Anonymous wrote:Why is there someone in this thread who is so invested in open floor plans that she keeps calling everyone else an idiot? Why does it matter what other people's preferences are?

Anonymous wrote:pocket doors are used to install a door where there isn't enough swing space for preferable standard swing doors. They are often used to retrofit onto renovation where a door is too tight.

Anonymous wrote:pocket doors scream " i didn't have room for frenchdoors and added this on later"

Anonymous wrote:pocket doors scream " i didn't have room for frenchdoors and added this on later"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our very long, narrow rowhouse would definitely be improved with an open floor plan. My sister renovated her Brooklyn brownstone "parlor floor' with an open floor plan, and I really like it because the light is awesome. With the right arrangement of furniture, you have a separate dining area and living room area that give a cozy feeling.

If you had a wider house, I agree that an open floor plan sucks. My parents have a 1920s home that's kind of a cross between a bungalow and a four square in Northern California, and the formal living/dining separated from the kitchen works really well. Opening that up would be a crime!

We have a long narrow row house that is not open plan and love it. Many of our neighbors have removed the walls of their virtually identical houses. the space looks much smaller and then they struggle to work out how to divide their furniture and create seperate spaces. We have large pocket doors seperating certain rooms and it works great.

pocket door = ghetto

You are so very strange. My 8 feet tall, Victorian pocket doors are "ghetto"? Strange then because when any of the other homes in my neighborhood that still have the original pocket doors are sold they actually list it in the real estate ad as a feature. Obviously the realtors must be highlighting the "ghetto" features of the house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our very long, narrow rowhouse would definitely be improved with an open floor plan. My sister renovated her Brooklyn brownstone "parlor floor' with an open floor plan, and I really like it because the light is awesome. With the right arrangement of furniture, you have a separate dining area and living room area that give a cozy feeling.

If you had a wider house, I agree that an open floor plan sucks. My parents have a 1920s home that's kind of a cross between a bungalow and a four square in Northern California, and the formal living/dining separated from the kitchen works really well. Opening that up would be a crime!

We have a long narrow row house that is not open plan and love it. Many of our neighbors have removed the walls of their virtually identical houses. the space looks much smaller and then they struggle to work out how to divide their furniture and create seperate spaces. We have large pocket doors seperating certain rooms and it works great.

pocket door = ghetto

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed at the strong opinions on this one. I live in a Capitol Hill rowhouse. Most renovated houses in our neighborhood have a completely open floor plan: One big(gish) room that functions as living room, dining room, and kitchen.

At first, that's what I wanted to do with our house--probably because that's all I saw. But DH insisted we keep the walls. Now I am so glad we did. I think that in a smaller house like ours (not tiny, like some rowhouses, but 2,000 square feet including the basement), having no walls on the main level makes it feel even smaller. Your eye has nowhere to rest but the back of the house. And there is no getting away to read or do homework unless you go to a bedroom.

So we widened doorways and keep things minimal. But we still have our walls.

For a larger house, I think there's more flexibility. I mean, I can't even imagine having a living room AND a family room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our very long, narrow rowhouse would definitely be improved with an open floor plan. My sister renovated her Brooklyn brownstone "parlor floor' with an open floor plan, and I really like it because the light is awesome. With the right arrangement of furniture, you have a separate dining area and living room area that give a cozy feeling.

If you had a wider house, I agree that an open floor plan sucks. My parents have a 1920s home that's kind of a cross between a bungalow and a four square in Northern California, and the formal living/dining separated from the kitchen works really well. Opening that up would be a crime!

We have a long narrow row house that is not open plan and love it. Many of our neighbors have removed the walls of their virtually identical houses. the space looks much smaller and then they struggle to work out how to divide their furniture and create seperate spaces. We have large pocket doors seperating certain rooms and it works great.

Anonymous wrote:Our very long, narrow rowhouse would definitely be improved with an open floor plan. My sister renovated her Brooklyn brownstone "parlor floor' with an open floor plan, and I really like it because the light is awesome. With the right arrangement of furniture, you have a separate dining area and living room area that give a cozy feeling.

If you had a wider house, I agree that an open floor plan sucks. My parents have a 1920s home that's kind of a cross between a bungalow and a four square in Northern California, and the formal living/dining separated from the kitchen works really well. Opening that up would be a crime!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in one now and I can't stand it. There is no privacy, and if the kitchen is messy the whole place looks messy. No place to hid during a dinner party.

We've started house hunting a bit and it seems like anyplace that has been redone has had all of the walls knocked down.

There must be a happy medium. Am I alone in thinking this way?

No, I hate them, too!