Is the open kitchen over?

Sloppy people should not have an open kitchen, and I know a few.

Being in the restaurant industry for 28 years, I still prefer an exhibition kitchen in my restaurants and the open floor plan in my house.  I enjoy cooking at home, while at the same time having a conversation with someone in the family room or sitting at the island or watching TV, and I have a "clean as you go" policy.

65 years ago, my father and his partner i home building were very young and forward-thinking as they had just started

building lives after WWII.  Homes were built with "living in mind, as well as cooking".  Big enough for cabinets and storage,

they offered plenty of floor space for a big table for the famly to gather around for meals or for games or company chats

or children's homework activity while mother prepared dinner and waited for Dad to come in after a hard day's work.

The big kitchen was the "gathering room" and where all probems were solved and great food was served, along with

a neighborly pot of coffee to drown problems with.

The big living room was necessary for the family to relax in and for togetherness while listening to the radio news or

favorite programs to add some laughter or story-telling to avid listeners.  This graduated into the television era quite

easily.  The living room was also a much cherished "private date room", on special evenings when a suitor would be

at the house and Dad and Mother would retire to their room and other members would be assigned to their bedrooms

so that "sister" could entertain her :"beau"for an hour in the living room;but not much longer as Dad and Mother did

observe rules and order in the home and nothing was a secret in most families. 

A big bathroom was appreciated by all and a laundry room was pure luxury or a basement took care of utilites and

laundry and perhaps later on in life a party room for teens.

Family rooms became popular in the early 60's and a second bath was expected.  A fireplace was a luxury and came

to be a middle-class symbol of luxury and having arrived.  This was soon followed by a -bedrom home being common.

I spcifically remember my mother not wanting anyone to see dishes or remants of a large meal preparation area

being exposed to comany, so dishes were done immediately, dried and put away in the cabinets.  Later,when women

went into the workforce along side their husbands, the private kitchen gave way to the formal dining room and

that way, a decent room was always ready for company or suprise guests.

An open kitchen has never appealed to me and recently, while watching  contractors designing and building the

"open look" for the younger crowd or single owners who like to "hang in the kitchen".  This is more of a bachelor

concept or living style; although I have noticed many young women leaning toward it and mainly to go along with

their companion or future husband.  But having raised my family and now a grandmother and retired interior

planner/former realtor, I don't mind telling them up front they are going to regret leaving that kitchen open for all

to view.

My house has the whole open concept thing - living, dining, kitchen are all one space.  I have grown to dislike it immensely.  I really want a kitchen that is separate.  It looks nice but is totally impractical.  The lack of walls makes it hard to arrange the living room furniture.  I'll know better next time....

We have a house that was built in the seventy's.  IMO, that vintage was becoming more open in concept however, still retaining some of the traditional closed rooms.  We hardly used our formal dining room which only opened to the kitchen via a door however completely open to the living room.  We hardly ever used are dining room but because it was so open to the living room we felt we couldn't use that room for a office or any other multi-purpose room.  Our kitchen was very small with a nook area that we use for all our meals.  Our kitchen is open to the family room which we used mostly, so our dining and living room was hardly used.

We took out the wall between the kitchen and the dining room and enlarged the kitchen.  We now have a large kitchen, large island and a large dining table which makes it perfect for gatherings.  We like the open concept.  A smaller spaces seem larger.  IMO, keeping hallways to a minimum helps in maximizing space.

We have a efficient exhaust fan which helps in cooking food smell.  IMO, unless you are going to completely close off the kitchen and open a window some food smell will spread.  I personally don't see a problem with that....there are much worst odors I could thing of that could be much worst than cooked food.

Trends in color, materials, etc are like fashion....change to make you spend $$$.  I'm old enough to remember olive green appliances and shag carpet.  It's all a personal preference and I for one like the open concept.