Should I knock through or fit a Crittall-style screen?
Knocking through gives one large open room; a Crittall-style screen keeps two rooms that share light. If you want to separate cooking noise, smells or a home office from the living space, a screen gives you most of the light of open-plan with the privacy of separate rooms.
Updated October 2026
What does open-plan give you?
A single sociable space with the most light and flexibility. The downside is noise, smells and heat travelling everywhere, and less wall space for furniture.
What does a screen give you?
Two rooms with their own purpose and acoustic separation, with daylight passing between them. With a door, you can choose open or closed.
Can I do both?
Yes. Many people knock through and then add a screen with a wide door, which keeps the space open most of the time but closable when needed.
Which costs more?
Removing a load-bearing wall involves structural work and making good. Adding a screen to that opening adds the cost of the screen on top. Glazing a non-structural wall is usually the simplest job of all.