Home design trends are shifting dramatically as our living habits have changed since the pandemic, prompting homeowners and designers to reconsider whether the popular open-concept layout still serves our daily needs. After decades of tearing down walls to create expansive, flowing spaces, a growing movement toward defined, separate rooms is emerging in residential design.
For years, the kitchen has been at the heart of the open-concept dream. "People have wanted everything to happen in the kitchen for so long," confirms Katie Fontana, founder of Plain English. "That's where we cook, eat, where children do homework, where we set up a small office with a computer – we also want sofas and a fireplace." This vision of a multi-functional central space has dominated home design thinking for the better part of two decades.
However, interior design professionals are now questioning whether this approach has become outdated. "I really think there's a movement away from the omnipresent desire for open spaces," declares interior architect Patrick Williams, whose Berdoulat agency specializes in period buildings and restoration projects. "The lockdown five years ago first led us to take an interest in our interiors and how we can coexist in them, and I wonder if that catalyzed an abandonment of open spaces in favor of separate individual spaces – spaces that can be discovered, that can suit different moods and where you can be alone."
Interior architect Max Rollitt shares this perspective, emphasizing the practical benefits of defined spaces. "We need distinct spaces to be able to think, work and separate our lives from media, so that one person can do one thing and another person can do another," he explains. Beyond the obvious advantages that defined spaces offer in terms of privacy and meeting the needs of different family members, they are often better suited to older homes.
The structural and energy efficiency arguments for separate rooms are compelling, particularly in historic properties. "In older properties, especially terraced houses, open spaces can often blur the original intention," explains Max Rollitt. "Not only can this pose a problem acoustically, but it's also not ideal for heat retention." Small rooms, for example, were easier to heat with a single fire, while today's large open spaces can be difficult and expensive to heat – a significant concern given rising energy costs and limited resources.
Patrick Williams notes that open layouts can also be aesthetically discordant in older homes. "Often, the elongated proportions of these spaces are not very pleasant," he explains. "Beyond defining spaces, walls are very useful for hanging paintings or placing furniture." This practical consideration highlights how walls serve not just privacy needs but also provide decorative opportunities that open spaces cannot offer.
The concept of a separate dining room, while potentially seeming decidedly old-fashioned, offers distinct advantages in entertaining. It prevents guests from being disturbed by kitchen mess and cooking odors. "There was this fantasy idea of the big Georgian kitchen with a sideboard, but this trend has largely reversed, especially in the city," explains Maria Speake, founder of Retrouvius. "More and more people prefer to receive their guests away from the chaos, which explains the comeback of small private kitchens, slightly removed from the dining room."
Patrick Williams advocates for a classic solution with modern applications. "Bring back the pass-through," he says with a smile. "I'm not kidding: if it's well thought out and nicely integrated, it allows all the necessary communication between the kitchen and dining room. At the same time, the opening can be closed if you want to enjoy a candlelit dinner in the dining room."
The emerging consensus among design professionals points toward flexible arrangements that preserve the best of both worlds. Maria Speake suggests the optimal solution is to opt for a flexible layout "where spaces are defined, but where the fluidity specific to open spaces is preserved." This hybrid approach is particularly championed by kitchen designer Johnny Grey, who sees evolution rather than elimination of open concepts.
"I think instead of witnessing the end of open spaces, we're rather witnessing their evolution toward a sort of fragmented layout," Grey explains. He refers to a more segmented version of the open plan, where a space can fulfill different functions through the arrangement of independent furniture and movable architectural elements that can be used to create corners and zones.
Grey recalls innovative solutions from his own projects: "I once designed a very fun kitchen where we used screens to hide a space reserved for children. The client just had to move them when the children were in bed to have a large reception hall." In another project, he used a screen to create a corridor within a kitchen. "We didn't want something as permanent as a wall, but we needed to create a boundary," he explains.
Glass partitions and movable screens are becoming increasingly popular tools for creating flexible boundaries. At Plain English, Katie Fontana has observed a trend toward strategic divisions. "Today, our clients want a large multifunctional room, but they also want a separate pantry and laundry room," she explains. "We often install glass partitions to divide a large space into several small sections to create a pantry, cellar or even a shoe room. It gives an impression of organization, but also a feeling of additional space. Rooms seem larger if you divide them and give the impression that there's something beyond."
Patrick Williams has implemented this philosophy in his own home, where a beautiful semi-glazed screen, painted in Edward Bulmer's "London Brown" color, separates the pantry from the kitchen-dining room. "A fixed glass screen with curtains also works well, because it allows you to control privacy and brightness," he explains, suggesting using this type of arrangement between a dining area and living area. "It can even open accordion-style, which allows you to unite the spaces when you want to."
Furniture plays a crucial role in this new approach to space division. "We can show great fluidity and flexibility in how we use furniture to create different atmospheres and environments," explains Maria Speake, suggesting that furniture can both serve as a separator and a link between spaces. Johnny Grey agrees: "Independent furniture allows you to free up space in a very pleasant way and can help create division in an open space, which can be as effective but more flexible than having a wall in that location."
The future of home design appears to lie in this more flexible approach to spatial organization. "I doubt we'll go back to lots of small compartmentalized rooms with doors," estimates Maria Speake. "Doors are very useful in bedrooms and bathrooms, but in other areas, we're looking more for an impression of fluidity. We want to be able to create a warm atmosphere." She emphasizes that this approach puts people at ease while maintaining the social benefits of connected spaces.
Johnny Grey concludes with optimism about this evolution: "Open spaces, with their nooks and flexibility, put people at ease." Rather than representing a complete rejection of open-concept living, this trend suggests a maturation of the concept – one that incorporates lessons learned from our changing lifestyles and the practical realities of how we actually live in our homes. The result is a more nuanced approach that combines the social benefits of open living with the privacy and functionality that defined spaces provide.
