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and while i hate ALL refridgerators, (including mine) because in my mind they are all just ugly, yours is barley even noticibile because of its placement in the kitchen and that to me is a big plus!!!!!
mine is also in a corner so when you first walk into my kitchen you would have to do a "Exorcist" type of head turn to see it.....unfortunetley when i sit at my table, i do have to see it
I agree, refrigerators are not pretty, no matter what kind. Some of my friends have them build in cabinets. Much prettier that way, and blend with the rest of the kitchen cabinets.
Here is an example: El Greco Renovation
So many "haters" of open floor plans (me including), but the builders still don't get it. They don't offer variety, they offer just one, ugly plan more and more people don't find appealing anymore.
So many "haters" of open floor plans (me including), but the builders still don't get it. They don't offer variety, they offer just one, ugly plan more and more people don't find appealing anymore.
I don't think I have ever been in a house built after the mid 90s that DIDN'T have at least an open concept kitchen/family room. I can't even imagine a house without one tell you the truth. A closed off kitchen seems "medieval" to me at this point. But to each his own I guess.....
We have an open concept kitchen/breakfast area/main family room and we love it. We use the bar/counter-top to eat (3 people in household) our meals, so we utilize the breakfast area as part of the main room and the space is HUGE. We also have a separate formal dining area for holidays and family visits.
So many "haters" of open floor plans (me including), but the builders still don't get it. They don't offer variety, they offer just one, ugly plan more and more people don't find appealing anymore.
Prior to the 90's the only open floor plan I ever saw was in a few mid-century homes (like the one
in the Dick Van Dyke show where the living and dining room were combined).
Back in the 90's we looked at lofts (real lofts vs soft lofts) that were converted (industrial, warehouse,
manufacturing or office buildings) into condos. They had exposed heating ducts, original beams, posts
floors and high ceilings. We thought it was a excellent move to save these historic buildings.
Hard lofts were selling fast (btw, they were pricey plus one parking space could cost over
$10,000 back then) so builders and flippers found other buildings (mostly apartments)
and made them soft lofts by leaving half walls with the open concept.
We owned an America Foursquare and a Georgian both had an entryway, separate living room,
dining room and kitchen. When we sold the last home we rented an open concept apartment
and I do not like it at all. Issues such as privacy, cooking smells, noise and I miss a closed
kitchen. In my home I liked having a table where I could sit and prep. I may be in the
minority of people who dislike the breakfast bar since I don't like the higher stools and
with a dining room table and chairs those stools are too close to the dining room set
(it looks like a collection of chairs).
My children and I'll include my husband and myself grew up in homes with separate kitchens
and all of us have fond memories (as children) watching our moms and grandparents
preparing wonderful dishes and baked goods during an average day.
Prior to the 90's the only open floor plan I ever saw was in a few mid-century homes (like the one
in the Dick Van Dyke show where the living and dining room were combined).
Back in the 90's we looked at lofts (real lofts vs soft lofts) that were converted (industrial, warehouse,
manufacturing or office buildings) into condos. They had exposed heating ducts, original beams, posts
floors and high ceilings. We thought it was a excellent move to save these historic buildings.
Hard lofts were selling fast (btw, they were pricey plus one parking space could cost over
$10,000 back then) so builders and flippers found other buildings (mostly apartments)
and made them soft lofts by leaving half walls with the open concept.
We owned an America Foursquare and a Georgian both had an entryway, separate living room,
dining room and kitchen. When we sold the last home we rented an open concept apartment
and I do not like it at all. Issues such as privacy, cooking smells, noise and I miss a closed
kitchen. In my home I liked having a table where I could sit and prep. I may be in the
minority of people who dislike the breakfast bar since I don't like the higher stools and
with a dining room table and chairs those stools are too close to the dining room set
(it looks like a collection of chairs).
My children and I'll include my husband and myself grew up in homes with separate kitchens
and all of us have fond memories (as children) watching our moms and grandparents
preparing wonderful dishes and baked goods during an average day.
Amen, especially to the "collection of chairs" comment. When my mom broke her hip, my dad and I knew we had to move impediments and fall risks out of her way. The first thing I tackled was the open floor plan kitchen and breakfast nook. They had a total of NINE chairs and bar stools in this relatively small area (six dining chairs and three bar stools). I got it down to four and it looks great - four dining chairs, and I removed the bar stools that no one ever sat at anyway.
