Ditto! froggyintexas

I have open concept and I hate it. If you are in the dining room for a formal dinner, you have a magnificant view of the dishes and pot stacked in the sink. If you are in the family breakfast area you can see my garbage can and the stove and the washer and dryer. Because there is so many hard surfaces, the sound echos everywhere. This kitchen area was remodeled about 4 years before we bought the house. I wasn't happy, but the house had other appeals so I thought I could manage it, but I'm not happy.

I like my kitchen also.....if it gets messy and it does.

it's only the kitchen that shows it...........

We have the open concept and I hate it. If we do entertain I find that most people are in the kitchen part so they can talk to me. I have to walk around them and I can't get things done. If I am cleaning up after dinner and the family is watching TV it becomes a war of them turning up the TV so they can hear and me trying to be quiet with the water and pans. Sometimes I try and wait until the show is over but by then I'm too tired and it doesn't get done. Even if I'm watching TV and someone on the phone or just talking in the kitchen part the sound carries. I hate, hate ,hate it.

With a remodel we created open concept room, otherwise rooms prior to knocking down walls were too small. I love it for entertaining, the more spacious feeling, and people enjoy sitting at the huge island while I prepare food. Downside as you stated is no where to hide dirty dishes but people don't seem to mind that-I do. Also we have a view which is now visible from the kitchen. Makes me keep a very clean kitchen which is a good thing.

Interesting comments here. In our open combined rooms, we have extra quiet dishwasher (a must) and put TV in lower family room. Our house was a 1920 bungalo and only way to get more spaciousness was remove walls. My huge island is my cutting area, designed with no sink, no stovetop, and totally flat with good lighting, a great work area. Downside is I can't leave things there for days.

Our house is a mix of both. All the bedrooms, baths an sewingroom are on one end of the house. The rest of the house is like a huge question mark - squared instead of round. The livingroom goes across the top, open to the diningroom on the back side which is open to the kitchen which is the down stroke. My kitchen is huge and I like it. Because the livingroom and kitchen are separated by a 14' wide wall, the noise factor is not an issue. Like many homes, this one came with an island which had two levels.....working and seating. In theory it was pretty but in practice, horrible. We took it out and replaced it with a full 3x8'island with the cooktop located to give me a maximum amount of space on one end and 16" to the right of it. I like counter space and when I bake I'm everywhere. My dream kitchen would have a baker's pantry with a sink.

My sister has open concept and I have an eat in kitchen separate from family area. I don't particularly like her open concept, but she loves it. She doesn't cook much though, so the noise from appliances and clanging pans and dishes isn't a problem. I think all the noise I make in the kitchen would bother people watching TV or reading!

Pat

Open concept & vaulted ceiling are two different architectural features. I have an 8' ceiling.
My dirty dishes are washed by hand as we don't have a dishwasher. Can you see Mom cleaning? Than you'd better help. :)

I have an open kitchen family room but on a different level than the living room, works great, I shoo everyone in the living room and do my cooking in peace.