If you can stand the heat…
I’m ambivalent about the open kitchen concept. But mostly I like it. I’ve had both kinds, and I don’t like being cooped up.
It really depends how often you entertain, and with what formality. And how messy a cook you are.
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I don’t understand the gal’s argument presenting the kitchen as a place to hide or read. Who chooses the kitchen for reading? And hide from the kids that are constantly in and out of the kitchen for snacks and drinks? Isn’t all that what the master bedroom is for?
Really, do what you want, but I don’t think many people keep a recliner in their cooking space.
The problem that I have with an open kitchen, which opens into the family room, is that the smells and noise from the kitchen always intrude upon the rest of the family. Every time I’m running an appliance it competes with the TV/video games, and the overhead stovetop fan can’t keep strong smells like onions, bacon and garlic away from them.
Mine is a closed-off kitchen, but then it’s 100 years old.
We like it that way.
The thing that jumped out at me in the linked article is that there are “design psychologists.” Who knew?
Anyway, the one quoted says that “open kitchens have gained such momentum because the kitchen is often the heart of family existence and a central gathering point.” Which reminds me of some old farmhouse kitchens I saw growing up that were quite large rooms big enough for a sizeable stove, a large table, and even a sofa or two, and where much family time was spent.
I wouldn’t mind an old-fashioned English country kitchen, with the stove and sink, fridge and cupboards at one end, a work table in the middle, and at the far end, some bookshelves, a couple of comfy chairs and a fireplace at the other. But then, I only share the household with my grown daughter.
I guess there are good points for both. Ours is open, biggest detractor is the dishwasher, where people seated in the dining areas and living room are treated to the full sound and fury of it.
I don’t know anyone here in Germany with a decent size kitchen, so the concept of these big open ones seems like something from another planet. I don’t have any kids, and when I entertain, guests may be people from out of town that I don’t know well. I wouldn’t want them looking over my shoulder as I cooked. I sure would like a few more square meters and room for a little table though.
I remember those big country kitchens at relative’s house when I was a kid. The big tables were very convenient for canning and cooking for large families. My mom told me that a neighbor of hers (whom I knew) used to keep sides of beef hung in the living room during the winter. They were taken down if the preacher came to visit on Sunday. The kitchen table was for work, and the dining room also had a big table and a sofa.
Our house is 104 years old, we gutted the kitchen in 2009 and totally transformed it into a space where 2 people can cook together without bumping into each other. So I guess its an ‘open kitchen’. Whatever it is we like it. BTW, there is no table in the kitchen, that is what a dining room is for.
I grew up in an old house with a big one room kitchen w dining table also with a pew bench- which was the bottom floor of an old house. [Subsequent centuries resulted in more additions to the house.] I liked it, and my current abode has the same setup. Yes, that is the room that gets the most use, used for both living and for eating.
Objections to smells permeating the room – if it doesn’t smell good, you won’t be eating it. The smell of cooking also drive’s anticipation. I can almost smell my mother’s spaghetti sauce right now.
expat’s objection to guests observing her cooking: odds are that all cooking will be done before the guests arrive. I, for one am not uncomfortable with someone watching me cook- nor were my parents uncomfortable w someone watching them cook. But none of us were cooking for people from out of town whom we didn’t know well- which is what expat was talking about.
Headline: “Is a backlash developing against open kitchens?” Answer, way down in article: No (77%)
I hate rhetorical questions and other flourishes that waste time.
People from out of town whom one doesn’t know well often become new best friends after some wine. Isn’t that what wine is for?
southpaw: get a new D/W. They are extremely quiet, esp. Bosch. I can’t hear mine running unless I’m next to it. I still hear good, Eh!
My house was built in the 50s, so it has a closed kitchen. The roof and siding have been replaced, but the interior is pretty much original.
The kitchen even has Formica countertops with the little colored boomerang squiggles. Lots of people pay good money for “retro” styling. Mine are original. I wouldn’t dream of replacing them.
Then again, maybe I’m just a cheapskate.
My kitchen is somewhat open – it is large enough for a small table and a large comfy chair. It is a very comfortable place to read the morning paper, drink coffee and watch the stuff on the stove. I’ve actually spent many hours reading in that chair
The thing I like about my situation is that there is a large pass-through with shutters so I can close the kitchen off from the dining and living rooms.
But I agree – it’s your house, do what you like.
I really like this comment on the article [excerpt from the comment]:
“What does it matter how many people like open concept or closed concept? What is this, a battle? Likes or dislikes are not something to argue about. Pick out the kind of kitchen you like, and if someone else likes a different type, then that’s the way the world turns. Not everything has to be a statistic, or contest.”
Honeykins, would you like the open flame tonight or the closed?
Dibbs, as long as you’re there, it doesn’t make a difference.
Oh honey, we’ll donate the droppings, of your blood when I kill you. But the important question remains, for now, open or closed?
We have the best of both worlds so to speak. We live in the 21st century here with a modern house and a good sized kitchen that is open to the family room. The dining and living rooms are closed off from it. It’s comfortable. We also live in the 19th century during part of the summer. That is, we own an old (1810) farmhouse in New Hampshire. The kitchen is old and located at the back of the house. In fact it is the entire back of part of the house and is closed off from the living room. There we have a wood burning – gas stove combo, an original deep ceramic 19th century sink (no dishwasher), a large table and lots of memories. We love both kitchens.
