I’ve seen some online polls and design articles written about open concept homes lately. Are they on the way out? Are we ready to have more walls and doors in our homes again?
I love this conversation and wanted to jump on board. I have always been drawn to older homes, which are almost never “open concept.” Well, I suppose if we’re looking at very old homes we have to make some distinctions. I mean, the one-room cabin can’t get much more open concept. But if we’re looking at homes from the last two or three centuries through about 1970, rooms were divided by walls and, in some cases, doors as well. And I find that appealing.
Both of our last two homes were been open concept. Well, our PA home was a bit of a hybrid. The living room and dining room in the 1940s part of the home were open to each other, but the rest of the rooms, including the former kitchen, were closed off. The modern addition included an open concept kitchen and family room.
I loved that space when the boys were little because we could close off the bedroom door (which was off of the family room), put up a baby gate at the end of the kitchen, and I could keep the boys blocked into a stair-free, baby-safe area. I could also keep a close eye on them as I prepared meals, put groceries away, or worked on projects on the kitchen counter.
But, as the boys grew older, I really came to dislike having the TV in the middle of everything. It was just always on and I disliked the noise that came with the openness. As a kid who relished time alone in my room, I couldn’t understand why my boys would drag their toys into the family room ad play right in the middle of everything. But that was the way it was, which had its good points and its irritations.
When we moved to our Minnesota home, we ended up in an early 2000s house with a kitchen and eating area that opened to the living room. The nice thing about this house, though, was there was a family room in the basement that could be the TV room. I was insistent that the living room would remain TV-free. So, while that was an open concept area, it worked.
As we’re looking at new homes, my boys are used to an open concept floor plan and they make a face of disapproval when I’m looking at older homes with rooms that aren’t open to each other.
I get the appeal of open-concept homes and I think I’m in the minority when it comes to liking homes that are walled off. Here are my reasons for liking divided rooms over open concepts…
it’s easier to decorate
Decorating one huge space that serves a variety of functions is tough! If you struggle with your big open concept great room combo, you’re not the only one. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me things like, “Where should I stop the paint in the room if I want to change colors?” or “How do you arrange furniture in a room with four traffic paths and almost no walls?!” or “What do I do with these walls that stop at 8′ when the ceilings are vaulted?”
Open-concept spaces can be decorated beautifully, but I think it takes a lot more trial and error to make everything work well together. When the spaces are separate, the rooms can still compliment one another and flow nicely into each other, but they can be much more distinct. I also appreciate the extra wall space for furniture and art.
messes can be hidden behind closed doors
This is a big one for me. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time relaxing when I’m looking at a dirty kitchen or a sink overflowing with dishes or a huge mess of Lego blocks on the floor. I don’t like looking into messy offices or play areas or dining room tables that are covered with the latest sewing project. I love the idea of just closing the door and ignoring it for a little while.
quiet & calm
When I was having this conversation with my mom, who prefers an open-concept home, she pointed out that she likes to have people around when she’s cooking & entertaining. She would feel lonely if the kitchen was cut off from the rest of the action. I think there are times when I would feel that, too, but most of the time, I would prefer to have quiet and calm when I’m working on something. I can listen to music or just enjoy some quiet while conversations are happening in another room or people are watching TV. Besides, I usually prep food before guests come over, so I can hang out with them instead of cooking.
I don’t know what kind of home we’ll end up in, but I know I don’t want wide-open living spaces. I would never be interested in loft-living!
How about you? Do you prefer open-concept homes or spaces that are divided? (Does that style of floorplan even have a technical name?)
You can find more posts on decorating HERE.
And here are a few of my favorite decorating books for inspiration…
While I like open concept, I really, really, dislike a huge expanse of flat ceiling continuing from one end to the other. My preference is for division between areas with arches…like your MN home…creating definition of space. We once lived in an 1880’s Folk Victorian that had huge openings with pocket doors in between spaces and that was ideal! Leave them open or close them off!
