Is the Open Floor Plan Over? Why Closed Kitchens Are the Biggest Home Trend of 2026

Hi everyone, and welcome back to Home Design Chat with Nancy, where we talk about what’s really happening in home design—Today’s subject is "Are we over the open floor plan?" and "Why is the closed kitchen suddenly the biggest home trend of 2026?"Short answer?  The open plan isn’t dead—but it’s definitely being re-designed. And the fully exposed kitchen we’ve lived with for the last 20 years? That era is ending.Let’s start with a little history on floor plansTraditional Floor PlansModern Open Floor PlansOpen Floor PlanProsConsClosed KitchenProsConsHow to decide what's best for youIf you’re planning on a renovation, I would definitely be happy to work with you. I currently have availability in February. You can email me anytime at [email protected]—I’d love to hear from you.And finally, visit DesignersCircleHQ.com, a website I started 18 years ago. It covers everything related to design and features updated podcasts, design trends, design news, and more. The site is updated every other week. Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you next time on Home Design Chat with Nancy.