I also was going to recommend the Bosch dishwasher to southpaw. In our kitchen we have a large farm table beyond the galley and even though we have a formal dining room (that we use also) we often entertain in the kitchen. The dishwasher is no distraction, even if watching a TCM movie!
While I think that, as always, there are benefits and detriments to both kinds of kitchens, I can’t get past my observation that all of these building shows prefer the open kitchen concept because, like driving a BMW, it showcases the affluence of the owner. See my granite countertops? See my upscale stainless steel appliances and my 6 burner $6,000 Viking range? What’s the point of having it if I can’t show it off to guests?
I see the same attitude voiced by designers who denigrate the old harvest gold and avocado green appliances (not my choice either), replacing them with stainless steel, but not realizing that in about 15 years another designer will come along and denigrate the stainless steel.
As for me, I like my 135 year old sequestered kitchen with its double-swing door at the far end of the house. When something goes wrong my guests needn’t listen to me sounding like Gordon Ramsey about my own overcooked casserole.
T,
I agree about the designer influence on the open kitchen concept. Somehow, peeling potatoes in some of these overdone rooms just doesn’t work. On the other hand a big enough space so your kids can rollout pie dough is great. I have a hard time doing two things at once because I have no space.
Reminds me of this New Yorker cartoon:
http://www.condenaststore.com/-sp/So-this-is-where-the-magic-happens-New-Yorker-Cartoon-Prints_i8544411_.htm
BTW, the kitchen looks like this when we entertain with a dinner. 🙂
I have an open-space kitchen/dining/living room. It’s because my house is about 950 square feet, so putting a wall up would make it dark and cramped! I don’t have a foyer or anything like that, either (I wish I had a mudroom, really). But the builder was very clever because the windows are positioned in such a way that sunlight floods the room all day except for the hottest time.
I understand the need for privacy, but mostly for guests. My TV is in one of the bedrooms. I re-did the previous owners’ nursery into an office/music room (very small) and that seems to be the place that flirters gravitate during parties.
The last party I had, I kept cooking the apertivos (the before-dinner snacks. I can’t remember the French spelling). Every time one finished, I’d take the pan from the oven, my friends would lean to each side to let me reach the table, and I’d dump them into the platter. They’d be gone before the next batch was ready, and we all laughed about it.
I am remodeling only because the builder/first owner used every cheap trick he could. The backsplash? Wallpaper! The counter? Formica so cheap that a hot pot burned through the resin and set the paper beneath on fire. The cupboards? Vinyl laminate over a plastic core. I’m blogging my tiny-budget makeover because it amuses my friends how every time I turn around, I find another odd thing. And yet the house is very nice, very homey.
I, too, recommend a Bosch dishwasher for quietness. Full disclosure: One of my brothers works for Bosch. I decided I wanted one after he used his discount to get one. It’s very nice, except that his washer is not as vicious as mine for the baked-on food. (Based on the noise, I think there are small dinosaurs in there, using a grinder like those dinosaurs in the Flintstones cartoons!)
This is hardly a new idea; open and semi-open kitchen designs have been around at least since the early 1960s.
Of course the traditional reason for the open kitchen was because the house or apartment was small, and the open design made the place seem less cramped.
There is one practical consideration that I haven’t seen mentioned yet. I agree that as far as aesthetics go, you should choose what you like. If you don’t mind cooking smells throughout your living space, and want to be able to be a part of the social goings on while you’re in the kitchen, by all means opt for open concept. But there is one undeniable fact of cooking – aerosolized oils. If you stir fry or even oven roast or saute’ – EVER, you create microscopic droplets of oil ‘vapor’ which float around the room. In a contained space – or even a space which has ceiling-hung cabinets as a divider, that oil will remain mostly in the kitchen – where vinyl, metal, painted, tile, granite or other hard surfaces can be easily cleaned. When those oil droplets migrate out into fabric covered areas (carpeting, upholstery) they are dirt magnets and hard to properly clean. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably don’t clean all the surfaces in your kitchen. Try cleaning an exposed surface that’s rarely cleaned in your kitchen – top of the refrigerator, or top of wall-hung cabinets. You’ll find a sticky, dust covered residue. If you have an open-concept kitchen, that stuff is EVERYWHERE in your living area – possibly in smaller quantities the farther you go from the cooking area, but still there. Higher-end asian kitchens often have a special room for stir frying just for that reason. It’s a closet, basically, with a powerful burner (most burners don’t actually get hot enough for real stir-frying) and ventilation.
Anyway – aside from the personal taste issue, there is that consideration which no one has mentioned yet here. It’s one reason kitchens were traditionally closed off. If you don’t mind the extra cleaning, and like the sociable nature of open concept, that’s your own choice. I agree that it’s not a war – whatever works for you is what you should have – unless you are planning to sell your house – in which case you should probably choose the most popular style at the time.
dap64:
I know that yucky stuff well. However, the way my kitchen is currently situated, it’s open but sort of tucked away at the same time, and fortunately the sticky goo doesn’t seem to travel around corners.
thanks for the response – you are right, it seems to mainly travel line-of-sight paths, but with the newer ‘open concepts’ that can easily mean all of your living space. I have found that the barrier of ceiling hung cabinets does cut it down quite a bit, but after a long time even stemware in the back of closed cabinets will acquire a light film. It isn’t as gooey as the nearer surfaces get, it’s more like fingerprints, but it’s still made of grease. It’s amazing how that stuff gets around once it’s vaporized!