we designed and built ours. The kitchen is a little both open and separate.
You enter the kitchen from the dining room through a doorway. the built in oven is on that wall to your right. to the left is a full wall of cabintes and countertop into the corner and around to the far corner. That wall then opens up to the nook with a half wall, and door way on the other side of the oven.
You can walk in a circle around my oven wall. There are only two places that you can actually see the person in the kitchen, and my sink is not in view from the great room at all--my reason for having it sorta sepatare.
It can be noisy. Conversations can be heard in the other rooms, so confidentiality is happening there.

I prefer the open concept...never liked being stuck in the kitchen and missing out on all the conversations in the living room. Always felt like a mushroom....LOL

I do like my bedroom privacy and close the door when I'm in there.

I have had both and love my open space. I can talk and work on dinner and not miss out when we have people over. I always felt like I was a maid-only out of the kitchen to serve then right back to make the next course.

My step-daughter and her DH bought a lovely new home..with one of those huge, space wasting high ceilings that makes her stair way so frightening to me. And what a waste of space and heating!!! And on the second story there's small "conversation" area that drives me crazy because I keep hearing the voices from the bottom floor.
Also, since she's getting older I don't think either of them would get a second story house again, should they ever decided to move.

I love my separate kitchen. Wouldn't have it any other way-

When we built our house, I had the plans altered so that we have an open kitchen/dining/living area. It's great for keeping tabs on the kids while they're supposed to be doing school, or for feeling a part of things while I'm in the kitchen preparing a meal when we have company. We have a small house, too, so I think that if we had walls, our house would feel even more claustrophobic than it does. :thumbup:

I like open spaces however if I did not have an open floor plan I would at least want a kitchen with a seating area that is large enough for people to gather and visit in while cooking is in process. I grew up in a home with a kitchen you could gather in and then when we were buying our own home we could not afford one. I truly miss being able to raise my own kids in a home with a kitchen people can gather in. My family cooks together and it is difficult to do so as a large group in our current home.

no open for me. (heres the exception :-o , if you have a small - very SMALL here - space thats a cabin for vacations, or a w/e type place, that is fine all opened. We put a 25X25 rm over the garage for visiting family. Its great, has a BtRm w/ a shower and thats closed off - the rest of the space is one big rm w/ a sm kitchen area, kingsize bed and a living rm area)

I grew up in a series of old homes back to early Victorian styles. I love closed spaces, nooks and crannies, butlers pantrys, under stair rms, lots of light coming in. full attics and full cellars, and esp more than 1 level. Everyone in the family deserves a private space.
And, I LOVE cooking and the very last thing I want when I'm into a serious meal prep (holiday meals) is people in and out and all around like my kitchen it is some sort of rec room. sharet

We remodeled a few years ago and "opened" a large window from the kitchen into the family room with a large bar on that side. I can cook and visit or watch TV. Afterward, I can shoo everyone into the other room while I tidy up. Love it!

Mine is semi open old 1970's ranch style floor plan. Put up two very nice swinging doors and I get to keep most of the *noise* and hide the dirty dishes at the same time. ;)