Do you have an open kitchen? If yes, do you like it?

I do not necessarily like them, but I would rethink doing it in your mother’s house. They are considered very desirable in today’s housing market, and you don’t have to live there.

I’m with you, @SadieMartinPaul, I like it enclosed to a degree (it’s large so no big deal).

I have double-glass doors and windows, so it’s not small or claustrophobic by any means. And the ‘wall’ that would be taken down has my china cabinet and stand alone pantry (that locks), and a stand alone mini bar that migrates to the patio during parties. It makes me feel cozy and secluded while I cook in my nightgown. :)

Yes, I have and it is inconvenient. If I had the opportunity I would change it!

I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. We lived with a small galley kitchen with no windows for 16 years and I hated it. There was no room to move around and we had no natural light. It was very lonely in that kitchen. We now have an open kitchen and I can watch the football game or whatever else is on the television and interact with the family when I’m cooking. Most of our dinners are made from scratch, so I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and I’d be very lonely if we didn’t have it open to the living area.

My parent’s house features an open kitchen. It opens into a small dining nook in front of it with a view of the backyard through three bay windows (however, my parents ridiculously large table blocks our access to opening said windows..) and to the right is open access to the living room.

My dad is a foodie. So we don’t really fit your pizza box theory. Lately, my SO and I have been getting tons of use out of it too. I used to stay far away from the kitchen, but ever since I started buying my own groceries to feed us, we have been experimenting a lot with cooking and baking.

A kitchen that is used often by multiple people gets hot and stays hot. If it were closed off by a wall and door it would be unbearable in this summer heat even with a ceiling fan, vent, and wide-open windows. So I’m thankful that this space is open.

If I moved somewhere cooler than here, I would not be against having a closed kitchen, or necessarily covet an open kitchen, but I am used to the design by now. The kitchen has become the place in the house we feel the most comfortable and “homely” in, so we want it to be a strong feature and not something tucked away.

We just opened ours up, but made a “peninsula” where the wall used to be (the passage is still where the old door was). The peninsula has undercounter cabinets on both sides, so we didn’t lose cabinet or counter space. The range also lives in the peninsula, and plates can be dished up and passed directly over to the dining side. Whoever is cooking can also continue to socialize with the people at the table, which is quite nice.

The peninsula (along with the vent hood hanging above the range) creates some sense of separation between the kitchen and dining areas, but without the isolation.

@jonsblond “We lived with a small galley kitchen with no windows for 16 years and I hated it. There was no room to move around and we had no natural light.”

That’s not the case in my Mom’s house. The existing room has two good-sized windows, plenty of space for a family dining table, and a U-shaped work area that accommodates several people comfortably.

I can understand why you’d want to open a tiny, windowless galley kitchen and let in some light. The previous design sounds uncomfortable and even depressing.

@SadieMartinPaul I was very happy to find a home with an open kitchen when we were looking for a rental three years ago. The time will come for us to move again some day, and I will definitely look for a home with an open kitchen. I’m another who doesn’t fit your pizza box theory. I love to cook and I would never want a kitchen that was closed off to the living area.

I don’t like the open concept in general. I want to be in one room at a time. I also want to be able to close off other rooms in case I get a surprise visitor and my house isn’t company clean.

Going off on a tangent…

I recently had a revelation – why dishwashers exist, and why they’re so popular. Of course, they wash and dry tableware and cookware, which is fabulous. But, more importantly, they provide a place to stow the dirty things, neatly and out of sight!

Used items, filling an entire sink or spread out on a kitchen counter, make the entire room look bad. Plus, they take up all that space; how can someone cook dinner when the breakfast dishes are still there? A dishwasher holds the mess until it’s time to wash a load.

I have an open kitchen and I don’t fancy it. I like to be alone when I cook.

Mine is open too, which I don’t mind except for one thing: my nosy cat. Food prep or for that matter any kind of activity in my kitchen attracts him, and many times I’ve caught him stealing scraps off the drainboard and out of the sink before I’ve had a chance to clean up. Also, I have a glass-top stove that stays very hot for a while after it’s turned off, and I worry that he’ll jump up on it.

@SadieMartinPaul Do that many people leave their kitchen a mess all day? The only time I might leave a mess would be on the weekend when I feel like being lazy, but I try not to let things sit for too long. I usually clean up as I’m cooking, as soon as I’m done with the pans I’m using. I don’t think an unexpected visitor would mind seeing a dirty dish or two, and if you are expecting company you can clean before they arrive. I certainly don’t expect anyone to have a spotless house if I show up unexpectedly.

Yes, we do. It has walls on three sides. The fourth is a connection to the dining room. It also has a large island in the center. That’s the way I like it personally and I’d probably look for that if I were buying a home. But your theory would be wrong in our case. :) My parents cook all the time. The key feature in our kitchen is the large stove, though. If the kitchen were closed off, the stove would be in a corner and not easy to work around.

@jonsblond “Do that many people leave their kitchen a mess all day?”

People who have to feed and dress their children, scarf down some breakfast, get themselves groomed and dressed, take the kids to day care, commute to work, put in a long day on the job, commute home, pick up the children from day care, and then worry about the breakfast dishes and what to have for dinner.

My kitchen is open and I like it that way. If it was all enclosed it would be far too tiny and claustrophobic. I mourn the lack of storage space though.

I love having an open kitchen. I often spend time in there when I have guests and I can continue to visit with them. Three ides are walls with plenty of storage, including a floor to ceiling pantry, and the fourth side is an island with counters on top and storage underneath.

I have both. I have a wall between the kitchen and dining room, but it has a large opening in it, so I can hide a bit if I want to and mix a little if I want to. Plus I have cabinet space and additional counter space by storing things in the opening. It’s 4 feet from the floor and about 30 inches top to bottom, maybe 42 inches wide. I can firm those up if you want. I love it.

I do, and I like the way it looks, but I wish I had more cabinet/storage space.

I love my open kitchen and have knocked down lots of walls in lots of houses to get it.
Count me in as someone who rarely cooks though.

My wife insisted on an open kitchen. She did not feel that it was right that the cook be shut off from the rest of the party and wanted to be involved in whatever was going on.

Upside – even if you are involved in the food preparation you are a part of the action.

Downside – I now have to have the family room laid out so that she can see the tv from the kitchen and I do not lke the arraingement that this requires.

Sidenote – While I think there is plenty of cabinet space, my realtor has had comments that the kitchen needs more. (we are/were trying to sell it) but I do not have extra dishes scattered everywhere. It is all put away neatly without any overcrowding. So, I am not sure what these people are talking about.

I’ve never lived in a home in which the kitchen had a door.

I don’t have what I’d consider an “open kitchen.” The kitchen and dining area are separated by a bar. You can’t see the sink from the living room or dining area.

When I cook, I do the dishes as I’m working. Having a pile of dirty dishes with countertop spills has never been an issue.

@Judi You may have an open kitchen BUT YOU HAVE TOO MANY DOORS!!!