The Return of the Great Room Offering an Open-Concept Luxury

"In the world of luxury home design, trends come and go, but some architectural elements never truly disappear, they simply evolve. One such element making a bold comeback in 2025 is the great room. Once the hallmark of grand estates in the early 2000s, the great room had quietly fallen out of favor as homeowners pursued more segmented, purpose-driven spaces."

"The appeal of the great room lies in its ability to bring people together. Unlike compartmentalized floor plans, the open-concept design encourages interaction, letting family members cook, lounge, and entertain without feeling confined. Modern great rooms are about the experience. High ceilings, expansive windows, and strategic lighting now work together to create spaces that are both visually impressive and practically livable."

"A key difference between today's great rooms and their predecessors is scale and proportion. Gone are the cavernous, echo-prone halls that felt cold and impersonal. Instead, designers focus on human-scale openness, using furniture arrangements, area rugs, and subtle partitions to create zones for conversation, dining, and relaxation. Materials play a role, too: sustainable hardwoods, natural stone, and textural fabrics bring warmth to expansive layouts, making the space feel grounded rather than overwhelming."

Great rooms are returning in 2025 as redesigned open-plan living areas that balance openness with intimacy and function. Open-concept layouts encourage interaction by allowing cooking, lounging, and entertaining within a shared space. Designers emphasize human-scale proportions using furniture groupings, area rugs, and subtle partitions to create conversation, dining, and relaxation zones. Architectural features such as high ceilings, expansive windows, and strategic lighting make spaces visually impressive yet livable. Smart home technology integrates control of lighting, temperature, and media. Sustainable hardwoods, natural stone, and textured fabrics add warmth. Wall-to-wall sliding doors often blur indoor and outdoor boundaries, expanding living areas seasonally.

Read at www.mercurynews.com