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I don't think something that's been around for 70+ years is a "fad." I had a '50s ranch that had an open floor plan from when it was new. And I've posted pictures of floor plans from the '20s and '30s that were basically the genesis of the modern open floor plan. I happen to like them and have long before HGTV even existed, so you can't blame them or marketing for it.
WE have had open floor plans from 1250 to 4000+ sqf houses. It works for us and our life style.
And your dream kitchen feels claustrophobic to me. More walls = more feeling shut in. My house is smaller but mostly like the first photo and I love it. I love that the kitchen is completely open because I enjoy spending time in the kitchen while also participating in the activities going on in the living area. In fact, I paid extra to have a wall taken down when I bought my house as new construction.
You'd think so, but it's getting harder and harder to find non-open floor plan homes. I was looking at listings in my area and almost all of them are OFP.
I think personality has a lot to do with your preferences in life. I am a reserved and introverted person, so having an open floor plan kitchen would be like having a bedroom without walls and would totally creep me out.
Every large OFP house I go in (like in the 1st picture I posted), I immediately feel like anyone can look in from the outside and see what I'm doing at all times. It's a strange feeling...
You'd think so, but it's getting harder and harder to find non-open floor plan homes. I was looking at listings in my area and almost all of them are OFP.
I think personality has a lot to do with your preferences in life. I am a reserved and introverted person, so having an open floor plan kitchen would be like having a bedroom without walls and would totally creep me out.
Every large OFP house I go in (like in the 1st picture I posted), I immediately feel like anyone can look in from the outside and see what I'm doing at all times. It's a strange feeling...
You can easily add walls to an open floor plan when they are not structural. Going the other way around is the tough one!
I like having a formal living room and formal dining room, which we use often, but I also like having an informal space off the kitchen as when we have friends/family over, people tend to congregate in the kitchen. It is nice to have a space for them to sit comfortably while we are prepping food, etc. but then it's also nice to have a space to go and eat a large meal without having to look at the prep mess in the kitchen.
I guess I don't understand the disdain for granite. It's a versatile material that is easy to care for and will last forever if you wanted. With the 100's of pattern choices, it's something that can fit in just about any kitchen. The other material choices require far more care and are not as durable.
I like having a formal living room and formal dining room, which we use often, but I also like having an informal space off the kitchen as when we have friends/family over, people tend to congregate in the kitchen. It is nice to have a space for them to sit comfortably while we are prepping food, etc. but then it's also nice to have a space to go and eat a large meal without having to look at the prep mess in the kitchen.
I guess I don't understand the disdain for granite. It's a versatile material that is easy to care for and will last forever if you wanted. With the 100's of pattern choices, it's something that can fit in just about any kitchen. The other material choices require far more care and are not as durable.
I agree about granite and some other natural stones, such as soapstone or quartzite. Marble is more delicate. But my experience with granite is that it doesn't actually need to be sealed every year or so - we had it for five years before moving and never had to reseal it - it looked and performed great the entire time.
Now we have soapstone and not only does it not have to be RE sealed - it never has to be sealed. It's SUPER easy to maintain and you can set just about anything down on it without worrying about heat or staining.
I would go with soapstone or granite in the future without any worries.
Not a fan of open floor plans myself either - fad or no fad. I love having nooks and crannies in a house that I can curl up in with a book and a cup of hot tea, without hearing the game going on, or smelling fried chicken from dinner. But to each his own. I know some people love them and that's fine. But some people don't and that's fine too.
Me too. I love my places that I can be by myself, especially when we have overnight company. I love cooking but absolutely hate it when I'm being watched. I am not a performance artist. I hate open floor plans and will not live in one again.
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Originally Posted by missik999
I love granite, and it is still the preferred countertop in the area where I live. The quartz dealers were pushing quartz for while here but it never caught on.
Granite is natural stone while quartz, laminate, corian, are manmade.
Real natural stone trumps manmade alternatives in my opinion....
Love granite! It is so forgiving and carefree. We got our first granite countertop in the 90's, before it was all the rage. I refuse to have anything else now. You can sit anything on it whether it's hot or cold, you can cut on it, and we only seal ours every two to three years but it looks as good today as the day we got it. We do, however, avoid the whites just in case of staining.
They tried pushing the quartz around here too. Why get it? The granite is practically indestructible and costs less. I've never understood why the quartz is more expensive, it's man made and basically uses scraps. Same with the crushed glass ones.
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