Current floor plan trends don’t necessarily bring anything brand new to home design, but rather represent subtle shifts to better support how people want to live in their homes today.
Functionality and flow are driving many of the current trends, including these six:
Open Plans Find Balance
Homeowners love the broad sightlines and lofty feel of an open-concept floor plan, but are placing greater value on privacy too, as homes accommodate more activities, often at the same time.
As a result, floor plans are balancing the benefits of open-plan living with spaces that permit partial or total separation from the main living areas. Ideally, a floor plan lets a homeowner choose.
While the kitchen and adjacent living areas remain open, “what is changing is everything around that center. Homeowners still want visual generosity and togetherness, but they also need places for focused work, calls, study, rest, hobbies, or simply a quiet moment,” says Darian Wagner, managing principal and senior architect, DAHLIN Architecture.
The key, says Justin Julian, senior principal and senior architect, DAHLIN Architecture, is not to treat open and closed spaces as opposites.
“The broader shift is from open plans to more nuanced plans with thresholds that create varying levels of connection and privacy,” he says.
The most desirable plans “create layers between fully shared and fully enclosed space, so homeowners can adjust the degree of connection throughout the day,” says Julian.
“A home office off the kitchen, for example, can borrow light and maintain a visual relationship to the main living area, then close when the user requires acoustic or visual privacy,” he says.
Meanwhile, “Smaller cozy corners can remain open to the main space while using placement, furniture, partial screens, or an offset opening to create a sense of retreat,” says Wagner.
Making Room to Get Away
Rather than layering privacy options within open spaces, some floor plans create physical separation from the main gathering areas with dedicated rooms.
Away rooms are trending, which are simply secondary living spaces set off the main living area, with a closing door, and often increased soundproofing, devoted to peace and quiet.
Back kitchens and sculleries physically separate food prep, appliances and cleanup from the main kitchen, where much of daily living and entertaining takes place.
Upstairs retreats, homework rooms, and secondary living spaces create further separation, giving household members somewhere to do their own thing without sacrificing the openness of the kitchen and great room.
Wet Rooms Represent Right-Sized Luxury
Wet rooms are not a new feature but are gaining more attention and are influencing bathroom layouts and design, no longer reserved just for higher-end homes.
“One reason is that you can use every inch of that space, which can mean a larger shower and a more spa-like feel,” says Debra Purvis with Design House.
A wet room typically is an open-concept bathroom, where a bathtub and a shower share an enclosure, sometimes separated by a glass partition from the rest of the bathroom.
Wet rooms offer great decorative potential too, with soaker tubs, steam showers, and statement fixtures. They also lend themselves naturally to other trends like tile drenching, which provides a dramatic, upscale look.
They are family friendly too. "Kids splash water out of the tub; it's not a problem. Between the tile and floor drains, you are covered,” says Purvis.
Flex Rooms Find Their Purpose
Flex rooms offer opportunity in a floor plan without adding square footage, one reason they remain among the most sought-after features in new homes. But today’s buyers are looking for flex rooms with purpose, rather than just a blank-slate bonus room.
Practical considerations, such as outlets, storage, layered lighting, and easy access without crossing through other spaces, offer flexible futureproofing. The flex room needs to be appropriately sized and configured for the potential use too.
For example, for young families, a flex space needs to adapt to changing ages and stages. What might be a playroom today can turn into a homework space, and eventually a teen hangout. A bonus on this type of space is sliding or pocket doors that allow openness initially and then privacy as a child ages.
Location in the home indicates flex room potential too.
A space with outdoor access translates nicely into a wellness space or indoor/outdoor room.
Located near a full bath, a flex room could become an additional bedroom.
When located near the garage and mudroom, flex space lends itself to hobbies, a workshop, or other activities that benefit from storage and separation from the main living areas.
One-Story Living Gains Ground
While two-story floor plans remain in-demand, one-story floor plans are showing modest growth.
“A one-story plan is going to be more accessible, generally speaking, which opens it up to buyers in many different life phases,” says Aurora Zeledon, director of digital content and marketing for Zonda House Plans, including Houseplans.com.
While land availability and cost might be driving the uptick in one-story floor plans, the versatility of living on one level has design upside and broad-based appeal, including 55+, multigen households, and younger families who appreciate having everyone on the same level.
One-story plans offer easier circulation, without stairs and landings occupying transitional spaces. Typically, one-story homes benefit from a stronger indoor/outdoor connection, often an anchor of the design, an in-demand feature as well.
According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), two-story plans still accounted for over half of single-family home starts in 2025 nationwide, although that number had dropped slightly, while the number of single-story homes inched up. Notably, there were significant differences across regions.
Meanwhile, Zeledon reports that the majority of floor plans they have sold, dating back to 2019, are for one-story homes, including their current bestseller. However, she notes that year-to-date there has been a modest increase in one-story house plan sales, compared to last year, pointing out that much of the activity is concentrated in the South and Southeast.
Storage Becomes Part of the Architecture
As homes generally scale down in size, storage becomes essential for homeowners to retain the functionality of a larger home in a smaller footprint.
“The overarching idea is to utilize every square foot. When storage is thoughtfully integrated into the architecture, we can maximize the home for multiple purposes—and, importantly, multiple storage solutions—without making the spaces feel overly utilitarian,” says Hannah Sloan, creative marketing specialist with Unscripted Interior Design.
She reports that drop zones are gaining attention, as are Costco closets, laundry/mudroom and owner’s entrances.
Sloan says that some rooms are benefiting from space-specific storage that improves functionality, like in the primary bathroom with more thoughtfully designed vanities and built-ins. Meanwhile, fitness closets are appearing in home gyms to free up floor space for exercise.
“Then there are the found spaces—under-stair book nooks, hidden speakeasy-inspired bars, and other whimsical design opportunities. These spaces can become highly functional while also adding personality and surprise to a home,” says Sloan.
