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Original poster

What do people prefer - open-plan kitchen diner thing with doors into a living room or separate rooms?

76 replies

Tinker · 08/09/2007 20:13

Spotted open-plan a few times on the list of things people hate about their houses. Our kitchen is too small and needs to be extended. I'd hoped to combine it with extending teh dining room and making them in to a big kitchen-diner.

Good idead or bad idea?

OP posts:
FluffyMummy123 · 10/09/2007 11:43

Message withdrawn

CountessDracula · 10/09/2007 11:46

You have to do it 3x though auauaughehehehaotootoaehhhghhh

Hurrah for small families

Honestly dd is about to start school next week and I am shattered emotionally, don't know how I would do it twice more!!

Fimbo · 10/09/2007 11:47

We are waiting to move into a new build. The kitchen will be big enough to have a table in.

The dining room will become the playroom and dh is putting a lock on the lounge doors so we can have it as "our" room.

CountessDracula · 10/09/2007 11:51

a lock
is that a joke?

Fimbo · 10/09/2007 11:53

No, they are only to be allowed in at Christmas

WendyWeber · 10/09/2007 12:10

Justine has a living room like that - dunno if she has a lock on it, but remember the looks of ecstasy on her kids' faces as they bounced on her white sofa in that pic in the Standard during the SWMNBN crisis?

Dinosaur · 10/09/2007 12:11

We have a completely open-plan kitchen/living area in our basement, but we do have proper sitting-rooms with doors on the ground floor.

wheelybug · 10/09/2007 12:13

Separate rooms but think it depends on your house and size of rooms. We had an open plan living room/dining room in old house which worked well because it was smaller. We have now moved and have an eat in kitchen (or will do when the builders finish) plus a dining room plus sitting room which opens into conservatory. We did consider (and a lot of people suggested it) knocking dining room into kitchen to make one huge room but I really like the idea of a formal dining room and think it suits the age of the house (victorian).

CountessDracula · 10/09/2007 12:14

ooh doors!!! Get you

We are in the process of moving the office from a small room to a bigger one as the nice big spare room is generally just a laundry dump It's a really nice room so we have decided to make small room into single guest room and move the study into bigger room with a sofa bed. Then we will have somewhere we can hide from dd if we wanted to I guess!

Hulababy · 10/09/2007 12:15

I lovve open plan. I have a seperate kitchen in this house, but I much prefered my living space in the apartment which was just one really big room.

When we move again I want a really big family kitchen dining area thing, with room for sofa and TV, craft table, eating area, etc. Would iive in it!

Dinosaur · 10/09/2007 12:16

Yes, they don't all shut properly though .

CountessDracula · 10/09/2007 12:17

Hula could you not knock kitchen into rest of room (or is it not parallel to dining room?)

I found this when looking for sofa beds which I think is amazing! (not buying it just think is vvv cool!)

Hulababy · 10/09/2007 12:19

CD - you'd have to moove the gas for the oven which might be a pain. If we were staying long term I'd have downstairs all sorted out as a big open plan kitchen thingy, and then kitchen would be play room and study areas.

But realistically we will move in a couple of years or so anyway, to a bgger house closer tot own again.

superalienstitch · 10/09/2007 12:23

ideally, i would like
a kitchen big enough to have a six seater table in
a separate dining room
a maid, a cook, a butler

CountessDracula · 10/09/2007 12:42

separate dining room is one I really don't want

I got rid of mine

I like eating in the kitchen!

(our table can seat 16 when extended )

Original poster
Tinker · 10/09/2007 12:51

Oo, a few dissenting voices now.

House (bog-standard 3-bed semi layout)already has double doors between living room and dining room so they could be bricked up a t a later date if felt teh need. I do liek the through light though - front faces teh north so would be a bit gloomy in there. Currently, only access to dining room is via the living room (think doors in hall have been changed at some time)

Yes, ideally would love kitchen-diner and a dining room but it's quite a waste of a room really

OP posts:
KTeePee · 10/09/2007 13:11

Kitchen diner, yes but not combined with a living room (unless you have at least one additional living room). Have stayed in open plan on holiday and very annoying when you are watching tv and the dishwasher/washing machine is making a racket. Also what others have said about being able to shut away the mess (either cooking or toys)

Original poster
Tinker · 10/09/2007 13:15

Washing machine is in a cupboard under teh stairs so no impact from that. What's a dishwasher?

OP posts:
blueshoes · 10/09/2007 13:24

Hmmm, let's fantasise about my dream house ...

Open plan v. separate rooms - open plan any time as a general rule.

If I had to knock 2 rooms together, it would be the living room and dining room, NOT the kitchen and dining room. It is sufficient for the kitchen to have a small breakfasting area, but not the whole shebang of 8+ diner.

Reason: I hate people in my kitchen when I am cooking. People get in my way, standing in front of the stove, the fridge, the sink etc when I am dealing with hot liquids and heavy pans. Also, the mess and smells - we do A LOT of heavy duty cooking in my house, including curries and roasts. It is not always a pretty sight.

If it is just the family, we can just use the breakfasting area. But for entertainment, there is a big dining room cum living room to open up - it will have patio doors leading into the garden, of course

Agree that formal standalone dining rooms are old fashioned and hardly used IMO.

Original poster
Tinker · 10/09/2007 13:26

Alas, kitchen is too small for a small breakfast area. Just too damn small altogether

OP posts:
princessmel · 10/09/2007 13:27

Def open plan.
We knocked down the wall between the dining room and kitchen when we moved in here. Its great. We use it all the time. If I'm in kitchen I can see kids when they're eating, drawing , doing homework etc.
And our longe is separate and food free.

KristinaM · 10/09/2007 13:35

depends

i prefer to have a kitchen you can also eat in, esp if you have young kids. If you have a big family that probably means a kitchen / diner thingy. we are just about to knock down a wall to get this

howvere i woudlnt do thsi if you woudl be left with just one room for kitchen/eating and living. it would be ok if you have at least one other room for "living" ie escaping from kids

we also have a proper "dining room" which get used for that purpose about 6 times a year and as a playroom / junkroom / toy store the rest of the time

MadamePlatypus · 03/10/2007 11:11

Depends on the size of the house. If you can have a massive kitchen with room for a table and then a massive sitting room and a massive play room, I can understand the point of separate rooms. However, where I live a house like that would cost atleast a million. If the choice is between one big airy, light room, and 2 or three little rooms where every body is shut away from each other, I would say open plan every time.

Gobbledispook · 03/10/2007 11:13

Exactly what I was going to say MP!

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 03/10/2007 11:18

I like open plan kitchen dining but not open plan lounge/dining.

We extended recently and now have a traditional separate sitting room but a large open plan space which is kitchen/dining and sitting area; equiv of three smallish rooms knocked together. The dining table isn't in full view of the kitchen though it could be if I changed the sitting/dining areas around.......so many possibilities