My husband is a contractor, so we have built most of our homes. I don’t like the open concept because of the noise carrying into all the rooms at once. I make noise when I am cooking, banging pots around, and I don’t want the smells traveling throughout the house. I can turn on my kitchen TV to whatever I want to watch while I cook, and my husband and kids were able to watch their favorite show in the den. Our rooms are large with 12 foot ceilings, so there is always a great amount of sunshine and room. Our kids are now 41 and 38, and I still choose separate areas.
Formality
Always the best choice
Entices
Manners at dining table
Respect for all family treasures
Especially reading Next generation has no appreciation for all things lovey
My children in 50s
Expect the formality from my table
I hope this inspires you to begin your traditions with your children
I love open concept for a variety of reasons, the most important is a sense of connection with family and friends. I never feel like I am missing out on anything or feel excluded when we are all together in one main area. The open main living area provides a great way to communicate with everyone in the space. I also love the spacious feeling in open areas & I don’t feel boxed in with little room to move about. Having said this, I also cherish a separate space for television viewing, crafting, wood working and a cozy, quiet spot for reading. The best of both worlds would include the open space living with a couple extra rooms for some quiet time. Cannot wait to see what you choose as your new house and how you will make it your home.
I am total agreement with you Marian. Open concept spaces tend to be “cold”. Because of the lack of walls there is generally less furniture and no place to put or hang art. I love my 1953 traditional house, although I am spoiled because my rooms are large with great windows.
We are currently building a home, and I was firm about not wanting open concept. Our current home has separate spaces, but they are open to each other, with no doors. Family members have open concept and I really dislike it, especially if there are many people in the house. Way too noisy and no privacy. It’s just the two of us now, and in our new home, we have designed it for how we live. No formal areas, and a large great room which is open to a large kitchen, but there is a degree of separation. There is also a large library/dining room which is separate and closed off (having a pair of my beloved antique doors installed as pocket doors) It will be a quiet haven….multiple purpose room. Comfy armchairs, and a table to use when it’s needed for dining. I’m an artist too, and my studio areas will be in the walkout basement. Good luck with your search for a new home! I work with a gallery in Gettysburg. Lord Nelson’s Gallery on Chambersburg Street. I enjoy your thoughful and beautiful posts!
We live in a 70’s rancher so there are separate small rooms but no doors accept on bath and bed rooms. It’s OK, but someday when we re-do the galley (more like a walk-through/hallway) kitchen I’d like to open it up to the small dining room to make an eat-in kitchen. It would be nice to gain some elbow room.
I like open concept in general. Our kitchen, dining, and living room form a L shape so it doesn’t feel like one looooong hallway. And then there is a “formal” dining room that is a bit more separate. I like the open space and light that flows from one room to the next but do NOT like having the TV right in the middle of it all. In fact, for my birthday this year I declared that TV would not go on all weekend in the living room! It was glorious. 🙂
In our previous home the kitchen was completely separate and I hated ever being in there. I felt closed off from the home and the family. When forced to do some renovations (dishwasher flooded) one thing we added was taking the wall between the kitchen and dining room to a half wall. It was so nice to feel included in things.
It’s a definite no for me. I prefer a well-designed space with a good flow from one area to another, with some private spaces and quiet corners.
There is something cozy about closed off spaces. I seek quiet, and in all of our homes ( we moved a lot when the kids were young) tvs were designated into an upstairs room set apart from our main living areas. The kids now have kids of their own, but we still do not have tvs downstairs. Instead, we enjoy music or enough quiet to read. I am not a fan of open concept. Give me small, cozy spaces ❤️
Pros and cons to both, but if I have to choose (which we just did when choosing to purchase our 1920’s bungalow) I choose separate spaces with a good, functional flow. There is something about a place for quiet and solitude away from the hustle and bustle of the heart of the home.
