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Original poster

Little Poll: What layout do you prefer?

31 replies

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 16:34

Do you prefer an open plan kitchen/living/dining area, or a separate room where you can close the door and maybe have a dining table in the kitchen?

Thanks!

OP posts:

CountessDracula · 23/10/2008 16:34

open plan

Original poster

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 16:36

OH, forgot to ask:
And why?

THANKS AGAIN!!

OP posts:

katiepotatie · 23/10/2008 16:38

Had open plan before, was a nightmare! (no door to put gate on to keep little people in or out)....I love that I can close the door and deal with the mess later

mazzystartled · 23/10/2008 16:39

open plan unless kitchen really huge
much better for family life and socialising imo

dooneygirl · 23/10/2008 16:40

Open plan, no contest!!!

I have a 3 and 5 year old, and when I make dinner, I can keep an eye on them that way and not have them play in the kitchen. I also like it if we have company, then whoever is in the kitchen can be part of the group.

It just makes the whole house feel larger, IMO, and not so choppy. All our houses before this one were not open plan, and having an open plan is one of my favorite things about this house.

WhizzzingAroundOnABroomstick · 23/10/2008 16:41

I wouldn't like an open plan kitchen/diner/living area as I think cooking smells would invade every where & I'd worry about the kitchen having to look spotless all the time (when in my house it doesn't!).

We have open plan dining & living room & to be honest wish we had doors - so that you can close off a room & be kid free when DS has mates round!

Original poster

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 16:43

good point about the mess katiepotatie!

mazzy and dooney: how to you deal with the mess in the open plan? For example: you have guests for dinner, do you just pile everything in the kitchen and deal with it later or do you clear up right after dinner?

OP posts:

geekgirl · 23/10/2008 16:43

open plan - we ripped out the walls between kitchen/dining/living room before we moved in and it's great! I can do stuff in the kitchen and chat with the children when they're having their tea/painting/playing with lego in the living room, it's so much more sociable.

Admittedly though, when ds when through the really pesky toddler stage I would have welcomed a kitchen with a door, but it didn't last long.

geekgirl · 23/10/2008 16:44

Re. mess when you have guests - I am good at tidying as I go along when I cook, so the mess doesn't get too bad. Also, we have a breakfast bar between the kitchen and the dining room, so dirty plates etc. are hidden behind that.

Smells aren't a problem with a decent extractor fan.

Original poster

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 16:45

hmm, I'm getting really divided opinions.
Keep them coming please

OP posts:

Original poster

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 16:49

geek, yes cleaning the cooking utensils doesn't worry me, it's all the plates that are used. My kitchen (close at the moment) ends up completely piled with places and glasses. But I really want an open kitchen.

OP posts:

CharleeInChains · 23/10/2008 16:54

Open Plan it feels more spacious and no doors to slam!

mazzystartled · 23/10/2008 16:57

oh, i either just stack it up and leave it, or stick it straight in dishwasher depending on poshness of the company.
cooking smells not an issue with decent extractor
we do have sep front sitting room as well as kitchen/dining/back sitting room.

mazzystartled · 23/10/2008 16:59

i agree that with open plan you need really govd storage. we have a big larder cupboard, a crockery cupboard and prettier things on open shelving
i like my kitchen spaces pretty minimal, have to be disciplined

Nagapie · 23/10/2008 17:01

If the kitchen will be big enough to dine in, I would separate the rooms..

Kithens have a different dynamic to living spaces (eg flooring, lighting) and I can't bear cooking smells and mess to be around when I am eating ...

BrownSuga · 23/10/2008 17:03

I love open plan, but only if I could also have an additional private sitting room closed off for chilling out, and cozy winter nights.

AMumInScotland · 23/10/2008 17:05

Open plan, with a good extractor fan and a dishwasher

MrsGokWan · 23/10/2008 17:20

We have a kitchen with a centre breakfast bar and the dining area with a setee in as well. The DC can play and relax while I am cooking. There is a couple of Ikea Billy bookcases as well for storage and display. We then have big double doors between the dining area and living room, which are mainly kept closed so I can have a clean and tidy adult room but can be opened through if needs be to create a big open space.

Original poster

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 18:12

good points about having a separte cozy living room. Hadn't thought about that.
Heating up a large area in the winter is probably very expensive as well.

thank everyone.

OP posts:

Original poster

TinySocks · 23/10/2008 18:12

oops... that should have been -->thankS everyone.

OP posts:

dooneygirl · 23/10/2008 19:20

It just depends. I tidy up as I go, and usually don't have to worry that much about mess. Usually we don't have so many people over that I can't put some of the plates in the dishwasher, and stack the rest in the sink and not have to see them. (I have a nice, deep sink). The only time I have a ton of dishes and my kitchen's a disaster is Thanksgiving, and I get a lot of help, because I spent a lot of time cooking, so there's lots of volunteer dish washers. I have a huge utility sink in another room, and people can wash a lot of dishes in that, and it just goes really fast.

The only time I ever have issue with kitchen smells is if I make something like fish and chips, which I don't make for company anyway. I always found that you couldn't completely close away the smell with that, even if you could shut the door to the kitchen.

Horton · 23/10/2008 19:33

Much prefer to have a separate sitting room. I like to be able to get away from the television and DH's endless bastard rugby. Ideal layout would be small sitting room with space for sofas and television and larger open-plan area with space to eat and cook and sit somewhere comfy.

PerkinWarbeck · 23/10/2008 19:37

separate rooms, with eat-in kitchen. I have had both. Open-plan was lovely when we were child-free, but with more people, stuff and mess in the house I prefer to have somewhere to which I can retire, and shut the door on the chaos.

chocolateteapot · 23/10/2008 19:41

I prefer to have a separate sitting room as it feels cosier and I have somewhere to put one of the DC's when they are driving me mad arguing together. But having said that our kitchen does have a table and a sofa and I would really miss the whole having somewhere for people to sit/draw/play etc whilst I'm cooking if it wasn't there.

bigscaryorangespiderami · 23/10/2008 19:44

We have a Victorian layout so the kitchen is off the dinign room. We have no door between the kitchen and dining room and I like it that way (in fact I would knock joining wall out if it was not load-bearing)
But I like the living room to be separate. A separate living rooms means somewhere to shut the clutter out if need be, somewhere to get snug in the evening without lingering cooking smells. A separate room, a haven from the busy cooking-eating-washing up routine...

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