Hey Reader,
Everyone wants open plan.
Knock the wall down. Merge the kitchen and the dining room. Create that big, connected, light-filled space.
It looks incredible on a plan. It photographs beautifully. And it feels like the obvious thing to do.
But it isn't always the right thing to do.
Looks Good on Paper, but…open plan living
On paper, the logic is sound.
More space. More light. Everyone together. No walls dividing the family.
But in reality? Open plan can create just as many problems as it solves.
The noise travels. The mess is always visible. The kitchen smells move through the entire space. And that quiet corner you used to retreat to? Gone.
I've worked on projects where removing a wall transformed a home completely and I've worked on projects where keeping it, or replacing it with something more considered like a wide opening or sliding panels, was absolutely the right call.
The difference is never about what looks good on a plan.
It's about how you actually live.
Do you cook with the television on? Do you need visual separation when you work from home? Do you have young children who need a contained space? Does your family need somewhere to retreat to at the end of the day?
These are the questions that should drive the decision. Not the trend.
Because a wall that gets knocked down can't go back up without cost, disruption and compromise. It's one of those decisions that really is worth getting right the first time.
Good design starts with understanding how you live, not just how you want the space to look.
A little note from my week…
This week has felt properly full in the best way.
Project Pavilion is moving into an exciting stage; we've been arranging the final kitchen measure and templating for the kitchen and bathroom vanities. It's that moment in a project where everything that's lived on drawings and mood boards starts to become very real. I love this part.
Alongside that, more procurement and some lovely meetings with new clients, which always gives me that reminder of why I started Hinton House in the first place.
Away from work, I've had some really lovely conversations this week. Time with friends and other women in business, the kind of conversations that leave you feeling genuinely energised rather than drained.
And we've started pulling together some summer trips, which feels like a very good use of an evening.
One thing worth knowing before you scroll past…
My calendar is open for Online Design Consultations and Designer Half Days but not for long!
Once June arrives, I won't be taking on any new consultations until September.
If you've been thinking about getting some clarity on your project, whether it's a layout that isn't working, a scheme you can't quite pull together, or just not knowing where to start - now is genuinely the time.
Both sessions are designed to give you real direction, not just ideas.
The Online Design Consultation is available wherever you are in the country, we work through everything on a video call, so location is no barrier.
The Designer Half Day is based locally, though I'm happy to travel, just get in touch and we can talk through the details.
Thanks for reading. Speak soon,
