To not understand why people love kitchen diners so much?

[TwinkleCrinkle]

I like open plan living but don't fully get why everyone seems to love a kitchen diner?
We have a semi open plan layout with an island and sofa seating and dining table around the corner.
Every time I cook it looks like a bomb has gone off... So I can't imagine having my dinner (let alone guests) surrounded by what can only be described as carnage!

Why do you like yours so much? How do you keep things tidy when entertaining?

[RoseWithoutAThorn]

We have a kitchen with a dining table that seats 16 and a separate dining room. We live on a working farm so tend to have various workers in the kitchen eating as well as family. DH has a vet practice here as well so our kitchen is used as a staff room! It never gets messy really as people know to clean up after themselves. I use the dining room if we have friends over for dinner though. As for cooking, I tidy as I go so there's rarely mess. it was a completely different story when the children were small though

[isseywithcats]

i have a kitchen in two halves one side cooking island in the middle the other side the table and chairs i love sitting at a proper table and eating my meals in a civilised manner after four years of having to eat off my lap due to my last kitchen being too small for a table and chairs , i just dont look at the mucky side of the kitchen while im eating

[MooPointCowsOpinion]

We cook in the kitchen-diner and eat off laps in the living room most nights. Slobs.

We used to have an entire open plan downstairs, couldn't ever just shut the door on the kitchen and relax, the mess was too visible. The bloody washing machine was always drowning out the TV too. A kitchen-diner is better than that at least!

On Christmas Day one year we brought the dining table into the lounge so no one had to tidy up the kitchen before we ate.

[whois]

I love separate sitting room just for sitting, and a kitchen diner. You can be super social with friends or whoever whilst you cook, then you can move on through to the lounge after dinner.

[Enjolrass]

We like ours but we also have a snug in it with a tv and sofa.

The kids are either doing their homework at the kitchen table or in the snug while I cook tea.

I prefer it as we are all in one room together. Then veg out in the living room after dinner.

Our house doesn't have room for a decent sized kitchen and decent sized dining room. So we opened the up and a small shower room that was next to it to make one big room.

Works for us.

[whois]

Also, no mucking about carrying plats and food and stuff through to a separate dining room. Easier to clear up. Basically more fun. I would hate to have a kitchen you couldn't at least have a kitchen bar in.

Currently live in a flat with an open plan kitchen dining room sitting room. Not that's annoying.

[Dawndonnaagain]

I clear up as I go along, so kitchen diner, all eat together, discuss the day, then into the sitting room for whatever. It means no food on my sofas or rugs!

[insameboattoo]

I have a k/d plus a separate dining room. I'm not keen when guests can see the mess. I would prefer to be able to shut off kitchen.

[AnythingThatWorks]

I like it 'cause it's easier than bringing plates and food and drinks and cutlery and everything into a separate room for every day meals, especially breakfast.

I also like DD being able to do her homework at the kitchen table while I organise dinner and I can listen to reading or give some help if necessary easily.

If we have people over to eat at our house then we know them well enough for them to tolerate some untidiness...especially if it's cause by cooking dinner for them.

I would not want a completely open plan ground floor though.

[EnaSharplesHairnet]

I found a kitchen diner better for keeping in contact with the kids while cooking.

A separate kitchen can be a bit isolating for the cooks! Also easier to grab them to do mini tasks and break them into cooking gently.

[IcecreamBus]

We're totally open plan. It's been good in a way as DH used to be dreadful for dumping stuff in the dining room and leaving it - it used to drive me mental! Now we can see all of it all the time, anything that's not used or needed gets chucked. If stuff gets dumped on the table or surfaces, it gets chucked. It's sirprising how fast everyone started putting their crap away

[IcecreamBus]

Surprising, even. Stupid fat fingers. I can spell, honest!

[ConstanceMarkYaBitch]

We turned the dining room into a playroom, which is a much better use for our family, so its a good thing we have space for a largeish table and chairs in the kitchen. Where else would we eat?

[FishOn]

I hated our flat with the kitchen down the hall away from the dining room - everyone having a jolly time and me stuck in the kitchen.

