In this business we covet the “open concept” home or condominium. We talk about knocking down walls in older dwellings. Our instincts are to open up hallways and create open kitchens. It’s what everyone wants! Right? Apparently not everyone.
“The Case for Rooms“, by Kate Wagner of Citylab, makes the case for old fashioned walls. Privacy, energy efficiency and yes, hiding the mess, are all arguments in favour of those dreaded separators.
Ever wish you could close the door on that messy kitchen plaguing your periphery as you slouch into the sofa to watch Game of Thrones?
Not separating cooking, living, and dining is also an acoustical nightmare, especially in today’s style of interior design, which avoids carpet, curtains, and other soft goods that absorb sound. This is especially true of homes that do not have separate formal living and dining spaces but one single continuous space. Nothing is more maddening than trying to read or watch television in the tall-ceilinged living room with someone banging pots and pans or using the food processor 10 feet away in the open kitchen.
…Sometimes, true freedom means putting up a few barriers.
What do you think?