As a homeowner, you should never feel like you need to base your remodeling decisions around trendy features that will add the most resale value. Your design decisions should be fueled by how you want your home to look and function—not the next person who might own the house.

Open floor plan layouts give you the best of both worlds. Yes this design is attractive to future buyers but more importantly, it’s incredibly lifestyle friendly and will increase the enjoyment of your home.

This post will show you why.

Increase natural light and improve your view

Knock down the wall separating your living room from your kitchen and what do you get? More light and a better view!

With an open floor plan, the windows around your home can work together to give you the best view of what’s happening outside your home and deliver the best natural lighting.

Natural light has been proven to help you sleep better, improve your overall mood, and increase productivity. It also helps you save on electricity costs.

Connect indoor and outdoor spaces

Your outdoor space is as much a part of your home’s design and style as the interior. But often this space is designed as an afterthought. It’s much harder to feel the connection if they’re closed off from each other.

Whether you have just a porch or a large deck or pool patio, an open floor plan combined with large windows or sliding glass doors allow for a naturally flowing connection to and from these spaces.

You can be in the kitchen or living room and still feel connected to what’s happening out in your backyard.

Gain flexibility in how you use the space

In traditional floor plans, every room has a very specific purpose. The kitchen is for cooking, the living room is for spending time with family, and the dining area for entertaining.

Open floor plans take a different approach. Instead of limiting you to certain activities in certain rooms, this design adds flexibility to you life.

For example, when your living room is connected to your kitchen and dining area, the distinction between these spaces becomes blurry. You’ll have more options for how you want to use the space and will ultimately get more use out of every room of your home, every day.

It all goes back to our earlier point of getting the most use out of the most square footage.

Make entertaining more fun

If you enjoy hosting dinner parties or family get-togethers, you’ll love an open floor plan.

First, there’s the ability for you to host more guests. Guests can spread out more easily without feeling cramped. Someone can be in the living room and still feel connected to what’s happening in the kitchen, dining, or even outdoor area.

Open floor plan kitchens are thoughtfully designed so that your sink, fridge, and stove are situated in a way that’s much more efficient and enjoyable to cook in. It makes it so much easier for you to prepare and serve food — whether for just your family or a large party.

An open plan works on any level of your home

We’ve been talking a lot about kitchen, dining, and living areas. But open floor plans aren’t just for the first level of your home. We often work with homeowners to reinvent their basement into an open area perfect for an entertainment room or kids play area.

Even on upper levels of your home, where bedrooms and bathrooms often live, there are opportunities to create more space and increase the flow of natural light.

Age in place

Remember: Your home remodel is about you and what you want and need out of the home.

Something you should think about during a remodel is how long you want to live in the home. If you plan on enjoying the space through your golden years, it’s important to consider how the space can fit your needs as you age.

Open floor plans add a lot more safety and accessibility. If you plan on aging in place, some specific things you should consider during your open floor plan remodel are…

• Making sure there are fewer steps up and down

• Designing fewer doorways, which may need to eventually be widened for wheelchairs and other mobility devices

• Ensuring the maximum amount of natural light to help you better see your surroundings

Want to talk about designing an open floor plan in your home?

At Forward Design Build Remodel, we’re experts at open floor plan designs. But more importantly, we’re focused on helping homeowners throughout Ann Arbor build spaces that perfectly fits their needs and style preferences.

We take the hassle out of remodeling, starting with a no obligation in-home consultation. Give us a call to get started or to learn more about our open floor plan designs. We’re here to help.

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