Do you want to be able to see your stove from your couch? Is the television visible from the kitchen table? These are questions you should be sure to answer, as they’ll keep your home practical and transitional.

What is it that makes an open floor plan so cozy?

Open floor plans are especially cozy because of the way that they tie together so many crucial areas of your home. This brings in more of a conversational environment, especially as the kitchen tends to be involved in every open floor plan setup. Since the kitchen tends to be the focal point of socialization in a home, combining it with a living or dining room (or both!) helps to keep relaxation and comfort levels high.

Looking to remodel your space? Contact your local Decorating Den design consultant today!