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It took long enough. As soon as the open concept trend started, I said well that is stupid....people will hate that after they live in one a few years. I hate, hate, hate the open concept. For one, the kitchen is basically part of your living room so you have all the noise from the kitchen, the steam and grease and all that from cooking floating through the living room instead of being more confined to the kitchen and mostly being sucked out the exhaust hood, the clutter you can see and the biggest problem of all is your kitchen is missing two walls worth of cabinets to put things.
The trend away from open concept began in our area in the last year or two and you are seeing more and more new homes being built with the kitchen more separated off. I bet in a few more years there will be a big remodeling boom where open concepts are divided by walls and the kitchen reconfigured.
There's a lot of things that can make a small space seem larger. High ceilings, light colors, lots of natural light, etc. An open space can feel bigger because it is bigger than a small room or series of small rooms. In the ranch we lived in (an Eichler) there was a design aesthetic that tried to make the most of a modestly sized space on a suburban lot. And because we were in a city with nice year round weather, there was also an emphasis on minimum separation between indoors and outdoors. It felt a lot bigger than it's footprint because of clever design. But for a lot of reasons it didn't really work for us.
Funny you mention Eichlers, there's a few blocks of them near where I live.
Within the definition of what people would call "open concept" (which IMHO is often misused) on one end of the spectrum you'd have terrific designs like Eichlers and on the other you'd have spec-build builder grade spaces with illogical cabinet placements, strange sightlines, weird finish transitions, etc.
Lots of people would just lump it all into "yuck I hate open concept"
It took long enough. As soon as the open concept trend started, I said well that is stupid....people will hate that after they live in one a few years. I hate, hate, hate the open concept. For one, the kitchen is basically part of your living room so you have all the noise from the kitchen, the steam and grease and all that from cooking floating through the living room instead of being more confined to the kitchen and mostly being sucked out the exhaust hood, the clutter you can see and the biggest problem of all is your kitchen is missing two walls worth of cabinets to put things.
The trend away from open concept began in our area in the last year or two and you are seeing more and more new homes being built with the kitchen more separated off. I bet in a few more years there will be a big remodeling boom where open concepts are divided by walls and the kitchen reconfigured.
Clutter, are you kidding, no clutter is allowed anymore. Just a big open sparse empty space.
Actually I am losing a few precious cabinets and some counter space taking out a small dividing wall, but that little wall really makes the kitchen seem smaller and darker. But it will allow me to put in an island and freestanding cabinets to make up for it. I have love/hate with traditional cabinets. If I could be neat enough I'd remove the doors to all the upper cabinets.
Funny you mention Eichlers, there's a few blocks of them near where I live.
Within the definition of what people would call "open concept" (which IMHO is often misused) on one end of the spectrum you'd have terrific designs like Eichlers and on the other you'd have spec-build builder grade spaces with illogical cabinet placements, strange sightlines, weird finish transitions, etc.
Lots of people would just lump it all into "yuck I hate open concept"
We had a good design but even still, we found we just didn't like living that way. I think it has a lot to do with how we value private space and noise. And we collect art, so with fewer walls we had to store some of the pieces I really love.... they just didn't fit without making the place look cluttered. My rule is now that I never want to live in a house where I can see the sofa from the stove.
We had a good design but even still, we found we just didn't like living that way. I think it has a lot to do with how we value private space and noise. And we collect art, so with fewer walls we had to store some of the pieces I really love.... they just didn't fit without making the place look cluttered. My rule is now that I never want to live in a house where I can see the sofa from the stove.
I get it.
When we semi-opened up our awful kitchen we made sure it was set off from the dining room with a built-in sort of hutch/sideboard, and I insisted the TV room keep its French doors. And we needed a steel beam to span some distance so rather than try to hide it completely, we embraced it and incorporated it sort of into a visual break in the room.
I think you're wrong about it being "horrific" (hyperbole much?) I love the huge room I have that opens onto the back deck via french doors. When I'm pulling all the meat off the grill, I can still watch the game and prep and talk to everyone.
My life is different - who knew.
I would agree it's horrific for their situation, if they say it is. I would find it horrific myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LieslMet
You did/do. I'm glad it works for you.
I set my laptop on the patio counter, grill, and am removed from 4-100 people. People who join me are welcome. But we're not ALL present, together. I don't want to have 4-100 people talking over me and my show or over me and 2-8 people who comfortably can chat without interference.
My husband puts the game on his phone, a tablet, or a laptop, when he's doing it. When my 40+ close relatives of 10 adults, some aunts/uncles/cousins, and 20-30 children are roaming and audibly and/or physically intrusive, I can tell them to go away and there is SOMEWHERE TO GO AWAY. When my dad is pontificating about his life experience and being loud and demanding and bombastic, he gets to keep his dignity when I tell him that he's too loud for us common folk and needs to find a better room for the conversation. He's used to having the ENTIRE HOUSE if full rapture, you see? Not at my house. Find your place and thankfully, there's a place for everyone at our house. Everyone can find their place but it won't DEMAND everyone's attention. There are places to slip away and places to blend in. Find your crowd.
I have an in-law who came from a large family, so gatherings like that are a piece of cake for them. Me, I'd rather jump off a bridge, if I walk into something like that and can't find a place for some quiet (besides the bathroom). I mean, you can't even have a conversation when there are that many people milling around in one area.
ps - sure hope it's true open concept is dying! Now if the same would be true for exposed beams, I'll be very happy
I have an in-law who came from a large family, so gatherings like that are a piece of cake for them. Me, I'd rather jump off a bridge, if I walk into something like that and can't find a place for some quiet (besides the bathroom). I mean, you can't even have a conversation when there are that many people milling around in one area.
ps - sure hope it's true open concept is dying! Now if the same would be true for exposed beams, I'll be very happy
My inlaws have a very NOT open concept, and that presents a different kind of problem: getting trapped in a small nook of a room with Uncle Blowhard, with only one path out.
Not sure what I'd choose...a boomy loud open room with lots of escape paths or the trapped in a corner thing.
Every home remodeling show I've seen is all about "open concept." The only time they don't knock all the walls down is when some load bearing wall requires an expensive steel beam. Then they they go for "sight lines."
I agree that it makes the the homes look far grander, but imagine that the pendulum will swing more to the center as folks weary of all the activity taking place in one room. TV blaring, kids fighting, ... You have to hole up in your bedroom to get a moment's peace and quiet.
I like a large kitchen with an eat in area, but also love a separate dining room. Great for wrapping presents, sorting out garden seeds, school projects ...
Does the cost of the large supporting beams needed actually save money on the wall costs? I know those beams are much more expensive........
If you are building from scratch with an open floor plan, you don't need large support beams. You use a different type of roof truss that does not require any supporting walls. So, yes, it does save money to not put walls into new construction.
Still, I suspect that the builders are building open floor plan houses because that is what the buyers want. They would build interior walls if that was what sold easily.
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