Anonymous wrote:I do not like open floor plans either. For one thing, we have pets, and I want to be able to shut the friggin' door b/w one room to another to keep the pets out of areas where they are permitted. As it stands now, the whole middle floor of our open plan house is: living room (formal), dining room (formal), and kitchen. And there is no way to SHUT a freaking door to keep them out of the formal rooms. This is TOPS on our list for our next home.

Number two reason why I do not like open floor plans: noise carries, and carries, and carries. When we were at my in-laws' for Christmas, it was impossible for my 6yo DD to get to sleep at night b/c everybody's holiday chatter was making so much noise, and it just reverberates and echoes throughout the whole house. There was nowhere to get away, to have some privacy and quiet.

Did you live in a warehouse or barn without rooms? Most houses have a main area that is open and either a 2nd floor, basement or other section with rooms with doors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love having separate spaces for different things. When we have parties, it is nice for different groups to congregate in different areas. And I can set up the dining room in advance because it isn't in the main gathering area. That said, we have a semi-open floorplan - large walkways between most rooms. I can see the family room from the kitchen, but we also have a pocket door that can close the kitchen off. The kitchen itself is big enough for 6 or so people to gather. This arrangement has really worked for our family.
That said, I probably have a dinner party or other party where I'm cooking about 5 times a year. It always cracks me up on house hunters and other HGTV shows when people look at open kitchens and say "ooh, i love that I"ll be able to cook and still interact with my guests at parties." Unless you have a party every week, that seems like a really silly reason to choose a floorplan!

I guess I don't understand the preference to have your party guests separate from one another. I'd hate having to host and running from one room to another to talk to all of my guests. We only feel comfortable inviting a limited number of people to our (closed floorplan) house at once specifically for that reason. I wish we had a larger open space to invite more of our friends and family over.

+1 We moved from our shitty, boxy, 1200sf DC townhouse into an open floor plan house twice the size in a different area. I've died and gone to heaven because I love to host and now I actually have the space, including a deck, patio and actual yard for outoor entertainment in the warm months. I think a lot of people on this thread are just trying to pep talk themselves into loving their tiny, cramped spaces.

On the contrary, I HAVE a spacious open-floor plan and I hate it! I am the one saying I want to close doors b/w rooms!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love having separate spaces for different things. When we have parties, it is nice for different groups to congregate in different areas. And I can set up the dining room in advance because it isn't in the main gathering area. That said, we have a semi-open floorplan - large walkways between most rooms. I can see the family room from the kitchen, but we also have a pocket door that can close the kitchen off. The kitchen itself is big enough for 6 or so people to gather. This arrangement has really worked for our family.
That said, I probably have a dinner party or other party where I'm cooking about 5 times a year. It always cracks me up on house hunters and other HGTV shows when people look at open kitchens and say "ooh, i love that I"ll be able to cook and still interact with my guests at parties." Unless you have a party every week, that seems like a really silly reason to choose a floorplan!

I guess I don't understand the preference to have your party guests separate from one another. I'd hate having to host and running from one room to another to talk to all of my guests. We only feel comfortable inviting a limited number of people to our (closed floorplan) house at once specifically for that reason. I wish we had a larger open space to invite more of our friends and family over.

+1 We moved from our shitty, boxy, 1200sf DC townhouse into an open floor plan house twice the size in a different area. I've died and gone to heaven because I love to host and now I actually have the space, including a deck, patio and actual yard for outoor entertainment in the warm months. I think a lot of people on this thread are just trying to pep talk themselves into loving their tiny, cramped spaces.

Anonymous wrote:I hate truly open floor plans. I like a defined sense of space, and since I often work at home I like to have a quiet room to be in. I like a sense of coziness when I'm sitting down to read, and open floor plans don't do it for me. When I'm in the kitchen or study, I don't want to hear what someone else is watching on the tv in the living room. When I'm sitting down to eat dinner I want it to be in a nice calm environment, and don't want to see the sink filled with pots and pans. And yes, I do clean my kitchen every day, but I don't clean up immediately after I finish cooking a meal - I wait until after the meal is over.

We have good flow through our house, but still have discrete rooms. To me that's ideal. It's harder to have that in a small house, though.

Also, I need some walls to hang my art on.

I have an open floor plan and guess what? It includes walls. So much wall space, in fact, that I have no problem finding room for our art and photos. What a bizarre comment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do not like open floor plans either. For one thing, we have pets, and I want to be able to shut the friggin' door b/w one room to another to keep the pets out of areas where they are permitted. As it stands now, the whole middle floor of our open plan house is: living room (formal), dining room (formal), and kitchen. And there is no way to SHUT a freaking door to keep them out of the formal rooms. This is TOPS on our list for our next home.

Number two reason why I do not like open floor plans: noise carries, and carries, and carries. When we were at my in-laws' for Christmas, it was impossible for my 6yo DD to get to sleep at night b/c everybody's holiday chatter was making so much noise, and it just reverberates and echoes throughout the whole house. There was nowhere to get away, to have some privacy and quiet.

You are describing problems with open floor plans on small house.

