Are Privacy and Space the New ‘Open Floorplan’?

The face of home design is changing. In 2022, one of the most sought after features for home buyers is office space. While most children have returned to school full time, many families are still dealing with at least one adult working from home, oftentimes two, with the possibility of permanent remote employment. Combine that with kids who have become accustomed to amusing themselves with more home based activities, and what used to be a comfortable household is suddenly congested.

Open floor plans certainly remain in demand but the appeal is not as widespread as in the past. Homeowners are seeking out semi-permanent solutions for room division like sliding panels, French doors or walls of shelving.

This is where the possibility of buying a New Construction home develops some solid appeal. Home builders too, are recognizing the trend toward more privacy and space. Some builders allow you to customize to your hearts content, while others have a few basic floor plans that can be adjusted to a limited extend.

In addition to reimagined floor plans, health and safety features have understandably become more ubiquitous. According to an article on builderonline.com, Taylor Morrison is making whole-home air filtration and water filtration systems standard in all of its homes.

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According to a recent report from Zillow, home builders are predicting that there will be a move away from open floor plans as homeowners seek out increased privacy, as well as an increased demand for more space.

Growing in popularity for decades, open floor plans have also been touted by popular home-design programs in recent years. In fact, Zillow research found that the share of for-sale listings mentioning open concept layouts more than doubled since 2015.

However, in the wake of the coronavirus, homeowners are discovering that the lack of privacy involved in an open design concept can often be a detriment. In a recent survey by Zillow and The Harris Poll, 27 percent of those surveyed said they would consider moving to have a home with more rooms—one of the top reasons for considering a move—after spending more time at home because of coronavirus orders.

Homebuilders agree. The experts at Berks Homes believe that homes built post-coronavirus will have more doors for privacy, dedicated home-office space, better insulation for noise control and separate spaces for kids. The pros at Pyatt Builders believe that open concepts won’t disappear, but will be approached differently, highlighted by features like barn doors, which preserve the feel of openness yet allow for private, multi-use space.

Other emerging home trends will include germ-preventing features, such as mudrooms, allowing family members to remove shoes and wash hands before entering the house, and smart home technology like touchless faucets and self-cleaning toilets.

According to Zillow research, home shoppers are clearly interested in starting from scratch when it comes to home design—searches for new construction homes are up 73 percent from 2019.