I currently live with 5 other adults in a very open concept house. The house was designed for entertaining (it used to have a bar area and everything). While it is a grand space, we all like to do our own things, so it usually ends up that we retreat to our bedrooms when we want to read or listen to music etc. because if one person is listening to music or watching a video in the living room, everyone in the dining room and kitchen is too. We want to change the old bar area into a library nook with French doors to give a bit of privacy without being completely closed off. It would be nice to have some “open” spaces and some “cozy” spaces. It probably doesn’t help that we are all introverts too!
We’ve lived in both open concept modern homes and in old (built in 1850’s) homes and I have come to love a combination of the two styles. Like you mentioned, I think house size really does dictate how many walls can divide the spaces. Our current home is rather small, at least for our size family, and the first floor was open concept when we purchased it. We found that in addition very limited furniture placement options because of traffic patterns, we also lacked walls for placing bookcases and for hanging artwork. So we put up a wall to divide the living room from the kitchen to make the spaces work better (with a beautiful built-in bookcase made by my husband).
The perfect layout for me would be a very large country kitchen with room for our dining table, a closed off quiet living room/library space, and a big gathering room for family to be together.
I suppose people that like open concept is they do not do much cooking because walls between the kitchen and living area shields smells and as Pam pointed out noise. These are the reasons I have not removed my walls and work with them. Plus without walls it limits the amount of space or cabinets. I also do not like open shelving because those items need to be cleaned so much more often. Oh Well just my humble opinions !
We downsized to a home on the lake for retirement. There is one main room that has a kitchen and dining area at one end which opens to the living room, complete with tv. One wall is completely windows with a view of the water. There is virtually no wall space in the kitchen. We enjoy the open space and no one has ever minding “cooking smells” in fact, my grown boys (50&46) love coming into the house when I’m preparing food. I don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink nor did I ever have messes left out all over the place that needed to be hidden behind closed doors. I might add that I’m an avid cook and have reached a point in life where I thoroughly enjoy the company of my husband and whomever else that might drop in.
The bottom line is that we all have different taste and no one should make absurd assumptions because someone likes an open concept.
I’m with Margo! I love my open concept kitchen, family room and dining area. I am an avid cook. I want to be with my husband and family/guests rather than invisible and tucked away like a paid caterer. I also enjoy watching some sports on TV and being able to get up and prepare snacks without missing the action.
I’m fortunate in that we have a finished walkout basement and a main floor study with French doors. If one of us wants to get away, we have the space to do so.
And just because a house is open concept doesn’t necessarily mean you walk in the front door a see the kitchen sink. Ours is a very well thought out floor plan. When someone walks in the front door there is a wide hallway and dining area with wide slidebeyond with a view of the front range of the Rocky Mountains. The kitchen is tucked away one one side out of view.
Ooopps accidentally pressed done mid editing. Please remove the first comment.
I’m with Margo! I love my open concept kitchen, family room and dining area. I am an avid cook. I want to be with my husband and family/guests rather than invisible and tucked away like a paid caterer. I also enjoy watching some sports on TV and being able to get up and prepare snacks without missing the action.
I’m fortunate that we have a finished walkout basement and a main floor study with French doors. If one of us wants to get away, we have the space to do so.
And just because a house is open concept doesn’t necessarily mean you walk in the front door a see the kitchen sink. Ours is a very well thought out floor plan. When someone walks in the front door there is a wide hallway and dining area beyond with a large slider. A big blue sky and the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains is usually what our guest see. The kitchen is tucked away one one side…out of view of the front door.
When our kids were all home, I wouldn’t have minded a few more walls and doors, but now that they are all grown, I love our open concept home. Like you, we also have a nice family room downstairs for the TV, but upstairs is quiet, yet large and airy. Yet just wonderful for when the kids are all home and we’re cooking together and hanging out playing games, etc. I’ve always thought I would love loft living too, as long as the bedroom and my office space are walled off and private—or at least in another lofted space above the living area.
I’m a person who loves cozy. We once had a tri-level home that I loved. A nice sized kitchen with a bar large enough for four stools, as well as a small space large enough for two comfortable chairs, overlooking the family room, just six steps down with tv and fireplace, open enough, yet it felt separate. A double door opened to the dining room, which was open to the living room, (without a tv) where we had a nice stereo. The foyer, which opened to both the living room and kitchen, had a double door closet. Older now, and downsized, but there are lovely memories.
