Open plan living.........
Discussion
We have got planning permission for, in simple terms, an approx 8m x 6m box on the back of our bungalow.
The existing part of the bungalow will basically consist of 3 bedrooms and a bathroom and the extension will be a utility (seperated off) and then the remaining area will be one big area for the kitchen / dining / lounge.
I know it's all the rage at the mo and my wife is completely sold on the idea (having spent time living in the states) but i am less keen on the open plan idea due to my following perceived issues:
1. Noise (the dining area will be vaulted, the rest traditional)
2. No other lving space to "escape" to.
3. Making a distinction between a "warm" lounge feel and a "clinical" kitchen feel in the same space.
4. Cooking smells.
As a result of my lack of confidence the extension has been designed in such a way that if we can't get on with it open plan then it's simply a matter of throwing up a stud partition and putting a couple of doors in to separate the kitchen diner from the lounge so i'm at the point of lets give it a go and worry about it later if we can't get on with it open plan.
However would just be interested to hear if any of you have experience of living in an open plan environment (particularly with kids) and whether my concerns are merited or otherwise?
Cheers.
The existing part of the bungalow will basically consist of 3 bedrooms and a bathroom and the extension will be a utility (seperated off) and then the remaining area will be one big area for the kitchen / dining / lounge.
I know it's all the rage at the mo and my wife is completely sold on the idea (having spent time living in the states) but i am less keen on the open plan idea due to my following perceived issues:
1. Noise (the dining area will be vaulted, the rest traditional)
2. No other lving space to "escape" to.
3. Making a distinction between a "warm" lounge feel and a "clinical" kitchen feel in the same space.
4. Cooking smells.
As a result of my lack of confidence the extension has been designed in such a way that if we can't get on with it open plan then it's simply a matter of throwing up a stud partition and putting a couple of doors in to separate the kitchen diner from the lounge so i'm at the point of lets give it a go and worry about it later if we can't get on with it open plan.
However would just be interested to hear if any of you have experience of living in an open plan environment (particularly with kids) and whether my concerns are merited or otherwise?
Cheers.
Our last house in the Philippines was open plan, with the dining room, kitchen and living room basically all adjoined. I never really noticed any downside to it, as there were but three of us living there, and the bedrooms were just a step away, so no stairs to delineate the house into two sectors.
I thought there would be problems with smell from the kitchen etc, but never really noticed anything.
Our new house over there, the one Queen Herald is about to rent but I have never seen, is much the same, and it looks great in the photogs. I just hope it is the same in the flesh.......
I thought there would be problems with smell from the kitchen etc, but never really noticed anything.
Our new house over there, the one Queen Herald is about to rent but I have never seen, is much the same, and it looks great in the photogs. I just hope it is the same in the flesh.......
I've not lived in an open-plan house but I'd imagine the noise of someone cooking and clettering around the kitchen whilst you try and watch your favourite program on the TV could be an issue. A friend has an open plan apartment and can't have washing machine n in the evening and watch TV (although youdo say you'd have a separate utility room).
I think open plan looks great in a picture when everything is tidy but in 'real life' I doubt I'd be able to live that way.
I think open plan looks great in a picture when everything is tidy but in 'real life' I doubt I'd be able to live that way.
When we moved into this rented place, I was dubious too...As the downstairs was open-plan and upstairs (with bedrooms and the other 2 bathrooms was traditionally closed in)
But now I love the 'openness' of it. I think regimented spaces and walls would feel very confining after this... What's great is that when we have people round and I'm cooking, I'm still involved in what's going on rather than being shut away in the kitchen....
Couple of old pictures from when we moved in - TV's gone now, replaced with a flat screen
From Kitchen to end
From Dining area to Kitchen
But now I love the 'openness' of it. I think regimented spaces and walls would feel very confining after this... What's great is that when we have people round and I'm cooking, I'm still involved in what's going on rather than being shut away in the kitchen....
Couple of old pictures from when we moved in - TV's gone now, replaced with a flat screen
From Kitchen to end
From Dining area to Kitchen
Edited by juice on Wednesday 2nd June 15:45
open plan here too, no pictures handy though. Basically we've got a big L shape going on from the front of the house to the back, then across the back of the house.
No downsides at all as far as I'm concerned, it's a nice space that doesn't really need breaking up at all, the island in the kitchen makes it a little less 'empty' feeling. Much better than it was.
No downsides at all as far as I'm concerned, it's a nice space that doesn't really need breaking up at all, the island in the kitchen makes it a little less 'empty' feeling. Much better than it was.
