Do you prefer an open floor plan or separate rooms in a home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the lovely look of a garage with a house attached.

Won't get wet taking the groceries in during a rain storm. Won't get cold..... ah....

Whoosh, dear, whoosh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want an open kitchen and family room and breakfast room. Everything else can be separate. I don't want to feel like the cook cooking when the rest of my family is watching TV or hanging out in another room.

I recently went to a party in a house with just such a layout (including separate formal dining and living) and but the kitchen-tv-breakfast room was miserable. It was hard to hear the person next to you. This house had plenty of furniture and curtains to absorb the sound but it was still really unpleasant. If you don't entertain a lot that's probably fine, but something to think about if you have parties (this was a pretty sedate shindig, for what it's worth, not a raucous party).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want an open kitchen and family room and breakfast room. Everything else can be separate. I don't want to feel like the cook cooking when the rest of my family is watching TV or hanging out in another room.

I recently went to a party in a house with just such a layout (including separate formal dining and living) and but the kitchen-tv-breakfast room was miserable. It was hard to hear the person next to you. This house had plenty of furniture and curtains to absorb the sound but it was still really unpleasant. If you don't entertain a lot that's probably fine, but something to think about if you have parties (this was a pretty sedate shindig, for what it's worth, not a raucous party).

That's doesn't make sense, are you 80 years old and need hearing aides?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is a front room?

A room, wait for it, at the front!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok let's play, i can see the dirty dishes or the other nay sayers of an open floor plan

Take the plan below.

When you walk in to the house you are in the foyer and walk into the family room. You won't see the sink full of dishes either way because of the distance from the foyer and family room.

If you want a private diner you can use the dining room.

To informally entertain you can use the breakfast room and kitchen.

If you really want an additional space you can use the library as a living room but more than likely all the kids stuff will be in the finished basement

Why is the dining room on the other side of the house from the kitchen? That's kind of dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want a separate front room, with fireplace, semi-separate or separate dining room, kitchen that opens into a living room with a lot of light/French doors onto a deck/sun room. There would hopefully be an island/counter for kids to sit at while i work in the kitchen between living room and kitchen.

This is what I want. I want it ver badly. So.... So... Much. The renovation is coming!

This is our layout exactly after our renovation was done. Hope to be on the market by year's end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there are lots of definitions of open floor plans in peoples' minds. I think everyone can agree that the large kitchen opening into breakfast/family room with island is desirable. (Separate dining room and formal living, of course). But you have to be crazy not to like the open kitchen part.

I don't know that everyone agrees on that. Some people really do regularly have hired help in their kitchens.

For a typical family, once you've had an open kitchen that opens into a breakfast and family room, the idea of going back to a house with a separate kitchen is not very appealing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, the lovely look of a garage with a house attached.

Totally. Can't stand the garage right in the front of the house next to the front door. Yuck. Much prefer the garage at the side or behind the house.

[Anonymous]

I prefer no garage and to park my cars in front of the neighbor's house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I prefer no garage and to park my cars in front of the neighbor's house.

How about no garage and having to drive around and around until you find a parallel parking spot?

[Anonymous]

HAHAH no garage and park on lawn! WIN

[Anonymous]

I don't like our two story family room- we can't watch movies in there at night when the little ones go to sleep upstairs- too loud!