3 Reasons Why Open Floor Plans Actually Aren’t All That Great

Written By Michael Wense

The Kitchn:

In the past decade or so, life at home has become increasingly informal (Netflix and Trader Joe’s freezer meals, anyone?). Not surprisingly, our houses have grown to reflect that, too. A key indicator? The demise of formal living and dining rooms in favor of open concept living, where rooms flow into each other to maximize entertaining opportunities and casual togetherness. […]

While it may sound like nirvana for some, it often is a tricky layout to live with, in practice. To put it lightly: The walls were there for a reason!

They boil it down to three points: noise, needing to clean more with no place to hide clutter, and having to decorate to maintain separate spaces. I’m not a fan of open floorpans in general, but one of the big reasons for me would be the noise. I’m someone who has to have some quiet. Plus, I just like having separate spaces where I can step away and be alone for a while to catch up on news stories or write something.

Side note: Is eating Trader Joe’s freezer meals really, like, a thing?

Michael Wense
A St. Louis native, Michael Wense is a writer, editor, technology goon, and kitchen connoisseur. When he’s not hunting down misplaced modifiers or common misspellings, he’s tinkering with a short story or obsessively collecting recipes. Sometimes he’ll just sit and watch cooking shows on Netflix for hours. Like a zombie. When it comes to fiction, he prefers potent pieces with a cutting emotional edge. Novels are good, but the punch of a perfect short story will bring him to his knees.
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