You don’t necessarily need a huge home in order to entertain a lot of guests effectively. What you really need is an open floor plan — one that allows people to easily flow from place to place without encountering a lot of obstructions like doorways and extra walls.
As lives become busier, open floor plans have become more important for homeowners who wish to entertain. No longer do hosts have days to prepare by re-arranging furniture and moving decorations to make more space. Homes must be ready for last-minute entertainment, and an open floor plan allows for this.
Whether you have five friends over or fifty, people tend to congregate in the kitchen. For this reason, having a spacious kitchen that opens up seamlessly into the living and dining areas is essential. A kitchen island is also an important part of an open floor plan — it gives people a place to perch and talk.
The proper lighting can help you make effective use of open floor home plans. Since you don’t have room boundaries to define where guests are supposed to eat, and where they are supposed to sit and mingle, accent lighting can do the trick. Dim lighting over a table draws attention to it as a dining space. Hanging pendant lamps over a buffet place the emphasis on the food, and soft table lamps set near sofas and chairs invites guests to sit and relax.
Building a larger home does not necessarily give you more space. Using an open floor plan, however, creates a space that’s more easily utilized and enjoyed.
Are you looking for open floor home plans that are great for entertaining and everyday family living? Contact Gelotte Hommas Architecture to learn more about our home design services.