Open Concept vs. Defined Rooms: What Actually Works for Utah Families?

If you’ve turned on a TV in the last ten years, you know the drill. A couple walks into an older home, wrinkles their noses at the hallway, and immediately says, “We need to take this wall down.”

For a long time, “Open Concept” wasn’t just a trend; it was the default requirement for any remodel. The promise was simple: bigger sightlines, more light, and a modern feel. But lately, we’ve noticed a shift. After spending a few years working, schooling, and existing entirely at home, many homeowners in Salt Lake City are starting to miss… walls.

At Rudd Builders, we walk clients through this debate every week. The truth is, there is no “perfect“ floor plan. Only the floor plan that fits your specific lifestyle survives.

Here is a realistic look at the Open vs. Closed debate to help you decide what your family actually needs.

The Reality of the Open Plan

Let’s be honest: Open concepts look incredible in photos. They make a 2,000-square-foot home feel like 3,000 square feet. For Utah families—where hosting big Sunday dinners or neighborhood game nights is part of the culture—this layout makes sense.

You want the person chopping vegetables in the kitchen to be part of the joke being told in the living room. You want to keep an eye on the toddlers while you check emails on the island. When it works, it feels connected and airy.

But here is the part that the design shows you don’t hear: The acoustics. In a fully open home, sound travels everywhere. If someone is blending a smoothie in the kitchen, you can’t hear the TV in the living room. If you are on a conference call at the dining table, you are also broadcasting the dishwasher’s sound to your coworkers.

The Comeback of Defined Spaces

We are seeing a resurgence of “defined“ rooms, and it’s not just about nostalgia. It’s about utility.

Older homes in the Avenues or Sugar House were built with separate dining rooms and parlors for a reason: to retain heat and control noise. In our climate, it is much cheaper to keep a cozy den warm in January than it is to heat a massive, vaulted great room.

But the most significant factor driving this return to walls is privacy. Sometimes, you need a door to close. Whether it’s a dedicated home office that signals “I am at work“ or a messy playroom, you can shut out guests; visual and auditory boundaries reduce stress.

The Sweet Spot: “Broken Plan“ Living

You don’t have to choose between living in a warehouse or a maze. The best remodels we are doing right now sit somewhere in the middle. We call it “Broken Plan“ or “Semi-Open.”

This approach preserves the light and flow of an open-concept design while using design tricks to create zones.

• Widened Doorways (Cased Openings): Instead of removing a load-bearing wall entirely, we open it into a six- or eight-foot-wide archway. You get the flow and the light, but the remaining wall sections trap sound and give you a place to put furniture.
• Glass Partitions: We love using French doors or glass sliders for offices and playrooms. You get to keep the visual connection (so you can see if the kids are drawing on the walls), but you block the noise.
• Half-Walls and Changes in Level: Sometimes, just a sunken living room or a waist-high bookcase is enough to tell the brain, “This is a separate room,“ without blocking the view of the mountains.

What is Right for You?

Before you ask us to swing the sledgehammer, ask yourself three questions:

1. How loud is my family? (Be honest).
2. How tidy do we keep the kitchen? (Open concepts: put your dirty dishes on display 24/7.)
3. Do we have a dedicated quiet space elsewhere?

Your home needs to function on a Tuesday afternoon just as well as it does on a Saturday night party.

At Rudd Builders, we aren’t just here to demo walls; we are here to build spaces that make sense for your life. Whether that means a sprawling great room or a cozy, partitioned library, we have the experience to make it structurally sound and beautiful.

How about changing your layout? Let’s walk through your space and see what’s possible.