Open plan interior: yes or no?

Open plan interiors have a particular fascination due to their spacious, airy appearance. Even a small flat will look broad if the walls are removed. But when it comes to living in an open plan interior it comes out that people miss the feeling of a wall behind their back and need more privacy. Open plan interiors are good for some people, but they don’t work for others. According to my observations, open plan interiors are suitable for singles, or couples without children, who don’t need to have much personal space and privacy. But when it comes to families with children or elderly people, open plan interiors prove to have some shortcomings.

The disadvantages of open plan interiors.

1. The first and main disadvantage of open plan interiors, be it residential or commercial, is the lack of privacy. A good example is a family with children, where the child needs a separate room to play or study, while the parents also need to spend some time alone. If there are elderly people in the family an open plan interior can also be a problem, because they need to spend more time in privacy and isolate themselves from noise, traffic and communication.

Open plan offices are quite popular nowadays, but many people who work in such offices tend to complain on the lack of privacy, which results in decreasing of productivity. It is distracting

and unpleasant to work in a room with too many people.

2. Another big disadvantage in open plan homes is that it is hard to keep them clean, as there are no

separate rooms where all the children toys and other items which are not in use at a certain moment can be placed. It requires thinking of a good storage system with many easily accessible compartments.

3. Another problem, especially disturbing in open plan offices, is the noise level. In a working environment, especially where there are many people working in the same space, the noise level affects productivitydramatically. It is the designer’s responsibility to explain this to the clients, and if they still want an open plan interior, it is necessary to think of ways to overcome that problem. The best way is to use sound absorbing materials for the finishes and furniture in the interior.

4. Open plan interiors consume more energy on heating/cooling which makes them more expensive.

Besides the expensiveness, it should also be taken into account that high energy consumption influences the environment, so it is necessary to find sustainable energy sources for supplying climate control in large open plan interiors.

5. Too large open plan interiors might look cold and certain materials and colours should be used.

Warm, advancing colours can be used on the walls and ceiling to make them come closer. Proper lighting, wood, brick, warm carpets on the floors, curtains and comfortable furniture can make a large open plan interior become cosy and warm

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The advantages of open plan interiors.

1. The main advantage of an open plan interior in my opinion is its appearance. Space has always been valued, and spacious interiors look luxurious.

2. Open plan interiors are great for social life, as the person who is cooking in the kitchen can still communicate with the people in the living room. Families can spend more time together, while being engaged in different activities. Also in open plan interiors it is easier to keep an eye on the children.

3. Open plan interiors have more natural light, mostly coming from windows on different walls, which is often impossible in closed plan interiors. Also, if the owners are lucky to live in a picturesque environment, they can enjoy the views from any part of the home.

4. Open plan interiors have a positive psychological effect, some investigations have shown that in

open plan interiors people are better at solving problems creatively and come up with innovative decisions. As open plan interiors are associated with freedom, they stimulate abstract thinking. At the same time they make it harder to concentrate on a single subject. This effect is positive for creative thinking, but negative for implementing certain tasks that require attention and focus. It is also important to take into account the psychological profile of a certain person. For example, large open plan interiors can be unbearable for agoraphobic people.

In my opinion combined plan interiors are a good way to have the advantages of open plan interiors and at the same time avoid some of their disadvantages. For example, the living room, dining room and kitchen can be united, while bedrooms and speciality rooms are separate.

There are countless ways of division of interiors without use of walls, and I guess the choice of one depends on the imagination of the designer and the needs of the particular interior.

There are several popular ways of providing division.

One way of dividing one space from another is by placing shelving or free standing wall units among them. This is a both functional and aesthetic way of dividing an interior.

Another way is using different types of screens. They can be made of any material, like wood, glass or metal, have any shape and colour, they may be solid, opaque divisions or more decorative, transparent or semitransparent screens.

Some spaces can be divided by fabric like curtains or tapestries.

Columns are a good way of visually dividing a space without closing it.

Kitchens can be separated from living or dining rooms by bar stands. If the bar stand is higher than the kitchen appliances, worktops and the sink, it will also conceal dirty dishes and other results of cooking.

A beautiful and ecological way to divide a space is by placing plants and mini-gardens as a separation.