Stu R said:
ShadownINja said:
They look great but are not so useful if you have a family or cook fish. 
That's what extractors are for, mine could take your toenails off it's that strong Makes a bit of a noise though, which is probably one of the downsides I guess.
BTW isn't it frowned upon to feed noisy children through an extractor fan?
Edited by ShadownINja on Wednesday 2nd June 16:36
juice said:
TV's gone now, replaced with a flat screen
Why did you feel that you had to make some kind of 'excuse' for your TV?It's almost as if you feel you might be judged as some kind of inadequate because of a bloody telly.
Why is there such a huge amount of snobbery on this forum?
We are just about to start our build with downstairs having an open plan for the hall, dining, kitchen and snug. I was also concerned re the noise and having nowhere to hide so we have put in a traditional separate living room and playroom. Livingroom and playroom separated by 3.3m wide hallway so can hide from the kids and their noise. Hopefully will be a good solution
I had the same concerns as you. We do have another room downstairs but its the kids toy room so not somewhere I can 'escape' to.
Overall, its a brilliant way for the familiy to be together, expecially while the kids are younger.
Only drawbacks imo are the mess that can accumulate and smells when cooking.
We have large doors to open as well as good extraction so smells not a problem - these are very important.
Someone makes a point about a washing machine - ours is in the garage would be a pain if inside.
Option to put up a stud wall is a good idea, although I'd wager you'll like the open plan once it's done.
A few pics of mine here . . and a previous thread asking a question similar to yours.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Overall, its a brilliant way for the familiy to be together, expecially while the kids are younger.
Only drawbacks imo are the mess that can accumulate and smells when cooking.
We have large doors to open as well as good extraction so smells not a problem - these are very important.
Someone makes a point about a washing machine - ours is in the garage would be a pain if inside.
Option to put up a stud wall is a good idea, although I'd wager you'll like the open plan once it's done.
A few pics of mine here . . and a previous thread asking a question similar to yours.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Edited by Vee on Wednesday 2nd June 20:43
Thanks for taking the time to reply folks, some nice ideas to ponder over from those photo's as well.
So as long as i have a very good extractor, gaffer tape the kids mouths shut, don't cook fish and put the washing machine / dishwasher somewhere else all will be good by the sounds of it!!
We've been knocking about some ideas to try and delineate the lounge / kichen area, mainly with the floor finish and the ceiling going from traditional in the lounge to vaulted in the kitchen but have also been looking at some sort of room divider. Have only really come up with open bookcases or a central feature fireplace so far but have discounted the fire as we wanted to maintain flexibility for moving things round if we have a do or don't ultimately like the open plan idea. We also didn't really want to be looking past the fire into the kitchen area whilst sat in the lounge.
Soz for asking a further question but any other ideas for dividers?
So as long as i have a very good extractor, gaffer tape the kids mouths shut, don't cook fish and put the washing machine / dishwasher somewhere else all will be good by the sounds of it!!
We've been knocking about some ideas to try and delineate the lounge / kichen area, mainly with the floor finish and the ceiling going from traditional in the lounge to vaulted in the kitchen but have also been looking at some sort of room divider. Have only really come up with open bookcases or a central feature fireplace so far but have discounted the fire as we wanted to maintain flexibility for moving things round if we have a do or don't ultimately like the open plan idea. We also didn't really want to be looking past the fire into the kitchen area whilst sat in the lounge.
Soz for asking a further question but any other ideas for dividers?
We're fortunate enough to live in this house in Tokyo. The first floor (third and fourth pics along) is very open plan.
We love the space and are not looking forward to the planning challenge likely to be involved in creating something similar in the UK. Cooking smells are largely eliminated through good extraction. Our washing machine is in the bathroom, so no issue there.
A couple of essentials for me, for open plan living to work:
- A room / rooms to escape to (for work or play)
- Storage elsewhere - open plan living works best if you can eliminate the clutter elsewhere
- Underfloor heating makes a world of difference to the comfort of an open plan space
We love the space and are not looking forward to the planning challenge likely to be involved in creating something similar in the UK. Cooking smells are largely eliminated through good extraction. Our washing machine is in the bathroom, so no issue there.
A couple of essentials for me, for open plan living to work:
- A room / rooms to escape to (for work or play)
- Storage elsewhere - open plan living works best if you can eliminate the clutter elsewhere
- Underfloor heating makes a world of difference to the comfort of an open plan space
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