Split levels get a bad reputation they only half deserve. The defined zones are genuinely useful. What dates them is the closed-in feel, the low ceilings in the wrong places, and stairs that dominate the entry.
Open selectively
The instinct is to knock everything through. Resist it. What usually works is opening the kitchen to the main living level while leaving the lower level distinct, so you gain connection without losing the separation that made the plan sensible.
Deal with the entry
In many split levels the front door opens onto a landing and a choice of directions, which feels cramped. Widening the opening, changing the railing to something visually lighter, and getting the lighting right transforms the first impression at modest cost.
Rethink the railings and stairs
Heavy balustrades and dark stair treads make the whole house feel closed. Open risers, slimmer railings and consistent flooring across levels do a lot of work.
Run the floor continuously
Different flooring on each level emphasises the split. One material carried through, with a considered transition at the stairs, reads as deliberate rather than piecemeal.
Structural reality
Split levels have load paths that are not always obvious, and the wall you want gone may be doing real work. That is an engineering question, and it is worth answering properly before the design is settled.
