The house we're in now is laid out different than most houses. The entry, dining and kitchen are all one area and the living room is a seperate room. I really like it. The townhouse we lived in was the "one giant room" design and I really didn't like it all that much.

We have the high ceiling for an open concept with living room, kitchen and dinning area, but we have a divider wall that goes almost to the ceiling, so it is nice.

When we retired we bought a mountain-side home that has the open concept. Back when I was entertaining a lot and had a child at home, I would have hated this. Now I love it! Besides, when I want to get away, I have a 12x33 foot room in the basement that is only for me and my quilting studio- that's where I "hide"!

LOL, I love this. This is real living. Thank you.

We used to have a house where the kitchen, dining room and living room were all in one room. Totally open there was a banister that separated the sunken living room.

I loved that I didn't miss any conversation when I was in the kitchen. BUT I hated when we had Christmas and 35 people sitting at two table as you could see the messy kitchen.

Now that we have moved to a smaller house and the kitchen has a wall between it and the living room it feels cozier.

I loved that larger house but did not fit into our retirement plans.

I would love to have a dining room into the kitchen area but this is an open plan for the kitchen combination dining well space I should say for a table !LOL

I want a BIG country kitchen, a small living room: because where does every one gather ? The Kitchen !! LOL

I love the open concept, that way when I'm cooking or cleaning I'm not alone. We don't entertain except for family so it works for us.

why don't you check around and see if there is a designer who could come up with some ideas -- folding screen, pull down screen to block off the counter A partial free standing wall -- I have an open layout in the winter place but really love my separate kitchen in the summer. It has openings in the walls so I can still keep in contact but no messy counters in view. I also have my french tinware molds on it. -- Mim

We had the open floor plan of a raised ranch when the kids were growing up and at the time I liked it because I could keep an eye on everything that was going on even if I was cooking. The noise however about drove me to drink!!

We now live in an old farmhouse with a separate country kitchen that is large enough to hold our dinning furniture. It's perfect for family gatherings and entertaining since the women tend to gather in the kitchen around the table and the men gather 'round the TV. There is an alcove with a wide open doorway that is meant to a DR off the living room but it holds my LA. I just put a cover over it when we have guests and it's not obtrusive to the living space. My sewing room is off the alcove so it's handy while quilting but I can close the door when we have guests. I guess I like the separate rooms best!

That is what I have only my kitchen and great room are one and the same. Tv is in garden (Florida type room.) Lived in an old farmhouse for 36 years with lots of smaller rooms. Dining room table sits on a diagonal separating kitchen would do it again in a heartbeat.

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. ;)

The first home I owned had tiny small individual rooms which I had also grown up with. My second home had a separate dining room and family room from the kitchen and I decided to knock out a wall and install an island between the kitchen and dining room. I loved it and have been knocking down walls ever since!

My first home was open. we designed and built our 2 house and had the kitchen semi -opened from the family home. I like a wall between the rooms much better. It does cut down on the noise.
As far as resale I know alot will have to be upgraded, but I'm not selling for along time.

I have kitchen and dining room combo, living room is a room to it's self. I like MY SPACE in the kitchen. Can also watch my TV while I cook. Don't have to watch ball games all the time.

OPEN...I've had both. I like open because when the kids come over we are spread over the kitchen, living room and dining room and can pretty much be in contact with one another rather easily. Only drawback to 'open' is that I don't like looking at a messy kitchen when sitting in the living room or dining room when meals aren't served.

Love my open kitchen, dining, and t.v. room...the living room is way over there and I love it that way, too. When I have people over now they are all over the place.. use to always congregate in my small enclosed kitchen.

This is way better!

Open concept. The house I have now is not open...I don't like it, but it is what it is.

I totally enjoy the open concept, I love cooking for friends and I love being able to include them in the finished meal. When someone says "what can I do to help, it makes them feel good when they can contribute. I know I always feel good when I am a guest and truly mean it when I say."what can I do to help?" and the hostess gives me a job!! If I want to be the total hostess and "lay it all out" I'll hire a caterer and no one has to work..but that's not what my friends expect. Just my weird way of entertaining my friends.

I've lived both ways. I like the open space, but I also like a quiet place to read.

We are finding the open concept to be very noisy, also. I will probably look for a condo without the open concept when we decide to "downsize" in a few years.

I liked the open concept when the kids were little so I could keep an eye on them. We are empty nesters now and have a victorian that is very compartmentalized. Hubby and I love having our separate spaces; mine for sewing of course. The kitchen is large and we have a large island in the center where both of us cook together. The dishes and noise from food prep is away from the formal dining/living rooms, which I prefer for family gatherings.

We used to have a house with a closed kitchen with kind of an "L" shaped wall on the other side was the diningroom and livingroom - - and one day we knocked a whole into it, created kind of a Spanish style wrap-around bar with arches (had to maintain a couple of support beams)and that house just "opened up" and came alive. Everybody loved it and it was so much more enjoyable being "in" on everything going on at the bar as well as the adjoining rooms. Now, I insist on an open kitchen. Besides it lets in so much more natural light and view you would not otherwise have.

Marysewfun

I prefer open concept kitchen/den area/breakfast areas in one.

I like the open concept. My hubby does most of the cooking and when he has company he likes to be in the kitchen but listen to everyone talk. Before we change our home around, he burned a lot of food trying to cook and come out of the kitchen to see the TV or to talk to me.