Open plan configuration preference

[LuckyAmy1986]

Would you rather have:

a) an open plan living, dining, kitchen and conservatory all in one big space

b) open plan kitchen/diner that leads into conservatory and a separate living room?

DH and I cannot agree on this!

b

B

B

B

B

Also b. A conservatory can't be open plan as will be too hot in summer/ cold in winter.

B

B but ideally I'd like a tv and small sofa in my kitchen too. I think a separate room you can sit in at night that is a bit more cosy is a must. Our current house is open kitchen, dining and living room and I really miss having a cosy room to watch TV in at night. When we move house I want a large kitchen diner but a small cosy living room is also a must.

THANK YOU!!! (this is, of course, my opinion!!)

@MonthofMondays sorry should have said, it will be rebuilt to be a 'proper' room but will still just be an extra small sitting area that leads onto the garden

@EatDrinkEatDrink that is exactly why I want to keep it separate, just a nice cosy room to go relax in in the evenings away from everything else

B every day of the week

B

B. No question. Somewhere to escape to in the evening. Separate spaces for different activities e.g. if one person busy cooking in the kitchen listening to the radio, the other can't watch the tv in the living room. I imagine one much larger space would be harder/more expensive to heat too. I don't need heating in my kitchen but I do in the living room.

Also B. We knocked through from kitchen to dining room and now have open plan, dining kitchen and corner seating area, but we also have a living room totally separate in the front with an open fire. Although it wasn't the plan the kids have essentially taken over the living room with their nosy games consoles and I can shut the door and not hear them. I didn't think of that when doing the extension because I only had a tiny baby at the time but very glad of the division now!

Definitely B
You will need space to get away from each other/ to work/ to play music / to turn a blind eye to cooking things/for any DC to entertain friends or play instruments etc etc etc.
Big open plan areas have very much had their day and are really impractical for most people's lives

B. Cooking smells can be contained, you can shut the door on a great big cooking mess and clear up if you can't be bothered to tidy up - or be somewhere else while someone is tidying up. If you don't have a utility you want noise of washing machine and tumble dryer to be blocked off.

Somewhere separate to watch different TV or listen to music. Somewhere so you can have friends round and the other person can slope off. Somehwere for kids to do homework, play etc.

You can have too much open plan.

Definitely B

We have an open plan kitchen/living/dining room but also a separate sitting room. I wouldn’t want to be without the separate sitting room, it’s been so useful whenever one of us needs some peace and quiet (homework/work/reading etc) but doesn’t want to have to go off to a bedroom in the daytime.

b. if the kitchen-diner is nice and big, but a if it is still a bit pokey.
It's nice to have one space that is a bit separate and private and cosy. But not if it means that you don't have any space that is big enough for lots of people to be in at once.

C, nothing open plan, the rise in working from home and children living at home for longer means separate rooms are more desirable.

Definitely not a.

B.
Kitchens are greasy places, even if you are super houseproud, and it lands everywhere. For that reason I would keep the sofa in a separate room.

an open plan living, dining, kitchen
We have this (no conservatory) and I would advise against it if you can. You walk in the front door and you see everything. Any book/toy/thing on a surface, you see it all at once and it drives me mad. I like having the Christmas tree up as it splits the room in two and you don't see the whole at once. It's also annoying if I want to do something in the evening e.g. sew but DH doesn't want the bright light on.

B
Cooking smells, noise from white goods, mess. All need escaping and cosiness is key!

I too would prefer a third space, depending on your options.

B

B. It's really annoying trying to relax or watch TV in peace while someone is clattering about in the kitchen, for example. (Bitter experience!)

Out of those two B

However we have a kitchen that opens on to a conservatory dining/family room and also a separate living room which for me is the ideal set up.

It's nice to have some seating in the kitchen but I dislike a kitchen-diner as I don't want to see cooking clutter or hear the dishwasher running when I'm eating.