[Rock]

Open-plan Living areas work well when combined with separate bedrooms, media and study rooms. We each have a roomy study when we want some "me-time" but enjoy the open-plan Living/Dining/Kitchen for interacting.
For workplaces however, I am not a fan. In the 80s-90s workplaces seemed to go open-plan. I have worked in places where even managers didn't have a separate office and had to do anything private in an interview or conference room. Open plan is noisy, busy and distracting and not condusive to 'thinking'.