I am quite firmly on Team Walls and Doors. I’m an introvert and I have autism. I like quiet (or an audio book) when I’m cooking/cleaning in the kitchen and I don’t want “help.” No matter how well intentioned the help is, I like things done my way and I prefer to do them myself (this doesn’t mean my husband is off the hook for chores, I’m neurodivergent not stupid, I just go somewhere else when he’s on kitchen duty).
It’s very stressful for me to have extra people in my space when I’m trying to work. Funny story: My not wanting kitchen help caused a lot of tension between my MIL and myself because she was one of those people who felt she needed to “pay” for her visit by doing chores. The truly ironic thing is that if we went to visit them and I offered to help her with cooking et cetera, she would get upset with me because we were guests and guests don’t cook or clean.
I like being able to decorate different rooms in their own unique style and, like Marian and so many others, I like being able to close the door on a mess, or at least being able to put a wall between it and me.
Our first home was full-on open concept and I hated it.
Yay walls and doors!
I’m not on the autism spectrum, but I agree with you completely about having no one around when I’m working in the kitchen! Having people around causes me to goof up on ingredients and it stresses me out. I prefer quiet contemplation to help me pour the love into my meals.
My two cents is to go with what you love and forget about what is trending. Trending is the very least important factor when designing your home for your family.
Having lived in many different homes, I like the kitchen and family room to be open to each other with more division in the rest of the home. Our current home has a wide open floor plan. It’s beautiful, but it can be difficult to focus sometimes.
I live in an open concept log home that was once someone’s vacation home. The ceilings soar to 20′ and it has two sky lights…which I hate. In the summer the passive solar heat is almost unbearable so we retreat to the basement family room.
Having lived in an 1829 antebellum brick home, a small ranch house, a log home and a 1940 Colonial Revival house I would say my absolute favorite was the Colonial Revival. Nice sized living room with fire place, separate dining room, and a kitchen which we expanded to include a family room. Best of all worlds and so charming…and walls for art work!
I really dislike open-concept homes. I like individual rooms, as far as decorating and living. I like to NOT be able to hear the television that my husband has on all the time and I like to be able to close the door and be by myself. I also do not have small children. I have not had children in my home for a very long time, since both of my girls are in the 40s, so I do not have to be able to keep a watch on them.
I’ve had both also and as much as I’ve made it work at the time I definitely prefer separate rooms also! As Mom to three boys I was sometimes off by myself in the kitchen but that quiet time seemed well deserved!! Lol
I’m in the closed, separate rooms camp, while Mr B prefers an open kitchen and family room with access to our lanai/patio ( which we have now and I dislike for the very reasons you stated.) Plus the garage has become our main entrance much to my disgust and he brings guest in through the laundry room and then into the back of the kitchen, so not only do guest get to be greeted by our dirty laundry, they also get a full view of our sink! Not the first impression I want our guests to have. He says friends and neighbors don’t care, most of their home are built the same way, but I say even more reason to have a dedicated laundry room off to the side because our friends and neighbors are our honored guests. I’d love an older home with rooms with doors and an out of the way kitchen and laundry room. Tough finding that in our locality (Florida) where the open concept homes of the 90’s still rule and no hope of moving from this house or building a new one. I’m planning a cosmetic update to the laundry room to make it feel a bit more welcoming, ditching the harsh lighting in favor of a vintage chandy and floor to ceiling bead board and new tile so at least it will be more to my liking. Nothin I can do with the kitchen sink, except make sure it isn’t holding dirty dishes!!
That sounds so nice. When we refreshed our kitchen, I finally gave up a wonderful oversized divided stainless steel sink for a large, very deep, single sink—not a farm sink but similar. It’s amazing that one cannot see dirty dishes unless one walks over to that area. I’m not encouraging a sink full of dirty dishes but as soon as I turn on the dishwasher more dirties appear. I love this sink.
