THE NOT-TOO-OPEN CONCEPT PLAN
Open-concept has become the standard for today’s ground floor renovations. While doing much to make spaces feel less cramped and better lighted, there are limitations to taking all the walls down. Here are some tips for making a successful not-too-open concept floor plan.
BIG SPACE, SMALL HOUSE
A paradox of the open-concept plan becomes apparent once the walls come down. While the immediate impression is usually “wow, what a big space!” the take-away will often be “huh, what a small house.” That’s because the entirety of the floor is taken in all at once, and there is no sense of separation that allows you to enter and occupy a space. Furthermore, all the main architectural features shouldn’t be revealed all at once. Fine millwork, a beautiful stair railing, and a carefully composed fireplace are all the better without competing with each other. It’s better to control and pace spaces and experiences instead of revealing them all in one fleeting “ta da!” Introducing walls or screens to define spaces like a foyer or dining room can help provide a sense of enclosure and improve their functionality, while spaces like the kitchen and living rooms can remain open and connected.
A mid-century shelving unit screens the entrance from the dining room and provides helpful storage space in our Ritchie Rowhouse project.
THE MESS AT THE DOOR
Try as we might, it seems hopeless to contain the mess at the door. Boots, coats, umbrellas, bags—it truly takes on a life of its own! But without a foyer, the mess flows into your open concept and quickly becomes an unwanted feature. Solving this problem doesn’t require a huge piece of your valuable real estate. With walls or with cabinets, make a semi-private space that allows you to unload your many outdoor necessities. Behind closet doors or not, the main point is to keep the mess out of view from the rest of the house.
In Ritchie Phase 2, you can see how we added walls between the foyer and dining room to provide greater separation between the spaces while still keeping them connected to each other.
In Ritchie Phase 2, you can see how we added walls between the foyer and dining room to provide greater separation between the spaces while still keeping them connected to each other.
We introduced a closet beside the stair in our Modern Victorian project. This allowed for the front of the house to contain a living room and an open entry that spans the width of the entire house without compromising function.
We introduced a closet beside the stair in our Modern Victorian project. This allowed for the front of the house to contain a living room and an open entry that spans the width of the entire house without compromising function.
POWDER ROOM PRIVACY
One of the hardest pieces to square properly in an open floor plan is one of the most coveted features in an old Toronto home: the powder room. While its convenience cannot be understated, its presence can be sometimes awkward. Most of us like to be discreet about using the washroom, and we prefer if others are as well. But all sense of discretion is lost when the door to your tiny toilet room opens directly into the dining room, kitchen, or living room. This is a room better left accessed off the hallway, not an appendage to your living room. If possible, place the door out of view and away from the main spaces. If you have the space for it at the entrance of your home, sometimes a powder room can be combined with a foyer space to create a well defined entry.
DIRTY DISHES
As anyone who entertains knows, the kitchen is the focus of any open-plan space. That’s all well and good until the dishes pile up. Suddenly the view from the dining table into your kitchen isn’t so appealing, with piles of dishes to scrub and food to put away. Sometimes leaving the kitchen at the back of the house (as is the case in most original Toronto home floorplans) can make sense, as there is a natural separation of this room from the others.
The kitchen was left at the back of the house in our Modern Victorian project, providing visual separation from the adjacent dining room. The rest of the spaces on the ground floor (living room, dining room, foyer, stair) were all left open and connected.
When the table is near the kitchen, the trick is to screen the views of dirty counters. Remember that if you have a sink in an island, your dish rack will likely always be on display, so sometimes a raised bar at the island will do the trick to conceal it.
KIDS VS. ADULTS
The open-concept plan has a special shortfall for those with children. Kids have a way of claiming space for themselves: toys, crafts, homework, and, of course, noise. Before long, it can feel that there is no space left for the adults! One solution is to designate the basement as the family room. But this is not perfect, being so far from the kitchen, the yard, and a parent’s watchful eye. A better solution is to have a separate family room located on the ground floor. If space allows for such an addition, this can be an ideal way to separate adult from family space. In such a set up the open concept can be employed to unite the family-centric spaces, while leaving the living and dining rooms to the adults.
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Written by Brian Hagood & Charisma Panchapakesan, OAA
