April 16, 2026, 8:38 am | Read time: 3 minutes
For many years, open living concepts were considered the epitome of modern living. Large, light-filled spaces, seamless transitions between kitchen, dining, and living areas, and a sense of spaciousness represented freedom, urbanity, and contemporary design. But the trend is shifting. More architects, interior designers, and homeowners are questioning the once-celebrated openness and are consciously opting for clear room structures again. myHOMEBOOK editor Mareike Schmidt explains the background.
The Desire for Retreat and Peace
A central reason for the shift lies in our changed daily lives. A home is no longer just a place of relaxation but also a workplace, gym, learning environment, and social hub. Open floor plans quickly reach their limits here. Those who simultaneously talk on the phone, cook, learn, or relax quickly realize: Without spatial separation, there is a lack of peace, concentration, and privacy. Closed or at least clearly zoned rooms allow for retreat—a need that is stronger today than ever.
Acoustics, Smells, and Disorder
What is often glossed over in magazines becomes all the more apparent in everyday life: Open living concepts are acoustically challenging. Sounds echo, conversations overlap, and kitchen appliances are audible throughout the room. Cooking smells also spread unhindered. Additionally, there is a high demand for order. In open spaces, everything is visible. Disorder cannot simply be hidden behind a door. Many find this constant pressure burdensome.
Why Closed Kitchens Are Making a Comeback
Why the Dining Room Is Disappearing From More Households
New Appreciation for Functional Spaces
Alongside the farewell to radical openness, appreciation for functionally defined spaces is growing. A kitchen can be a kitchen again, a living room a place to relax. This clarity not only eases daily life but also allows for more targeted design. Materials, colors, and lighting can be tailored to specific uses, rather than having to accommodate all functions in one large room.
This does not mean a complete return to the compartmentalized floor plans of past decades. Today, hybrid solutions are primarily in demand: sliding doors, glass walls, room dividers, or curtains create flexibility. Rooms can be opened or closed as needed. This way, the feeling of spaciousness is preserved without sacrificing structure and comfort.
Living in Harmony with New Life Realities
The departure from the open living concept is less a fashionable regression and more an adaptation to new life realities. Living is increasingly understood as a dynamic system that must adapt to life phases, moods, and social contexts. In a time when work, leisure, and private life increasingly overlap, clearly defined spaces are gaining importance again. They offer orientation, peace, and a sense of home. Defining spaces consciously is a decision about how much closeness, interaction, or separation one wants to allow in daily life. Living thus becomes an expression of personal life designs rather than the implementation of a general ideal. The home no longer primarily serves representation but supports individual routines and needs.
This change can also be seen socially: In an increasingly complex, accelerated, and digitized world, the home becomes a place of reliability. Clear spatial structures provide stability and foster a sense of control in a daily life often characterized by simultaneity and constant availability. The need for orientation in space is closely linked to the desire for inner peace.
Contemporary living, therefore, means not following trends but creating spaces that evolve with the lives of their inhabitants. A home that offers structure without constraining and allows openness without forcing it becomes a quiet but effective response to the challenges of modern life realities. Openness remains a design tool, but is no longer the unassailable ideal of modern living culture.