The Room That Does Everything Isn't Going Anywhere

Homeowners still want the kitchen open to the living room, but they also want a door to close when the moment calls for it. That's the shift builders and architects are describing now: not a return to the hallway-and-parlor house, but a floor plan with a few more options built in — a pocket office, a snug off the great room, a pantry that can hide the mess. The open plan isn't being abandoned so much as edited, with just enough separation for a house that has to work harder than it used to.

With reporting from Architectural Digest.