Has anyone NOT done the whole open plan kitchen diner thing?

[Popcorninapot]

Seems like everyone is taking the wall out between kitchen and diner these days, but has anyone decided to keep it separate?

Our kitchen is pretty much four metres by four metres, so big enough for a decent kitchen and table for six people. No patio doors but attached to a boot room where the back door is.

We then have a big dining room that is also used as a family room, with dining table, sofas, open fire and patio doors to garden. We also have a similar size lounge, a laundry and the boot room.

We need a new kitchen and I guess the obvious thing is to take out the wall, but it's great having a separate room and am thinking that will be really useful when our three pre schoolers are older. But don't want to spend lots of money on a kitchen and then regret not taking out the wall.

Anyone kept it separate and regretted it? Or knocked through and wish they hadn't?

I had a big enough enough kitchen for a table and chairs probably 4.5 x 4.5m . It was great. But it really was the room most used in the house and whoever was in the house would eventually all end up in that room. As the cook it was bliss when I got a kitchen diner and everyone is still there but away down the other end, not under my feet.

For full disclosure's sake I''ll admit that deciding to convert ours was easy because we do still have a separate dining room but it is never used. I'd knock through in a heartbeat now as long as there is at least another large reception room.

If you have room for a 6-seater table in the kitchen already then I would keep them separate. What would you gain by knocking through, really? Sounds like you have the best of both worlds: a kitchen diner AND separate dining room.

We have separate kitchen and dining room and I much prefer it, though ideally I would have liked a larger kitchen as well. I don't want people constantly underfoot all the time when I'm cooking, and guests don't now have to sit and stare at the carnage of dinner party preparation covering all the surfaces. I like to be able to close the door on the sound of the dishwasher and extractor fan, shut out cooking smells/heat of the oven and so on while we relax over dinner. You also lose cupboard and worktop space if you take out a wall. Separate rooms all the way here.

We didn't have the option so didn't do the big kitchen- diner thing. Our kitchen is a bit smaller than yours so we just had that done up. We were reluctant because we weren't going to get that huge room that everyone wants. I have no regrets though. It's still big enough to hang out in and we've got it how we want it.

We have a kitchen, then a separate living/dining room, though there's a big hatch between the two, so you can see people and chat if you want to. The major advantage is that when people are here, they can eat and relax afterwards without seeing the carnage in the kitchen from the preparation. It also means that if we have friends with small children round, the said small children have no reason to be in the kitchen - particularly useful if we're cooking while they're here. We specifically didn't want a kitchen/diner, though I realise that's unusual now.

We have a kitchen diner and really love it. We had one in our old house and when renovating the new house put another one in. We weren't sure to start with, burn relaised that at meal times we hated having one person in the kitchen and the others in a different room. It was awful for entertaining too as the person cooking missed out on all the conversation. Now everyone is in the same room together and it's lovely.

We get round the mess on display thing by a) having a raised breakfast bar on our island that shields the worksurface from view from the dining table and b) having an appliance garage which means you can just shut the doors and all looks tidy.

We do have a separate lounge though which is important for me.

Keeping them separate (currently mid-renovation), with an eat-in area in one corner of the kitchen. I think design is easier with two clearly defined spaces.

Just thought I'd mention that it was when the DC got older that the table in the middle of the kitchen became a pain because they take up a lot of room; chairs pushed back, legs sprawled out or propped up somewhere. And yet in the kitchen is where they and their friends congregate.

Just about to start removing our wall, but the kitchen is a shoe box and it will feel so much bigger without the wall.
I do have ability to shut off lounge though. and will also have a raised shelf above work surface so from a seated position you will not be able to see the work top.
I plan on doing all the work myself (except electrics) so am terrified and excited at the same time!

We put the all back in. I detest open plan living.

The *wall

Keira funnily enough I wanted a wall putting up in my last house which had a larger kitchen!

We have a large kitchen at the moment with a kitchen table, and a separate dining room. We are about to start an extension to make a large kitchen diner that will open onto the garden, which I'm looking forward to as we tend to congregate in the kitchen so need more space and I get a separate utility and boot room too yay.

But we will still have a separate dining room space, so have the best of both worlds I think.

We did open up because old kitchen was postage stamp size so it was worth it. But I do miss being able to close doors (we had 2 glass doors between kitchen & dining room).

Having doors means less smell, can hide mess. Peace and quiet with radio on if that's what you want etc.

So I would do 2 glass doors between so you have flexibility - unless that's the wall where you have the table. Also, you've got plenty of other rooms already - another dining room and sitting room so I'm not sure whether you need to add "extra" room at all.

I like having a separate kitchen because I don't like all the cooking smells in my living rooms.

This was a deal breaker for me and DH when house-hunting - we hate open plan kitchen/diners or even worse kitchen/living rooms. I don't get why people like them so much. What's the advantage?

n0ne I think the "advantage" in places like London is that what would have been the kitchen or dining room can be re-purposed (usually as another bedroom).

I would take it out. My ideal layout would be a kitchen/diner/sofa area and then a spectate living room. I spend a lot of the day in the kitchen and having sofa space in there would be nice.

Also as the kids get older it would be nice to have two living room areas so they can hang out with their friends and play Xbox or whatever and not take over the living room.

It depends on the size of the kitchen. We had to walk through a hall then a living room to get to the dining room. Cooking Xmas dinner involved roasting trays on the floor as no worktop space. If kitchen was a big as OP's, I might keep it separate and have a wide, short hatch with sliding glass doors between the kitchen and dining room.

I have a kitchen breakfast room and the dining room is partially separated. I love being able to move to a proper dining table to eat away from all the washing up, but still be able to sit in the kitchen. I think my dream layout would be a huge kitchen dining living area with island but still have a separate dining room!! As it is I'm happy with our layout

I don't really get kitchen diners. Mine's big enough but the wrong shape somehow. I have a table in the conservatory, to compensate. On the rare occasions we sit around a table I use that.

My main gripe about kitchen diners is the smell/ mess. I wouldn't want people around when I'm working in there and I definitely wouldn't want to sit around in a pile of post-cooking clutter eating a meal, especially with other people.

I think a hatch is a good idea though. A bit 60s, but a practical solution.

I've changed my mind! Some lovely ideas on Pinterest.

Totaly depends on what the rest of your house is like, and what your cooking/entertaining style is.

My ideal is a separate living room then a big kitchen / diner / family room. My style of entertaining is very much chatting whilst cooking and I wouldn't want to be separate from my friends. Then after dinner you can retire to your nice clean living room.