Closing up my small, open concept home.

5 years ago

I’m seriously contemplating putting up walls in my open concept home. Would doing so be a colossal mistake?

I had my home built a little over five years ago. While it has the typical open floorplan of suburban new builds, it is smaller than the average new construction single family home at 1450 sq ft. The first floor is about 750 sq feet and the entire space (except for the powder room) is visible from the front door.

I’m tired of every thing being on display and being greeted by clutter when coming home after work. I have two kids and between the two of them and myself, there is always something on the kitchen island. It always appears messy. Even when things are clean, my home still doesn’t look picture perfect. I cook quite a bit and my drying rack is always full of pots and pans and whatever else. When a big holiday meal is prepared it’s hard to sit down and not notice the mess just two steps away in full view.

So I want walls or a visual separation of some sort. My plan was to have my basement finished this winter/spring and I’m wondering if perhaps I should have any upstairs remodeling done at the same time since I will have framing and drywall contractors here anyway. Of course doing this sort of remodeling triggers a remodeling creep and I think the kitchen and potentially floors would need to be done as well. So then that will probably push everything out another year.

I have considered buying a new home, but every single new home is also open concept and a custom build is not something I can afford. If I do decide to remodel and close up the open floorplan, I would be doing so for me as I have reconciled the fact that this is my forever home. I want it to suit me, suit my family and our needs. My main concern is just how small the space is. I don’t mind a cozy but I don’t want cramped.

This is the floor plan. I have the kitchen island turned facing the living room. I also swapped the fridge and pantry locations.

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Comments (12)

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mdln
5 years ago
Understand! Regret opening my DR to LR, and an upstairs room. In looking for new home, difficult to find small houses that are not open concept. Good luck!
olychick
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
you didn't post pics of your space, so I don't know if this could work, but is there any way to close it off with some kind of sliding doors that could be moved out of the way when you want a more open feel?

Glass could be obscured/frosted to still let light flow:
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kazzh
5 years ago
Yes, I think there is something to explore with the suggestion of sliding doors. Try a bit of search on shoji screens from Japanese traditional architecture. Even if full screening or walls are too intimidating for the space and reduce your floor space, some smaller walls coming in or a single panel/wall to between the living & kitchen could achieve the separation.
kazzh
5 years ago
a basic visual of a single panel
shirlpp
5 years ago
Oh gosh - my kitchen is not picture perfect either. I still have my 2 layer island and will not change it because you could clearly see all of the stuff. Right now, at least it's hidden a bit.

If you don't have a deep sink, consider one. This helps me hide some of the dirty pots and pans.

I dished the drying rack years ago for a drying mat and this does help.
reesepbuttercup
Original Author
5 years ago
I do have a nice large and deep sink, but I tend not to set pots and pans in it, rather to the side until I wash. I’m just not a neat-nick.

The kitchen island is used a lot as well, even mail or a newspaper along with homework, it just looks cluttered and is rarely entirely clean.

I have considered screens and windows, but I think my only real option is standard walls made from drywall. I would do cased openings and some pocket doors to have options and to let light in.
reesepbuttercup
Original Author
5 years ago
Here are the only photos I have at the moment. These are old, the kitchen has been painted and I have new furniture now, but the furniture layout is basically the same.

From front door

Looking towards living area from dining space
Katie Zakiyah G
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I have a small inside window opening above the sink and I love it. I can see my guests if I am at the sink but they cannot see the counters so there is no clutter in sight from the dining and living room area. My house is 1, 450 square feet. The LR/DR/K and back WD area/powder room are 1/2 of the house.
roarah
5 years ago
I actually find walls in small homes makes them seem larger for your eye has somewhere to stop. I would add a wall and pocket doors in a heart beat.
kazzh
5 years ago
I can see why something is neccessary to delineate the space, but not want to reduce the floorspace. A question to ask could be how thin any construction could be. This might help with any decisions.

It might be worth exploring custom options to fit a full floor to ceiling screen located as I drew out above and exploring materials - maybe frosted glass ? wooden floor to ceiling slats with glazing between? or another material between? or just slats set at an angle ? or slats that can have the angle adjusted so they can be 'open' for light to travel, or 'closed' to obscure the sight line, or partially opened?

It could be a combination 1/2 wall with glazing above or slats. Another option might be to consider not having an island and placing the 'wall' at the lounge edge of the island bench so the kitchen becomes a galley style so only the dining space and bench with the stove is visable.
kazzh
5 years ago
some ideas that could be worked into a proportional feature for your space using minimal thickness
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shirlpp
5 years ago
Is there anything that you can do at the front entry to make more of an entry. Even if you put up a wall in the kitchen area this is not going to take away from the pots and pans being in full view while eating - since dining is right there.