Open Home Floor Plans Can Breed Too Much Togetherness

"After two decades of pushing the open floor plan--where domestic life revolved around a big central space and exposed kitchens gave everyone a view of half the house -- major builders and top architects are walling people off. They're touting one-person "Internet alcoves," locked-door "away rooms" and his-and-her offices on opposite ends of the house. The new floor plans offer so much seclusion, they're "good for the dysfunctional family," says Gopal Ahluwahlia, director of research for the National Association of Home Builders."

Thanks to Erin Clark