We have lived in both and I like both. They were also different style homes which dictated how many rooms, etc. Our living room now is very long so we have a dining table at one end. It could also be just a living room with designated areas. We recently updated our eat-in kitchen and put in a big island so that took our table space but we love it. I do have to agree it is harder to decorate. We have been in our home for almost 12 years and I’m still having a hard time deciding what to do with two long walls in the living room.
No open concept for me…doesn’t look like a home! It looks like one big room and Yes, very hard to decorate. I don’t want my guests in my kitchen seeing dirty dishes, and the mess that goes with a sit down dinner especially. I really think that open concept has begun to run its course .Traditional homes are classic and never go out of style as well….so no open concept vote for me!
I’m with you. I’ve experienced both traditional and open concept and prefer having rooms with a specific purpose and the ability to close them off. Open concept works well when you have small children to keep a watchful eye on but it often means wasted space and I lean towards less square footage, less clutter. In the end it all depends on a good floorplan.
This is so interesting! I live in Hawaii where houses are smaller and families can be large, so open concept is the norm, where everyone gathers. There are virtually no separate family rooms here. We just renovated a small A frame cottage with vaulted ceilings so kitchen, living is all together. I am struggling a bit with arranging living furniture. I prefer the kitchen open to dining and at least large site lines to living. But would prefer a separate room for the TV so I kind of miss the family room. But I’m so thankful to have a home.
I’m in Hawaii in a 1940’s home where the kitchen has a door into the front door room (combo dinningroom & sitting room) and then an entrance off the hall that connects the bedrooms. I have lived in many countries and states. As someone who has amplified hearing devices, the tile floors in my San Antonio, TX home drove me batty – tile floors without a rug echo horribly
and so do shoes on those tile floors. A rug helps with “noise” in a home. When living in a village in Germany, I had toddlers and a kitchen that was closed off. I just put a baby monitor in the room they were playing in and kept the other one with me so I could hear what was going on. I think with more people working from home or doing university online from home, separate spaces are needed. Yet having a place to gather- a diningroom table and/or a common area dedicated to what the family/group enjoys- whether it be a home library, a home theater room, a home VR, video game room. Create the home that best serves you and please, be mindful of those of us who wear hearing aids or cochlear implants that may visit.
I have lived in old & new homes and would like to have closed, separate rooms again. I am living in an open home now for the first time and do not like it. It was the last available house for sale here and my husband and I had to be out of our ‘sold’ home in 30 days. The one thing we do like is it has one floor and a huge basement. The one-level living is nice since we both have Rheumatoid Arthritis.
When you enter the house, it reminds me of a furniture store. There is no separation of the kitchen and I have found that hairs, lint etc. seem to find their way in the food more often. I do not like people walking around while I’m cooking.
When I moved here, I found that I didn’t have enough walls to hang my pictures and decorating the large, high wall in the living area was difficult.
I miss the individual rooms and coziness of sitting in a living room with a warm fire. This will probably be my last home because my husband and I do not want to move again.
We built our home in a Victorian style with smaller cozy rooms. I have always liked the English houses with rooms that could be closed off, so that’s how I wanted this one. Even the living room, dining room, and kitchen have doors. If I want to shut the dog in the kitchen, I can. I prefer not having my kitchen in the family room. We only have one tv in the house, and it even has doors on it. Another advantage is that I can shut off rooms we don’t use when we have the wood-burning stove going. I also don’t have a problem with noise like my daughter’s open concept house has.
I guess I have a hybrid situation. I consider open concept as the kitchen being open to the family room. Mine is not. I can play music or have a different show on tv in the kitchen & not disturb what’s on in the family room. My kitchen is pretty big, it has an island that seats four and a dining area. We chose to make the dining area a place for a couple comfy chairs, ottoman, and television.
