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I am an older guy (in his 60s), so take this rant accordingly...
What is it with "open" floor plans? I can't stand them.
I like walls.
Walls can hold pictures.
They can hold TVs and bookshelves.
Sofas and recliners can sit next to them.
Lamps for those chairs and sofas can magically be plugged in there without installing floor outlets.
I guess "designers" have decided we are ridiculous for asking for such a room plan.
I would love to meet the genius who "invented" TV-over-fireplace.
The proper position of a TV is with the center of the TV screen positioned at approximately (or just slightly above) eye level. Oh well. At least TV-over-fireplace works for people 12 ft tall or taller, or people who watch the TV 30' feet away out in the kitchen.
Finally, what is with the 12', 18' and even 20'+ ceilings?
Do you really think this old man wants to bring inside an extension ladder into the living room just to dust ceiling cobwebs or to change a light bulb? And that is even before considering the heating and cooling energy waste associated with such a drafty space.
And for what? So it looks more "open"?
No, thanks.
THANK YOU! Thank you, OP, for starting this thread!
I can answer your questions.
And may I add to your list of the virtues of walls--they create a sense of coziness and intimacy in a room. Give me a nice, cozy breakfast room or nook any day, to a kitchen relagated to a mere "station", a set of appliances squeezed into a corner of a combo living/dining room. A den with a fireplace to enjoy, or a wall or two of bookshelves to curl up among, on a sofa.
Why the open concept:
A) Cheaper to build, possibly better profit margin for the developers or construction company, or more affordable to buyers, who can barely afford SFH's anymore in certain markets.
B) "IT'S EUROPEAN!", as Seinfeld shouted at people who made fun of his men's "purse". The ultimate sales pitch! The open concept started in Europe out of necessity, because so many people live in apartments, some of which are pretty small. Think how expensive condos or rentals are in London, Paris, Moscow (not that Moscow ever was a trend-setter), etc. So you just tell American buyers, that "open concept" is the modern new thing from Europe. Presto-you have demand!
TV's over fireplaces: decorators, RE stagers, etc. either don't know what else to do with a flat-screen TV, or they think people want to show off their flat-screen TV's. They put them over the mantel because they can. You didn't used to be able to do that with the old picture-tube-type TVs.
The high ceilings: You can fool people by adding this seemingly elegant feature, even though what it means these days is, again--that the builder was too cheap to put in an attic (for proper insulation from the temperature extremes outdoors). So, call it a "cathedral ceiling", and people will ooh and aah, and feel like they're getting something special, something High Class. This also makes the home more affordable, because attics require more labor to build, of course, but what people don't realize is, that the homeowner will end up with higher heating and cooling bills without an attic.
I don't mind tall-er ceilings; I don't like homes with a cave-like appearance or feel. The old Craftsman bungalows had 10-ft. ceilings, I think? I never measured, but I lived in one, and it was just right. A 9' or 10' ceiling does add a sense of spaciousness. Anything higher seems excessive, and also hard to heat in winter.
Any more questions?
Signed,
A Kindred Spirit
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 09-25-2021 at 10:26 AM..
I've lived in both and now live in an old Victorian about 140 years old. I love the floor plan and having separate rooms with 10 ft ceilings, large bay windows, and having a galley kitchen. When I want the rooms to be more open, I open up the large pocket doors. The design is brilliant.
While we're on the topic of separate rooms, walls, and you bring up Victorians, let me ask: what was the purpose of having two parlors, or maybe one was a "parlor" and the other was a living room, IDK, I've never figured it out. Was one basically to receive guests, while the other was for the family's private use? Enlighten me, please.
While we're on the topic of separate rooms, walls, and you bring up Victorians, let me ask: what was the purpose of having two parlors, or maybe one was a "parlor" and the other was a living room, IDK, I've never figured it out. Was one basically to receive guests, while the other was for the family's private use? Enlighten me, please.
It really depends on the house and size of it. When most people think of Victorian homes, they think Queen Anne but there were several architectural styles, some being quite different from others. Some styles would fade out and others would become popular. Of course, the number of rooms would depend on the size of the house and how wealthy the person was that built it.
Mine is a small Queen Ann about 1600 sq ft. Some homes have both a parlor and living room but almost all had dining rooms. The parlor was generally placed nearer to the foyer and that's where you would sit with guests. So you are correct. If a house had both a parlor and living room, then the living room was for family and the parlor would be for entertaining guests. It's not so different than homes that were designed with both a family room and living room in the more modern times.
If you were wealthy enough, you could have a living room, parlor, receiving room and maybe a library. You'd also have a chamber with an attached bedroom. The chamber was used for sleeping at night and disrobing, the bedroom would have a day bed for taking naps during the day.
Keep in mind that people used to spend much more time in their homes than they do now. A well designed home with more rooms for privacy was important so many homes also had pocket doors that would open to allow easy flow through the house when desired and give a more open feel as well yet be private when the doors were closed.
Last edited by marino760; 09-25-2021 at 11:16 AM..
My last two homes have open floor plans. I like it.
- you only need "1" TV
- overhead ceiling lights allow for much MORE light and more dimmer/highlight effects
- I own no floor lamps. None. Zero. They are clutter, and you'd need 8-10 of them to get the kind of lighting you get in a modern/new construction home.
- I like my vaulted ceilings. You can throw paper airplanes indoors. Or play broom hockey/nerf soccer with an open floor plan.
Also, old school low ceilings trap heat. And low ceilings with incandecent/halogen lights make too much waste heat. I'm trying to COOL my house on most days, and vaulted ceilings with recessed frosted LED lights are a win.
- I dont like the fireplace+TV setup ether. I put the TV on the opposite wall when I had a fireplace, and now that I dont have a fireplace, problem solved.
- bookcases have gone the way of the dodo. People do eReader/Kindles now, if they even read at all.
I want more than one TV, so that's what I have.
I can't remember the last time I turned on overhead lights, which I hate. I much prefer natural light, lamps including floor lamps, candlelight, you name it.
I don't play sports inside.
I actually prefer taller ceilings though, but not to play sports. I prefer them because I can also have oversized windows and lots of natural light.
I don't like the TV over the fireplace. In fact, I don't like the TV dominating the living room. That's why I don't even have a TV in the living room. I do, however, have some books in a library table in the living room. When I bought this house, the first, literally the first piece of furniture I bought was a book case (for the den/office) because there were no built in book cases anywhere in the house.
I can't imagine buying a house without a fireplace. In fact, when shopping for a house, I won't even look at homes that don't have a fireplace.
I love bookshelves. I love the feel of a real book in my hands generally. Plus my bookshelves don't hold just books - they also hold decorative objects. I love reading. I do own and use my Kindle if a book is too big. There are some big books out there. I know this because I read them.
My bookcase in my bedroom is full of books. It also has a TV sitting on top of it. I watched it just last night in fact.
To each his or her own!
I don't much care for a fully open floor plan though I want I guess a semi open floor plan. Like I said, lots of natural light is very important to me and an open floor plan can really facilitate that. But I've had a very open floor plan in the past and I really, really was jonesin' for some walls.
Another thought: having separate rooms rather than one large space helps reduce parricide during quarantines and shelter in place periods. One never knows when this might be important again.
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