open kitchen: yes or no?

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socca Does anyone love their open kitchen and consider it a must-have for any new home they might purchase?

I prefer having an open kitchen, and have one right now that is just perfect for me. My kitchen is separated from the den by a counter with barstools.

For me an open kitchen is not a must-have, but it would be a plus if I was looking for a new home.

[pb4uski]

We renovated our kitchen last summer and opened it up in the process and are so glad that we did. There was previously a pocket door from the hallway and a pass through above the sink to the dining area. We took out the wall from the far side of the pass through all the way around the corner and replaced cabinets, countertops, etc. We are very happy with the result.

After and before.

[jazz4cash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by arch57 We moved 4 years ago from a Colonial with our kitchen that opened to an eating area that was a great arrangement. The family room was off on it’s own away from the kitchen area. Our new Ranch house has the family room adjacent to the kitchen with no separation. We thought that was great when we were viewing the house. Now after living with it I can’t stand the two areas being so close. Any attempt to watch TV when anyone is doing anything in the kitchen is frustrating. Running water, prepping food, cleaning dishes are suddenly very loud when trying to listen to a show on TV. Oh well you never know until you live it.

^^^This, but.....DW loves the open floorplan, so that is all that really matters!

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 Except after dinner when all the dirty pots and pans are there. Maybe a screen to open when the kitchen is not in use and to close when the kitchen is in use

That is why we have one big deep sink... everything can go in there until our guests have left and then we reorganize. Besides, for us rooms were meant to be lived in and not monuments to neatness... also our family and friends know we are messies anyway.

Alternatively some of our friends keep the open look but have a serving counter that is about 8" higher than the sink counter and that hides all the sink area clutter from view from the dining area and living room.

[MarieIG]

My dream kitchen is a large, well-lit, eat-in kitchen with lots of cabinets, large fridge and freezer, high end appliances, counter space, storage, a pantry, gas stove, double oven and a large island. I want easy to open and close windows, and a nice view to a pretty yard. While it is roomy, it is not open to the rest of the house.

I have no desire to entertain the entire neighborhood while I'm cooking like a Benihana chef. And when I finish cooking and eating, I want to relax for a bit before cleaning up without looking at the dirty pots and pans. Ok so DH does most of the cooking, but it's the point.

[gretah]

Quote:

Originally Posted by timo2 We moved into a house with an open concept kitchen 2 years ago. An open concept kitchen means it is now part of your living space. If the kitchen is not always clean, that is a problem. Between the smell of dirty dishes and the grease that well used kitchens normally produce, the odors get throughout the whole house. Also everyone can see the kitchen with the dirty dishes. If you keep a clean kitchen or never cook, then an open concept kitchen is great. People love to congregate in the kitchen. But no one wants to congregate in a dirty kitchen.

I agree 1,000%

[Bestwifeever]

The first thing they do on most of the HGTV shows is knock down the nonloading bearing walls around the kitchen, so some potential buyers would certainly be attracted to a very open kitchen.

[FIREd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby We have a large, high end kitchen. But it is entirely separate from the dining room, and we like it that way. We don't want to see the all messy pots and pans and such while we eat.

+1. Also, I prefer to restrict cooking smells and grime to the kitchen. But an open kitchen looks nice.

[Ronstar]

Our kitchen is only open to the breakfast nook. Just finished remodeling it a few months ago. New hardwood floor, cabinets, counter tops, trim, paint, appliances. Had to move a small piece of wall.

I would not want to tear out walls just to make an open kitchen. You never know what kinds of plumbing, electrical, hvac, and framing issues you can run into.

[Lewis Clark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby We have a large, high end kitchen. But it is entirely separate from the dining room, and we like it that way. We don't want to see the all messy pots and pans and such while we eat.

+ 1

Open kitchens can be nice because they allow people working in the kitchen to interact with people outside the kitchen. But they also allow people outside the kitchen to interact with the dirty pots, which are often best kept out of sight. If you are considering the open kitchen concept, consider having some type of low counter or area for barstools between the kitchen and the other living spaces. This way, those dirty pots can be sitting on the counter next to the sink, and dirty dishes can be piled high until being moved into the dishwasher, yet still be out of sight from the guests.

Also, completely agree with the previous poster who mentioned getting quiet appliances. They will make a huge difference. Our current dishwasher is so quiet that the water flowing down the drainpipes is louder than the machine itself.

[Pellice]

One detail if you do have an open kitchen - avoid open shelves or cabinets with glass doors. These were all the rage 20 years ago, but to my mind never made sense, be the kitchen open or closed. They required museum-worthy display of the contents, and that required in turn that the kitchen rarely be used. Otherwise, the shelves gravitate to "most used items most conveniently placed." And that goes double for short people like me. Items are mostly arranged with my reaching radius in mind. Cabinets closed and contents unseen!