The dining is through the kitchen doorway and open to the family room, which connects to the foyer and back through a door, into the kitchen. Great flow for entertaining, there’s more than one way into the kitchen. When we have a large group for dinner we spread out into all the rooms. But I can close off the kitchen with the door and a baby gate when watching the grand pups.
This floor plan worked great when my girls were little and it still suits us as we’ve grown older. When lockdown happened and my husband was working from home, we weren’t always in each other’s hair. Plus I like walls. Where else could I hang all my art?
We currently live in a log home with kitchen, dining and living room wide open. Because our home is small, our “open” area is small also. I’m not a fan of large open areas for one practical reason. In case of a fire, I want walls and doors between it and us to give us more time for safe evacuation.
The only place open concept works is in pictures and model homes. Real living is another thing.
I can definitely see the pros. Keeping an eye on kiddos while you’re cooking or ease of entertaining. I just don’t want to try and relax while watching TV and seeing a dirty kitchen I really should be cleaning. Or the smell of burnt popcorn or fish wafting throughout. Something about closing the door and forgetting about it for a while is appealing. I’d feel like if one part was messy, it would all look messy.
Hi Marian: our previous houses were semi-open and, as you said, it was great when the kids were young and you could keep an eye on them. Now, after 2 years of living in small condos with a kitchen, dining, livingroom combo: my kingdom for walls and doors!!!
Widening doorways between kitchens and dining rooms has been a great way for us to create more flow between rooms without being completely open concept. We add beautiful moldings on the cased openings and it has made a huge difference in our last three remodels.
I currently have open concept. I don’t like looking into my messy kitchen all the time and dislike when cooking smells migrate to other areas. I wouldn’t mind having things closed off a bit. But, I can see the point of view for those that want open concept. Perhaps, a hybrid would be good. I’m not sure what that looks like. Perhaps a little more separation from the kitchen without being isolated.
No open concept for me
I have lived in 3 houses over the course of my lifetime.
House 1. Built @1900. No hallways, one room opened directly to the next room. Plenty of private space, but a small eat-in kitchen and very little storage.
House 2. Built by my parents in 1974 after living in House 1 for 24 years of marriage and my dad’s lifespan mostly. Open concept. My mom was DONE with the old house. No privacy except in the bedroom. No quiet area for tv viewing. No avoiding any mess when company came over. Open kitchen/dining/living room. Very difficult furniture placement, especially with a walk around fireplace in the middle of all that space AND a wall of windows windows the width of the entire area. (Great views and breezes through)
House 3. Ranchhouse style. Built 1967 and purchased by hubby and I. Not open concept, but double doors separate living from sunroom/dining room, kitchen with plenty of counter space and room for the table. Hallway to bedrooms at opposite end of house. I can close the kitchen off to contain the dog or the mess. Or just have peace doing dishes when hubby is watching t.v.
My all time favorite ? house ever!
Great discussion! It is always a personal preference. My vote is walls.
Having had a flood and extensive damage, I want doors and separate rooms to try to mitigate the damage. Also, as others have mentioned, I need walls to hang my artwork and pictures.
We live in a home with separate rooms right now and I’m fine with it, but I would rather have a home with open concept kitchen and family room with all the other rooms being closed off. My office is my space where it’s quiet. I can read, draw, write and am never bothered by noise or people. I am an introvert with some extrovert thrown in. When family or friends come I do like being in the middle of conversation and fun. Even though it’s loud it doesn’t last long and since we are empty nesters when the kids and grandkids are here I’m in my glory.
I am so glad this conversation has finally become mainstream. I have always advocated for rooms with separation, although I do understand how this arrangement is practical for a household with very young children. My son always jokingly calls it “an auditorium with a fire pit. It just has always felt weird for me. Thanks for posting your thoughts about it.
Sometimes I think people equate open concept with the deception of more space. I am tidy, I clean while I cook, but if I am freezing tomatoes or other veggies, or making a scratch cake, I don’t need that mess to be seen from the front door.
No, from me.
