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Original poster

Is there anyone that DOESNT want a kitchen/diner/open plan?

188 replies

palacegirl77 · 23/10/2019 18:13

Ive posted recently about loft conversions as this is next on our list - so my youngest daughter can have a larger bedroom. However, I was speaking to my brother and his wife and they suggested we concentrate on (opening up the downstairs) first - they totally assumed that we would want to knock down the chimney, several walls, extend and have a massive kitchen/diner/family room type thing. Don't get me wrong, I think these are nice but I LOVE the downstairs in my 1930s semi. I like having separate rooms - I dont want kitchen smells in my lounge and I like the kids to have their own space, I also want to keep some of the character of the house. They were genuinely surprised as they thought everyone wants open plan nowadays - am I really the odd one out?

OP posts:
MikeUniformMike · 23/10/2019 19:43

A large kitchen/diner would be great but not open plan.

Daffodil2018 · 23/10/2019 19:44

I'm 36 and I hate open plan! I don't want to have to watch TV over the noise of the washing machine/dishwasher.

Rainbowbrite11 · 23/10/2019 19:45

I hate open plan for a few reasons.
I don't want to still smell my dinner two hours later.
Don't want to hear the washer/ dishwasher when I'm sat down watching TV
If my kitchen is a mess but I don't want to do it till morning if I'm in the same room I'll end up doing it.
What if I cook something really smelly like fish everything will smell of it

WoollyMollyMonkey · 23/10/2019 19:54

Me too, I hate open plan. Can’t stand the noise from appliances nor sitting watching a tv drowned out by the noise from a boiling kettle! Also hate open staircases, if I go to bed early I don’t want to hear chattering or tv etc from downstairs, I want peace and quiet!

stoplickingthetelly · 23/10/2019 19:57

No way would I want everything open plan. We’ve got a kitchen big enough to fit 4 person table, living room and a large dining room/family room that has an 8 person table at one end and a sofa/tv at the other end. This is perfect for us. Kitchen table is ideal for breakfast, kids homework, kids tea etc. Living room is lovely and cosy with a coal fire. Then dining/family room is perfect for when we have guests. Plus there is space to watch tv or kids to play etc. No way would I buy a house if everything was all together in one big room. I like rooms.

greenlynx · 23/10/2019 20:04

I hate open plan. We had it at the previous house and it worked well on toddler stage but then.... The living area was completely lost and it’s just one huge kitchen. I hated the smell of cooking and that the space rarely looked nice and tidy. Also it was difficult to watch TV because of cooking noises and washing machine.
I love to have big enough breakfast kitchen (with a door!) and a separate living room (with a door). My sister used to have no door in her living room, sort of open plan with a corridor. It’s very inconvenient as well.

MaybeitsMaybelline · 23/10/2019 20:40

Open plan only works if you have the room, and can afford, closed plan too.

Great for teens and parties but who wants to retire in January to an open plan kitchen living room? You want private, cosey, living room with fireplace and closed doors.

MaybeitsMaybelline · 23/10/2019 20:41

*cosy

willowmelangell · 23/10/2019 20:51

Oh no! The mess, the smells, the noise of the washing machine, kettle clicking and boiling, the lights being on, everything on view and disrupting relax time.
Hard no. Shut a door on all that.
And very hard to heat all that space too.

GOODCAT · 23/10/2019 20:51

@heronlanyon totally agree on islands and conservatories.

We moved into a house with separate kitchen, diner and living room. We knocked down the wall between the kitchen and diner. There are only two of us and we wouldn't have used the dining room without doing this. I wasn't keen, husband was and he was right it is much better.

The lights in the dining area are on a separate switch to the kitchen, so we turn off the lights in the kitchen when we eat in the evening so we can't see the washing up.

MarshaBradyo · 23/10/2019 20:53

Yes to large kitchen with big table and space

No to removing the walls between living room and kitchen

I really want to be able close that door and get away from kitchen when I’m done

madcatladyforever · 23/10/2019 20:57

I don't like open plan, I live in a grade 2 listed house and it's cold in winter, I like a separate dining room, living room and kitchen.
I hate kitchen smells anywhere but the kitchen and don't want to have to tidy the kitchen all the time immediately after cooking. You can't have a messy kitchen if everyone is looking at it.
The dining room is my hobby room and can be opened into the living room with double doors if I want to watch tv from there or keep an eye on the open fire.
When it snows I just huddle in the living room with the fire on.
Open plan costs a lot to heat.

