New build flat with open plan kitchen/living room

[zerotolerancezone]

Does anyone live in one? How is it? I like that at the moment DH can be in the kitchen and I can watch the TV in the living room... While I'd love an open plan kitchen/diner I'm not liking the sound of an all in one living space especially if we have a baby. How does anyone get any space to work/think/write/get away from each other etc?!!

We'd like to buy a home but might have to do help to buy or shared ownership to do it and EVERY flat we've seen has the open plan thing.

[ArsenicSoup]

Following

[sillymillyb]

I used to have a flat like this - the living room / diner / kitchen was huge and to begin with it was fine. After a very short time though it sent me demented. I felt like I was just living in one room all the time - I couldn't escape from the kitchen mess or the toy mess, there was only me and ds and if there had been another adult it would have been even worse.

Sorry it's poss not what you want to hear, but I genuinely grew to hate that set up and would compromise on area / size of rooms, anything to avoid it in the future!

[zerotolerancezone]

Thanks sillymillyb.

I think the only other option is to not buy and keep renting.

[sillymillyb]

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news

I created a separate area with one of those ikea cube shelf thingies but it affected the natural light, and to be honest, it felt even more claustrophobic then. Is there any of the lay outs of the houses that would allow you to build a stud wall to separate it off though? May be worth thinking about?

[zerotolerancezone]

I've thought about that. Depends on layout and windows I think - whether the room is one big oblong or an L shape. An L shape would be better all round I think.

Sigh. I don't want a new build AT ALL.

[BumWad]

I lived in a flat like this for 7 years. Loved it but we did eventually grow out of it. The lounge was huge and the kitchen but was split away from it so you had a relaxing area, an eating area and then the kitchen.

Only problem was it used to piss DH off and vice versa when one of us was in the kitchen and the other was using the blender, had the cooker hood on etc. and I was always reluctant to fry steaks etc cos I didn't want the living area to smell.

We have now moved to a large Edwardian semi and I do miss a lot of the open plan living aspects but also do like having a seperate kitchen and a lounge where we can totally relax.

[zerotolerancezone]

Wonder if something like this would work www.bomeng.org/dividers-for-rooms/16/sliding-glass-room-dividers-spaceman-home-office-houston-tx/

[Thehedgehogsong]

I've lived in a flat like this for 5 years now with DH and then DD came along. I like that when one of us is cooking the other can be sat on the sofa chatting away to them.
I also like that there's no escape from the washing up. We just get it done because it will sit there staring at us if we dare to try and watch TV before clearing up after dinner. It also meant that as a baby, DD was always in the same room as me, and had plenty of space to play growing up while I got on with every day housework.

Downsides are the noise: kettle and washing machine drown out the TV; and the lack of space when I want to escape DH's constant chattering. We solved that by putting a TV in the bedroom and I disappear sometimes to 'fold the washing' for a bit of a break.

[zerotolerancezone]

Good to hear it works for you Thehedgehog.

Tbh I'm finding new builds baffling. So many have en suites - why two bathrooms for a two bed flat on one floor? I would much rather have more living space.

One three bed, three floor house we viewed had a family bathroom, an en suite and an ENORMOUS downstairs loo, but teeny kitchen. Could have had a big kitchen/diner instead.

My friend has a two bed/two bath flat and it has a really big hallway.

Perhaps it'll just be a case of being creative. We'd like a desk because we both sometimes work from home - could be part of a big wall of integrated storage or something.

[zerotolerancezone]

It gets worse.

Just read you should wait a year before decorating a new build, especially with regards to wallpaper?! Due to everything 'settling' and drying out etc. I wonder if that includes putting up built in wardrobes/bookcases etc

[klog]

I agree about the number of bathrooms! when I was living in a new build two bed apartment the kitchen was tiny but there were two normal sized bathrooms. I would have happily lost one of the bathrooms to have a better sized kitchen. Now, there are three of us in an old build three bedroom house and we still have one bathroom and we manage.

[wintersoldier]

We've been in our newish 2 bed with open plan living for a couple of years now and it works well for us. It wasn't completely new (we were 2nd owners) so no issues with decorating. We have a family bathroom and en-suite and I wouldn't be without it! I hate it when we go on holiday and we have to queue for the bathroom.

I have a small office space in the living area and it can be a bit noisy sometimes, but I like us to share the same space personally (2 adults and a teen here), we tend to get on well which helps! It's nice to be able to get snacks etc in the kitchen during a film and still hear what's going on. Mess isn't something that bothers me too much, and washing up goes straight into the dishwasher.

[PlasticPinkFlamingo]

We lived in a flat with an open plan kitchen / reception and absolutely hated it. When we've since looked for new places we ruled out any places that were fully open plan.

It's only ok if there's a second reception you can go to for peace and quiet.

[Theorientcalf]

I hate open plan, makes me feel like I'm living in a large bedsit. You can't get away from cooking smells and the washing machine is noisy. I like a family area but separate living room.

[redstrawberrypie]

I love mine, I did however get the washing machine plumbed into the bathroom and a cupboard built around it so I could escape the noise.

[StrawberryCheese]

We live in one, been here a year. It's reasonably spacious, and the sofa acts as a divider between living area and dining area. We both find it easy to do work at the dining table without the other being in the way. We keep the kitchen very tidy and clutter free otherwise it would stress me out looking at it. Downsides for me are the food smells you can't escape from and when the washing machine is on its a bit noisy.

[zerotolerancezone]

Thanks everyone.

Having slept on it my feelings are that it may be do-able esp as if we get a two bed. Not because it's the ideal but because it's what we can afford. What I want is a bog standard Victorian two/three bed terrace or flat with two receptions but seeing as they go for a mint round here, it's not realistic

So I guess this open plan arrangement could be a compromise for a few years while we enjoy the location we like.

It's something I'm going to look into I think and it would be amazing to get a foot on the ladder without having to accept hand outs from anyone

[FelixFelix]

We lived in a new build flat with open plan kitchen and living room. I was a bit apprehensive at first but we loved it! Ours was massive and was divided quite well in to kitchen/living space so you didn't feel like you were sat in the kitchen when watching tv etc. I liked being able to chat to DP when cooking. Never had a problem with cooking smells lingering in the room as we had a good extraction fan.

We had two bedrooms and a main bathroom and seperate en suite. Agree with pp that it's a bit odd. We never used the main bathroom at all.

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

We have a flat with a kitchen too small to hide in. We use the bedroom as an escape route....I've set up a desk in there for the computer and when DH or I want to get rid of the other....one of us goes in the bedroom!

[united4ever]

Did it and it was ok with two little ones under 5 because you could keep an eye on them. Make sure you have a dishwasher....we didnt and you end up having to be really on top of it or you just get fed ip looking at the pile of washing up. It was ok and meant we had a lovely big room to enjoy rather than two or more poky rooms but ideally would prefer a seperate kitchen.