I prefer “hybrid”! Our family room is quite large and separated from the kitchen with a wide doorway. I would love it if our kitchen were just a little larger but basically I love our home. When in the kitchen, I don’t feel completely separated from others, yet, others are not “underfoot”. Large open concept homes tend to feel a little cold (partly because there is less wall space for decor) and the furniture is much more challenging to arrange. Besides, when someone comes to our door, I often am thankful they can’t see the “spinning top” that has been in the kitchen! 🙂
What a great conversation this is. I’m a HUGE fan of divided rooms. I enjoy the privacy that comes from being separated while busy on a project/cooking/chatting on the phone. I never understood the tearing down of walls to create one, giant, living space!
I don’t like open concept. If I can see the sink from the front entrance I probably won’t buy the house when we move next year. Our sink always has dishes in it as we eat home 3 times most times everyday. I don’t watch tv during the day nor enjoy an audience while cooking. Like you I prefer hanging with my guests so cook most everything ahead or order in. I like to try recipes and will mess them up if others are talking to me. I keep a quiet house during the day so I can think and ponder and tinker, even the dog is quiet during the day ? We’re empty nesters and don’t actually need a separate den but have always had one because I like one space that I can keep neat and be company ready and a casual space with lounging type furniture where I can leave out my exercise mat, stitching project, dog blankets and walk away without straightening up at bedtime. I do think it has a lot to do with decorating which is my hobby, I like my furniture and look for houses that can accommodate those things well.
Marion, this is an interesting topic and I’m so glad that you brought it up. We have lived in three homes. The first home was an older home hat we raised our two children in. The second home that we moved into was due to my husband’s work and it was a large ranch built in the 60’s. Our current home is an open concept with LR, DR, and kitchen combined. We have a den off the kitchen/DR with double doors that we can close when we want to. The den has a TV, comfortable seating, breakfast table, and a gas fireplace. We have a family room downstairs where most of the television watching takes place. My dream was to have an older home someday but I feel blessed with the home we have and I do love it. When we entertained in our other two homes everyone gathered in the kitchen and sometimes it became difficult to move around. I would place appetizers, desserts, etc in different areas of the house but everyone would end up back in the kitchen. Lol. It would be perfect to have an older home with a huge kitchen. With our open concept we have found entertaining has been easier. When our children are home we don’t feel crowded and if someone needs privacy we have areas for that too. We have antiques and I have been amazed that they have all fit in beautifully in each of the three homes. We recently installed a chandelier in the LR and I am having a difficult time finding a new pendant/chandelier for over the DR table due to the open concept look. I thoroughly enjoy your blog and your book. Best of luck house hunting. I’m sure whatever you find you will make it work and it will be beautiful.
I’m with you. I do appreciate an attached living/dining space that’s open to one another but I find a messy, just-worked-in kitchen open to my fining area stressful when I’m trying to enjoy a meal. While we’re on the subject of open spaces can I just comment on the trend of big, high ceilinged master bedrooms…where’s the cozy??? I love small, intimate spaces, 9’ ceilings max, big windows for light and doors that close-
First off, your home is stunning. Great job on that 🙂 Second, open concept is super overwhelming to me. It almost feels like my house is too big with an open concept. But I love it in other people’s homes!
When we bought our 1933 Dutch Colonial, EVERYONE suggested knocking down the wall to make it open concept. Being old house lovers, we stuck to our guns & retained the individual rooms until we renovated the 1933 kitchen, back porch & “extra” room (which was a warren any rabbit would’ve been proud or). We put on an addition which gave us a new bedroom on the second floor & we have a small kitchen that flows into a butler’s pantry which flows into a breakfast room, all related but not quite open concept! Very happy with our choice!
I much prefer separate rooms. To me it is much warmer and cozier. I also like the option of painting/decorating rooms differently. On top of that, I’m a bit of a hoarder/slob, so I like to have a least one room where I can welcome guests. 🙂
Oh, for sure I choose individual rooms as much as possible over open concept. However, I do prefer to have one room larger for the occasional larger family groups at holidays, and I want my kitchen to be as large as possible and closed off. The absolutely LAST thing that I want is to see a messy kitchen full of dirty dishes while relaxing on the sofa! So I suppose maybe I’m a hybrid model after all, keeping the family gathering areas larger and open while still separate, and every other room on its own with a shut-able door. The best of both worlds. It is WAY easier to decorate smaller rooms vs. open concept. I also do not like to see different areas of furniture with nothing separating them except air.