Scratchyfluffface · 23/10/2019 20:57

Open plan kitchen/diner is great, but separate living room is a must - I don't want to have to look at pots and pans if we don't immediately clear up after cooking, I don't want to be in the same room as the washing machine/dishwasher etc. I need a door I can shut

foodname · 23/10/2019 21:00

Open plan might work with toddlers but it's a pain in the arse when you've got older children and you're all wanting a bit of space, it's functional for such a short space of time IMO. In my ideal world I'd have a kitchen/diner/family space but a separate living room and separate study, and if really lucky a separate formal dining room too. Needless to say I don't have that!

Rumboogie · 23/10/2019 21:04

I remember an estate agent saying that open plan was a past fashion and also enabled builders to build smaller houses, but that most people hated it and it was difficult to shift such houses.

I hate it also for all the reasons mentioned, especially cooking smells, which I struggle with anyway, sometimes, in my non-open plan house.
Going into someone's house which smells of stale food makes me retch.

I also don't like islands. Uncomfortable to sit at. I have a HUGE kitchen table which we can eat at if we wish and everything else - homework, painting, sewing, reading, etc etc can be done at.

Eve · 23/10/2019 21:04

Nooo - avoid open plan at all costs!

Hate it! Had to live in a rented house for a year due to renovations which was all open plan and it was awful.

You can’t get away from each other, each other’s music ( and DH only listens to jazz fm when cooking which rest of us hate!) clashing of saucepans , fans etc when someone watching tv.

AwdBovril · 23/10/2019 21:05

Kitchen - diner, or separate kitchen & dining room, fine. But absolutely have to have a separate living room. No thanks to cooking smells when we're relaxing in the evening. Plus, open plan is more expensive to keep warm (or cool in the summer).

MarshaBradyo · 23/10/2019 21:07

We have a huge kitchen table too, solid thing one of my favourite things in the house.

I always disliked islands but the house we bought had one so I’m getting used to it. It has an area for stools but I didn’t put any there.

Agree on disliking bifolds and conservatives but we have inherited the latter in this house. It’s useful but would rather redo although very expensive for no more space.

Original poster
palacegirl77 · 23/10/2019 21:16

Wow this has been so reassuring to read! I really felt like I was odd not wanting what everyone else seems to (which obviously not everyone does!) and I am really proud of my house, and its history - we are only the third owners even though it was built in 1938! and I hadnt even considered the noise from extractor fans, dishwashers etc - there are two door and thick wall between me and those and thats how its going to stay :-)

OP posts:
7Days · 23/10/2019 21:20

I'm the same.
Give me a kitchen table over an island any day as well.

RaymondStopThat · 23/10/2019 21:23

Oh I hate open plan, think it will go the way of many other fads like grey everything, but more expensive to put right!

CherryPavlova · 23/10/2019 21:27

I would want a large kitchen with a big kitchen table that people eat at most of the time. Nice and light with plenty of cupboards and possibly opening directly onto a terrace.
I’d not want that as my formal dining room though. You can’t hide mistakes or serve up easily with everyone seated in the same room.
I don’t want to relax and watch television in the kitchen either.

DramaAlpaca · 23/10/2019 21:28

I can't bear open plan living. I like a house with separate rooms so that we can all go off & do our own thing if we want to. We built our own house & much to the consternation of the architect insisted we weren't going open plan. I much prefer a kitchen diner & separate living space.

horse4course · 23/10/2019 21:29

Open plan works on houses designed to be that way.

I live in a Victorian terrace with all walks up. Neighbours are knocked through and it looks way better, but much colder and draughtier and lots of dead space. Cosy walls for me thanks.

Ragwort · 23/10/2019 21:34

Everyone seems to agree Grin.

We are fortunate in that we have a large kitchen/diner, separate dining room and separate large living room (& we use a small upstairs bedroom as a home office), plenty of space, esp. now our DS is at uni Blush.