Open Plan Living vs. Defined Spaces: Which Layout Is Right for You?

By Glen McCulloch

One of the biggest design decisions you’ll make when planning a home is how to structure your internal layout. Should you go for open plan living or stick with more traditional, defined rooms? The answer depends on your lifestyle, preferences, the way you want your home to function and even what your budget is for construction and everyday living

Open Plan Living:

Open plan layouts will combine spaces like the kitchen, dining, and living areas into one large, continuous zone. Maybe you add a void to the first floor and have another living area there, now coming not just horizonal areas, but vertical areas as well. This style is quite popular, and it is very common to get these requests —and for good reason:

• More Natural Light: With fewer walls blocking sunlight, your spaces feel brighter and more expansive.
• Feeling of more space: With land becoming more and more expansive, you may have limited land to work with. So adding open spaces within your home, can help counteract this feeling of restriction
• Social Connection: Great for entertaining and keeping the family connected—no walls mean you can cook, chat, and supervise kids all at once.
• Flexible Use of Space: Furniture can define “zones” within a single open area, allowing for adaptable layouts as needs change.

But it’s not for everyone. Open plans can also mean:

• Less Acoustic Privacy: Sound travels easily, which can be distracting or overwhelming.
• Heating and Cooling Challenges: Larger, open areas can be harder to manage in terms of energy efficiency. This not only means that’s spaces may not be able to maintain a temperature like you would want, but cost more to achieve your desired temperatures in the first place
• Building Costs: Typically having larger open spaces can cause build cost to increase, especially for double storey buildings, which will have additional structural requirements, increasing the cost.
• Clutter Visibility: With everything in view, there’s less room to hide the mess of daily life.

Defined Spaces:

Traditional layouts separate the home into distinct rooms for different functions. This can work especially well for:

• Noise Control: Ideal for families or shared households where quiet, private spaces are essential.
• Dedicated Function: Each room has a clear purpose—like a reading nook, formal dining room, or home office—which can improve focus and organization.
• Timeless Appeal: Some people simply prefer the coziness and formality of separate rooms.
• Reduced Cost: Controlling temperature in individual smaller spaces is a lot more cost effective.  Also, construction can be cheaper when there are more rooms/walls which can support the first floor of a double storey house.

The trade-off?

• Unutilized Spaces: Defined spaces can sometimes feel a little closed off or underutilized if the room isn’t regularly used.
• Social Connection: Maybe you will find that without those open spaces having that shared space with others is compromised
• Smaller, Boxy Feel: Defined rooms can make homes feel smaller or more segmented, especially in compact builds.
• Less Flexibility: Fixed walls limit your ability to reconfigure or repurpose a room as your needs change over time

In reality, many of the best designs today strike a balance—open where it matters, and private where it counts. Think an open kitchen/living/dining area paired with a quiet study or retreat zone.

Whatever works best for you, and your lifestyle is what I would always recommend. Consider the site you are building on, how you plan to use the house, house you live in a house and make the best choice to fit those needs