The Life, Death, and Future of the Open Concept The layout has quite a few asterisks next to its title as ‘most popular floor plan.’ We explore its history, controversy, and its fate. James F. McClister | June 02, 2021 That a floor plan could attract controversy is a novel idea. Still, the open concept has a few. Credible people have called the layout an “exasperating privacy killer,” “a terrible idea,” “rooted in a sexist understanding of labor,” and “trendy because HGTV execs think men crave destruction.” It’s been said that the floor plan is “tyranny” and that it should be put to “death.”