Well, my in-laws' house is 3000 sq feet but even if the above is true, then so what? The subject line isn't, "Does anyone else hate open floorplans ON LARGE HOUSES?" It pertains to open floor plans for any style house.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm with you. We had an open floor plan in our first home, and I hated always being able to see into the kitchen. One of our requirements for our current home was that it needed to have rooms that were set apart. In fact, a lot of people in our neighborhood with the same model we own have opened up the area between the kitchen and family room, but we have left it closed off so that if someone is working in the kitchen, the noise doesn't affect anyone who is watching tv in the family room.

Your home wasn't designed for an open floor plan. You are again being stupid.

OP, I'm with you. We had an open floor plan in our first home, and I hated always being able to see into the kitchen. One of our requirements for our current home was that it needed to have rooms that were set apart. In fact, a lot of people in our neighborhood with the same model we own have opened up the area between the kitchen and family room, but we have left it closed off so that if someone is working in the kitchen, the noise doesn't affect anyone who is watching tv in the family room.

Anonymous wrote:I do not like open floor plans either. For one thing, we have pets, and I want to be able to shut the friggin' door b/w one room to another to keep the pets out of areas where they are permitted. As it stands now, the whole middle floor of our open plan house is: living room (formal), dining room (formal), and kitchen. And there is no way to SHUT a freaking door to keep them out of the formal rooms. This is TOPS on our list for our next home.

Number two reason why I do not like open floor plans: noise carries, and carries, and carries. When we were at my in-laws' for Christmas, it was impossible for my 6yo DD to get to sleep at night b/c everybody's holiday chatter was making so much noise, and it just reverberates and echoes throughout the whole house. There was nowhere to get away, to have some privacy and quiet.

You are describing problems with open floor plans on small house.

I do not like open floor plans either. For one thing, we have pets, and I want to be able to shut the friggin' door b/w one room to another to keep the pets out of areas where they are permitted. As it stands now, the whole middle floor of our open plan house is: living room (formal), dining room (formal), and kitchen. And there is no way to SHUT a freaking door to keep them out of the formal rooms. This is TOPS on our list for our next home.

Number two reason why I do not like open floor plans: noise carries, and carries, and carries. When we were at my in-laws' for Christmas, it was impossible for my 6yo DD to get to sleep at night b/c everybody's holiday chatter was making so much noise, and it just reverberates and echoes throughout the whole house. There was nowhere to get away, to have some privacy and quiet.

Anonymous wrote:No, open floorplans are already dated. In a few years they will scream "aughts"

The open kitchen/ breakfast room/ family room concept isn't going anywhere any time soon. This is where family life happens. This trifecta of spaces however works best when it is located to the back of the house with semi public rooms such as den/ living room and dining room at the front of the house. The problem with opening up existing older homes is that they are not large enough to have this division of semi public spaces to the front and more private family spaces to the back and what you get is the family spaces visible from the front door which is not ideal.

Anonymous wrote:you need to evolve. Older homes didn't have big closets and now they do. Older homes didn't have seperate showers, now they do, women used to cook and clean, things change.

I don't understand separate showers, either.

We have a living room that we use for living (reading, watching TV, hang out and chatting) and a dining room that we eat in (meals that I cooked).

Anonymous wrote:I like a bit of both. In our home, the living room is smaller and cozy. The back area of the house is open -- large kitchen, dining room, and a smaller sitting area with a couch and chairs, so the back is a great entertaining space. And those who want to have a quieter conversation can relax in the living room. We get the best of both worlds.

I don't care for the cavernous spaces in some of the newer builds.

+1

I like a bit of both. In our home, the living room is smaller and cozy. The back area of the house is open -- large kitchen, dining room, and a smaller sitting area with a couch and chairs, so the back is a great entertaining space. And those who want to have a quieter conversation can relax in the living room. We get the best of both worlds.

I don't care for the cavernous spaces in some of the newer builds.

Notice "separate catering kitchen," is not important. The rich are obviously smart and can build or design a house anyway they want. I would follow their lead.

Well the rich and new home buyers want open floor plans, so all new home being built incorporate them. Open floorplans aren't going away anytime soon.

Open floor plans are prevalent in new home designs
http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/open-floor-plans-are-prevalent-in-new-home-designs/2013/12/05/6ddd3de0-47d8-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html

Top amenities for wealthy homeowners: Tech, open plans

"Wine cellars and tennis courts are becoming passé for today's mansion buyers. What they really want are open floor plans, smart technologies and really nice pools.

A survey from Coldwell Banker Previews International and the Luxury Institute asked homebuyers who make more than $250,000 a year about their priorities or amenities for their homes. To put this group in perspective, their most recent home purchase averaged $1.6 million. More than a third own at least two homes.

When asked about their preferred amenities, the number one choice was "open floor plan," cited by 39 percent of respondents."

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101067003

Here are their top-ranked amenities, according to the survey:

An open floor plan was cited by 39 percent as the No. 1 preferred amenity
Fully automated/wired home system, which could encompass high-speed cable and integrated music systems, computerized lighting, and home monitoring systems
Pool
Outdoor kitchen
Gym
Home theater

On the other hand, wealthy home buyers ranked the following amenities as “less important”: wine cellar, guest house, safe room, separate catering kitchen, tennis court, and staff quarters (which came in last on the list). The average home purchase for this wealthy segment of buyers was estimated at $1.6 million.

The amenity with the lowest priority was staff quarters. That suggests either that today's wealthy don't need so much help—or they're telling the help to find their own quarters.