Oh my gosh, there were chair legs everywhere. When I got all those out of there, the space looked so much better.
In my former home, which had an open floor plan (and is the reason why I chose NOT to have an open floor plan this time around), we literally never sat at the bar stools. We did, however, lay things on or in them - purses, papers, hats, backpacks. Ugh. One day I looked over there and thought, "I'm getting rid of these things," and I hung some hooks up UNDER the overhang of the bar, for purses and backpacks and that sort of thing. This actually looked a whole lot better, believe it or not.
When we moved across the country a couple of years ago, we purchased a ranch with very open loft-style floor plan. As new empty nesters coming from an older colonial, we thought it would be fun to live in a completely different style home. In theory, it should be a good thing. We both love to cook so having the kitchen as the center of an open space suited us. We thought, as long as we had lower level private guest spaces, the openness shouldn't matter that much. We liked it for about three months, then I started to crave walls. Even though we have an office with doors and alcoves and corners that are somewhat private, it's still like you're in the same room. The only wall space in our kitchen is a 12-ft section that also has the ovens, refrigerator and stove top. The rest is a very large floating u-shaped peninsula and island. It's large, but I want more counters against walls for the tall items. It's also very loud, especially with hard floors and granite. Everything clangs. However, this is a great home for entertaining large groups. There's a lot of space and the 5 bar stools are used and are not in the way at all. But now I really crave a homey kitchen in the back of the home. Open to an informal eating area and sitting area, but still with separate living spaces and walls for books.
If we have any say about it, our next home will not be so open.
We bought 4 tall chairs for our counter, which is where we eat most of our meals. I don't find them a problem. We made sure to find comfy and sturdy chairs, and I like them. We've also used them for seating our grandkids around our large table. They have been perfect for providing taller seating for them.
I am not sure about the loft craze fueling the open floor plans. I think the open plans are more a product of smaller houses that must function in many different ways. My previous, circa 1980 great room was open in that it incorporated a dining area, a seating area, an entry and a library area in one large space. A separate room incorporated kitchen and small eating area. The large "great room" was vaulted. So, it had some open concept ideas even though it was built in 1979.
I suspect that open plans have evolved over time. The open plan home built in 1980 is probably different from the open plan home built in 2010.
I do dislike homes that have kitchens sort of stuck in a cul de sac in the middle of an open plan house, with no windows or doors, or much wall space. They almost seem to be an afterthought.
I think if you were to buy in a new development, you would be able to find a home with more segmented rooms. You could do a certain amount of customizing.
KathrynAragon,
Glad to see you still fighting the good fight against the open floor plan!
Sadly, we are still stuck with ours. There are limited options in our area. I'm actually looking in another community, but we won't be able to move for real until our daughter is done with school. Three years! I'm already packing though!
Who am I kidding, I never unpacked. There is nowhere to put my stuff with no walls to arrange furniture or artwork on. And the bedrooms are teeny tiny, since I guess the idea is that everyone is supposed to be out in the open. In the openness. At all times.
No wonder as my children have grown into teenagers, they frequently say, "I just need my alone time."
We bought 4 tall chairs for our counter, which is where we eat most of our meals. I don't find them a problem. We made sure to find comfy and sturdy chairs, and I like them. We've also used them for seating our grandkids around our large table. They have been perfect for providing taller seating for them.
I am not sure about the loft craze fueling the open floor plans. I think the open plans are more a product of smaller houses that must function in many different ways. My previous, circa 1980 great room was open in that it incorporated a dining area, a seating area, an entry and a library area in one large space. A separate room incorporated kitchen and small eating area. The large "great room" was vaulted. So, it had some open concept ideas even though it was built in 1979.
I was talking about high density cities during the 90's in relation to a city in the midwest.
Open floor plans (as explained in the Houzz link) was a questionnaire with a consensus that
concluded "It's a good solution for small space living. Knocking down walls to open up small
homes is a popular way of creating a feeling of space. Germany's Kurz says "In all those areas
determined by a highly competitive housing market, an optimization of small flats is more likely-
as there is less space."
Open concept as in one large room (what we see today) vs mid century or Frank LLoyd Wright
had subtle separations (there were many variations).
Also, for some of us, even comfy chairs and stools are a problem if you have some mobility
problems.
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