Much nicer to have everyone milling about chatting in one place - I don't make that much mess, and even if I do I doubt anyone else will care

I know most people on MN hate open plan but it works really well for us. Which is just as well as we're not in the UK and all the houses I've seen here are open plan.

[museumum]

Kitchen diner and separate living room work best for us. IMO seoerate kitchens worked when one person (usually the wife) did all the cooking alone then presented the meal to people sitting waiting in a separate setting. We all prep together and chip in so there is no big "reveal" when the meal is served.
Even with "guests" we eat informally.

[onecurrantbun1]

I like that the kids can sit at the table and colour or Play-Doh while I make dinner or sort laundry. Our kitchen-diner is also open plan to a family room. At the moment it's a playroom but the previous owners had older children and had it as a snug. Our cooker and sink aren't visible from the dining table although I tend to tidy as I go anyway.

My parents have a room between their kitchen and dining room - it's a pain if you forget anything and poor old mum can end up a bit isolated when prepping, but it is much more relaxing eating without cooking smells and dishwasher noise. K/D is definitely great with younger kids who need cinstant supervision though.

[honeyroar]

We have a kitchen with a 4 seater round table at one end. It mainly gets used for breakfast and coffee with friends. When the house is finished we will have a dining room with a large table for larger, more formal or more cosy dinners. The dining room will also have a fire and bookshelves, with armchairs either side of the fire, so the room will be able to be used as a quiet room for studying or reading while other people are watching tv.

[Mummypigagain]

We are about to add a kitchen-diner extension. I am most excited about the existing kitchen becoming a utility room. All the crap of the day will be flung in there
Our existing dining room will become a playroom.
We will still have a separate lounge.
I hated in our old flat where the only sitting area was open plan with the kitchen. All cooking smells, laundry and noisy washing machine whilst I was trying to watch TV was a pain in the arse. This will be better, I hope!

[CakeNinja]

We really do love ours. We have people over a lot, have a lot of parties/friends for dinner/family lunches/bbqs etc and we have built a large kitchen diner on the back of our house. It stays tidy because I keep it that way, no one is allowed to dump anything in there and the only thing on the metres of sides and island is 1 kettle.

When we have people round, we do the vast majority of the prep beforehand and then keep on top of it all, it's much easier.
And it means no one is in the kitchen on their own.

Fortunately dp and I both enjoy cooking so it's not stressful cooking with people around.

[Artandco]

I love it. It means dh and I can both be cooking/ drinking wine, whilst helping kids I between with homework or oldest reads aloud whilst one of us stirs/ chops if alone with the children.

It's never really messy to look at . We tidy up as we go so every that can goes into the dishwasher as its finished being used, and the pan/ dish from dinner that can't is stood inside deep sink to soak whilst we eat ( so hidden from view. By the time all sit down to eat everything not being used for meal is already in dishwasher or sink.
After a meal everyone helps load dinner stuff into dishwasher, another rinses pans and dries and away, table wiped etc. Nobody leaves the kitchen/ dining end of the room until it's tidy between us ( even the youngest and same when babies)

We usually use the table straight after dinner anyway to carry on with wine/ chatting/ board game out/ kids drawing so it needs to all be cleared away.

[CakeNinja]

We have a utility so no noisy machines, no washing draped anywhere and extractor fan and bifold doors spanning the back of the kitchen to get rid of smells (although cooking smells are nice!)

[dynevoran]

We have a separate living room with carpet which is lovely and cosy. Then a big kitchen diner with sofa and larder room leading onto the garden. I love it and don't worry about mess as I tend to tidy as I cook and have a massive 80cm wide sink that I put everything I haven't washed in so you can't see it while you eat!

[Jibberjabberjooo]

We have a separate living room so I can shut the kitchen away in the evening. I love our kitchen diner, it's big enough for the dc's toys and I like being able to cook and see what they're up to and chat.

[Garlick]

I prefer it, for the same reason as PPs. Preparation & serving become part of the mealtime, rather than the cook acting like staff.