Open Concept vs. Traditional Floor Plan: Which Should You Choose?

One of the first and most important decisions you need to make when building a custom home is the floor plan. For example, are you more of an open concept person, or do you prefer a more traditional home? There’s no right answer, of course, but it can be difficult for people to make a decision.

To help give you some perspective, here’s our take on both floor plans, and the things you should consider before deciding on yours.

To start with, let’s look into what each floor plan means.

Open Concept Floor Plans

Homebuilding trends have seen a lot of changes in the past few decades; however, the most noticeable is the rise in the popularity of open concept floor plans. Open floor plans are often seen in custom homes, and emphasize one large living area as opposed to separate rooms. An open floor plan can easily combine the living room, kitchen, and dining room into one space.

Traditional or Closed Concept Floor Plans

As the name implies, traditional floor plans are usually seen in older homes. In a traditional floor plan, each room in the house is its own space with clearly defined boundaries. Although open concept builds have been trending in recent years, many people still prefer a more closed-off design.

What You Need to Know

Here are the things you need to consider when deciding on the right floor plan for your home.

1.   Space and Accessibility

Open floor plans allow a lot more freedom in terms of movement since there are no walls closing off rooms. They also allow for a lot of flexibility when designing the space.

One of the biggest advantages of closed floor plans is privacy. Although they might make the area feel smaller since the walls separate the rooms from each other, it gives people their own personal space.

2.   Safety

For families, open floor plans are a huge benefit. They offer a direct line of sight to children or elderly family members who need care from nearly every part of the house. On the other hand, a traditional floor plan makes it difficult to keep an eye on others, since the closed format doesn’t allow you to see past the room you’re in.

3.   Aesthetics

With an open floor plan, it’s best to go with a cohesive design since there are no solid boundaries in place. On the bright side (literally!), you’re more likely to get a lot of natural light in all parts of the house.

A closed floor plan offers the exact opposite benefit of an open plan—the design doesn’t have to be coordinated throughout the entire house, so each room can have its own feel and theme.

Ultimately, floor plans are a matter of taste. However, if you’re looking for help building a custom home and would like an expert opinion—you’re in the right place! At All Custom Building, Inc., we love inspiring our clients to dream big. So if you’re ready to create your dream home, get in touch!