[MrsHaloFIRE]

I wonder if an open kitchen is going to be super passe in maybe 10-15 years when everyone is going to walk around and say "shiplap uggh. barn doors? ughhh." They have to change the design to keep selling stuff. I always think of my niece perhaps shopping for her first home saying "this stainless minimalism is yucky. Cant I get some white wall to wall carpeting and some brown paneling??" hahaha FWIW shopping for a house HaloFIRE was not interested in seeing the kitchen from any other room in the house. Did not want dirty pots in line of site from the formal dining. Did not want kitchen smells/noise in the LR. So as much as its a dealmaker for some, its a deal breaker for other folks

[iloveyoga]

I have had both, and also vote for open. You do have to have a quiet dishwasher, and the biggest downside to me is I can always smell what I cooked. I cook a lot and most of the time it is ok. But that is one downside I have noticed and I can see why the kitchens were separate back in the old days.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsHaloFIRE I wonder if an open kitchen is going to be super passe in maybe 10-15 years when everyone is going to walk around and say "shiplap uggh. barn doors? ughhh." They have to change the design to keep selling stuff. I always think of my niece perhaps shopping for her first home saying "this stainless minimalism is yucky. Cant I get some white wall to wall carpeting and some brown paneling??" hahaha FWIW shopping for a house HaloFIRE was not interested in seeing the kitchen from any other room in the house. Did not want dirty pots in line of site from the formal dining. Did not want kitchen smells/noise in the LR. So as much as its a dealmaker for some, its a deal breaker for other folks

Interesting question, which style changes endure and which (quickly) make a house look dated. We expect to buy a new house in 2019 and open concept with no formal living or dining room are musts to us. I hope we don’t regret it. We are trying to stay with timeless choices and avoid choices that will quickly date the new house.

Open concept has been popular for quite a while (30 years?), and kitchens were where for the help prepared meals long ago before central heating/cooling, but who knows. Open concept will demand we keep the kitchen clear and clean unlike a separated kitchen.

[Aerides]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack Interesting question, which style changes endure and which (quickly) make a house look dated.

Anything that is all the rage on HGTV will look somewhat dated in 15 years. So basically, the entire Joanna Gaines aesthetic. It's lovely, but everything has a half-life.

When it comes to layout and floor plans though, unless you are moving in 5 years, build for what you want to live in.

[Midpack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides Anything that is all the rage on HGTV will look somewhat dated in 15 years. So basically, the entire Joanna Gaines aesthetic. It's lovely, but everything has a half-life. When it comes to layout and floor plans though, unless you are moving in 5 years, build for what you want to live in.

It’s hard to believe everything (anything) on HGTV will be dated in 15 years though I don’t doubt much of it will (certainly many color palettes). It would be nice to recognize the new ideas that will endure, I wish I could but I’m sure I’ll be wrong often. For example, open concept and stainless steel appliances seem to have endured for decades, but we’ll see.

[iloveyoga]

Oh, and back to the OP, my personal opinion, I would not tear down walls to make an open kitchen.

[Jerry1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by socca The kitchen in my house is going to need a total redo at some point: new cabinets, countertops, sink, and appliances. The question is whether I should consider going further and converting from an L-shaped galley kitchen to an open kitchen (probably big bucks involved - removing walls, etc.) There are lots of interesting articles on this topic on the web, and opinions are mixed. The current kitchen isn't totally closed: it opens to a dining area via a window and to a living area via a doorway. However, like most '70s homes a completely open kitchen wasn't on the original agenda. The house is in a solidly middle-class area and really doesn't need any upper-class touches. Does anyone love their open kitchen and consider it a must-have for any new home they might purchase? P.S. The cute 900 sq. ft. Sears home I owned in the Chicago area back in the '90s had a straight galley kitchen. Trying to convert that kitchen to an open plan would have been difficult/impossible. Hopefully no one would ever even try.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski We renovated our kitchen last summer and opened it up in the process and are so glad that we did. There was previously a pocket door from the hallway and a pass through above the sink to the dining area. We took out the wall from the far side of the pass through all the way around the corner and replaced cabinets, countertops, etc. We are very happy with the result. After and before.

Of course it all depends on what you have versus what you could get given the trouble and expense you’re willing to endure. If I had a kitchen like pb4uski, I would really want to open that up. The pictures shown look like that was a great change to the kitchen. I don’t think anyone wants to be in a fully enclosed box.

To me, it depends what it opens up to. I like some separation from the rest of the house. Our kitchen is open to the family room at one end (galley kitchen) and there’s a door opening to the rest of the house. That works well for me. We redid the house when we moved in. The kitchen wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t worth the cost to open it up further plus, when you start taking down walls, where are you going to put cabinets? Where you gonna put your stuff? So, to me, it depends on how open. Room to move around and have some people congregate is good. Wide open, not for me.

[kcowan]

We have both. A galley kitchen with pocket doors at both ends and a totally open concept looking onto the dining/living area in our southern home. We like them both.

[steelyman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcowan We have both. A galley kitchen with pocket doors at both ends and a totally open concept looking onto the dining/living area in our southern home. We like them both.

Pocket doors are useful and address some of the “separation” concerns mentioned so far. I had them in my former home that were normally open to a combined living/dining area. Normally everything was left open (that helped in keeping things looking sunny/light throughout) but you could close off the kitchen when you wanted.

In general, I like an open kitchen.