Hi Marion. So sorry about the issues you’re having with your foot. I have health issues that prevent me from going out much. So I know how you feel. Hugs. What I’m writing about is I had been thinking for a long time how I would like a kitchen without fitted cabinets, where I could put furniture in and be able to move around, like vintage bookshelves or storage cabinets instead of having a fitted kitchen I didn’t know that anybody else thought about that and then I saw an article by some lady I think you posted her name but anyway she has an unfitted kitchen, that’s what I’m gonna to go for I really like the idea that you can use vintage and antique cupboards and bookshelves to store stuff and move them around whenever you want and I want a table in the middle that I can use for cutting and preparing food. I have never liked kitchen islands they’re so big and so unattractive. I thought I’d let you know that other people are thinking about unfitted kitchens
I like a hybrid set up. Kitchen and living room open (great for entertaining) but a library room for TV watching. I like being part of the action and with a dishwasher my sink isn’t full of dirty dishes. When I’m cooking in the kitchen I’m a “ clean as I go” person. Whatever you choose will be lovely.❤️?
I am 58 and have only ever lived in open concept homes. They are not a new fad. My grandparents built an open concept house in 1961 and they were not trail blazers. Even much older houses here are at least semi open concept. I’m in Queensland Australia, in a sub tropical climate where flow and cooling is more important than heating, so it works well for that. I like it which is a good thing as there’s really no closed concept homes here. I certainly don’t think one is superior to the other. I think they work differently for different climates and lifestyles.
I love sharing w/ people while in the kitchen, but I dream of locking the kitchen “CLOSED” after cleanup. That would never happen w/ m’ cook who eats when & whatever he pleases.
When I’m hosting a dinner party, I love the coziness of my candlelit dining room and the fact that my guests don’t have to look at the kitchen that got messy during meal prep. I agree that open concept is a challenge to decorate. So, while I’ a traditionalist, it’s great that there are all kinds of home layouts. Something for everyone! To each their own.
For me, the more walls the better!! Raised in a Military Family, Overseas most of my childhood (Germany, Italy & Japan) I gravitate to actual rooms – not gymnasium spaces with the kitchen shoved over in the corner. The current trend of building “barndominiums” does nothing for me; plus I look at the expanse of space and think about heating and cooling all that volume. So for me open concept is NAY all the way!!
Like many things the answer is ‘it depends’. We are in a well laid out sort of open concept home. We are a retired couple though. Most of the time we are home just the two of us. It is a great party house or good for when the young grands visit. I love my kitchen that is open to living spaces in the house. We rarely turn on the tv and DH is in his office a lot and I am in my sewing room. I think either type home can be livable if it is done right. You know it when you walk through it. With your instincts you will do fine for your family. I didn’t think the house we are in was right when I saw pictures online but I walked in and knew we could make it our home. The thrill of the hunt….
When we built our new home, I decided not to go with open concept. I feel they tend to give a cold atmosphere, and I agree with you, Marion–I like having walls to hang pictures and place furniture. I have seen beautifully designed open concept homes, but have never lived in one. I had the option to eliminate a wall between our kitchen and dining room, but chose not to. On that wall I have a lovely country hutch that holds my spongeware bowl collection. I like the coziness of closed concept ( if I can call it that?). I also like the privacy having more rooms in a house, offer. Each of our rooms have a lovely large window so natural light is plentiful. I ‘m glad I did not choose the open concept, and will never regret building the type of house we did.
I love sharing w/ people while in the kitchen, but I dream of locking the kitchen “CLOSED” after cleanup.
I love warm and cozy which I do not feel in open concept. That is my vote! Walls and doors win.