Last updated on June 26th, 2017
How many of you are house-hunting at the moment? Mind telling us what features you’re drawn to? If your goal is a new(ish) house with an open floor plan, you’re not alone. According to HGTV’s “Property Virgins,” everyone wants what you want! Still, I hope you won’t overlook the benefits of owning an old, “traditional” house with lots of walls, rooms, and doors.
A contemporary, “open concept” house resembles a very large studio apartment. Everything is on view. Open the front door, and you’ll immediately glimpse the living, dining, and cooking areas. It might be a terrific space for entertaining. Just keep in mind that you won’t be able to escape the crowd by hiding out in the kitchen. The kitchen is missing walls and a door.
True Confession: I grew up in an open-concept house. It was a challenge to practice piano there (I was a budding concert musician), because of constant competition from a television set. The TV was turned up high in order to drown out the cooking sounds that emerged from the kitchen, and yes, the noise was unbearable.
Consequently, all of my adult homes — and I’m including NYC apartments here — have been “closed concept.” I love the privacy that walls, rooms, and doors provide.
I also love the quiet privacy that every old, traditional home has to offer.
When you open the front door of a closed-concept house, you are greeted by an entrance hall. On one or both side of the hall are doors. What’s behind these doors? Ah, that’s the mystery.
We might find a parlor behind door #1. It’s a private room, ideal for reading in quiet solitude. It’s also a terrific place for serving afternoon tea or pre-dinner cocktails before a roaring fire. (Traditional homes have fireplaces.) More pictures here.
The kitchen might be hidden behind door #2. Since the room has 4 walls, it can accommodate lots of counter space and storage cabinets. Wanna keep an eye on your toddlers while you prepare a meal? Put some fun toys or coloring books on the floor, and close the door. And don’t worry about the dirty dishes in the sink. The room is not open to prying eyes! More pictures of this room.
Frankly, I’m always stunned by the young homeowners who knock down walls in order to have an open-concept kitchen. Perhaps they are tidier than me. Or, perhaps their kitchen appliances are really beautiful, and worth public display. My own appliances are nothing to boast about.
Door #3 could lead to an honest-to-goodness dining room. The ambiance of the room isn’t undermined by any on-view mayhem in the kitchen. Oh, the joys of living in a house with walls and doors. (More pictures of the dining room.)
Maybe door #5 reveals a TV room/Library. I did not photograph this room because it’s a big fat mess right now. But trust me, when the door is closed, I can’t see the clutter. Nor can I hear my spouse clap and scream as he watches endless games during baseball season.
And here’s another perk that an old, traditional home can offer:
An ornate staircase…
That doubles as as a day-bed.
Now back to the topic at hand: Are you a fan of the modern house with its free-flowing floor plan and open-concept kitchen? Or are you drawn to the old (or old-style) traditional home that offers walls, rooms, doors, and…oodles of privacy?
Share your thoughts in the comments field below.
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More old-house fun:
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Kitchen Storage: Creating a “Baking Center”
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DebbyMc says
I’m with you! I want rooms! I’ve never had a separate dining room, and that is my dream. In SoCA, it is hard, even with an old house, to find a non-open concept house. The flippers get ahold of the vintage homes and knock down all the walls and open everything up, which is what everyone wants. But not me. My search continues!
Sally says
I can see the benefits of both concepts. I have lived in both kinds of architecture, and have enjoyed both. However, I would never, EVER open a Victorian, Georgian or colonial into an open concept. Never. Nor would I encourage others to do so by buying a home that had been mangled in this way. A 50s era home…maybe. Those kitchens are usually kind of measly, and I love a big kitchen. So…not such a purist after all. And, anything after the 50s I probably wouldn’t buy anyway. I just don’t trust the craftsmanship.
Gabriele says
I grew up in ‘closed’ concept in Germany and still want it today. I love cooking smells, just not all over the house. Also for cooling or heating, I feel like you have better control over usage. An enclosed room warms or cools quicker. I don’t have issues with clutter. I hate it and never get to the point of ‘no return’.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi DebbyMc – Good luck with your home search!
Hi Sally – Nice to meet you!
Kristin Breinholt says
I love the free feeling of the open concept space. Right now though my kitchen walls have cut out windows into the living room and hallway so I get the best of both world’s. Walls for counter and cupboard space but when I’m cooking I can still be a part of whatever else is going on at my house.
Wendy says
I do not like open houses. I love having rooms. There is something very special about a kitchen. I like kitchen activities happening in the kitchen. I have great memories of my mom and her sisters sitting around the kitchen table drinking tea.
Joan C says
I don’t mind having a dining room that opens to a living room but would never want a kitchen open to either. Who wants to sit down to eat and see a messy kitchen? I want the illusion that the food was prepared without much bother. I don’t want my guests to see the 5 pans and 4 bowls and numerous utensils that were used in making the meal. I’ll be putting my present home on the market this coming spring and wouldn’t consider buying a house with an open plan.
John says
I grew up in a formal center hall colonial, complete with formal dining and living rooms, powder rooms, hallways, enclosed den and kitchen, library, etc. and I must confess that I’m done with that arrangement. growing up, our home was loaded down with sets of china, crystal, sterling flatware, candelabras, wall hangings, oriental rugs, etc. truthfully, for my brother and I there was so much space that we were not allowed into,dining and living rooms, etc., so many places where we had to ‘take our shoes off’, etc., I really wondered to this day why we had those rooms. my parents did entertain in those rooms, but not often enough to warrant having them, in my opinion. so in my adult life, I want to be able to use the spaces that we have in our home everyday in a casual setting and not ‘reserve and preserve’ formal rooms for the 10 days a year that they may be used. it sounds like this stuff goes back to childhood likes and dislikes ? nonetheless kevin, I really do like your home and what you’ve done to it. Many thanks…
Kathrine Jenkins says
I’m also with you. I don’t understand the open concept.
My gosh, you have to have your house spotless 24/7!
I close off rooms that are not in use–why heat, cool or clean them?
I can escape to sew or research genealogy or computer surf or read in peace!
Kattrinka says
Rooms for sure, energy efficient, no cooking grease sediment or clutter in sight.
Laurene says
I’m in complete agreement Kevin. I watch these shows and wonder if they will like their home in a year. I much prefer separate living spaces where each room has its own personality and is not on display the moment you enter a house.
Marilyn says
I have a long narrow kitchen right now with a doorway into the hallway and another into the dining room. After working in a crowded narrow kitchen that is main point of the house during holidays I would like an open floor plan to give me breathing space. I can see having “walls’ but after having them i would like a change with something more open.
Mary in Iowa says
Except for 2 apartments in my young adult years, every house from toddlerhood to older than dirt (12) has had a traditional floor plan with defined rooms. Most of those houses have been over 100 years, and while the absence of a few doors may not close everything off completely, the open doorways have been narrow enough to afford a sense of separateness. I hope I never again have to live with an open floor plan. Most modern housing is featureless, characterless, blah. The exteriors are as generic and uninteresting as the interiors. No matter how expensive, they remind me of Pete Seeger’s song lyrics, “They’re all made out of ticky-tacky and they all look just the same.”
Your negative memories of your childhood house are saddening, John, but what you describe is a lifestyle rather than a house style. A house, no matter how large or small, should serve the people who live there, people should not live to serve the house–or any other material object. In the end, what is important is that the inhabitants are comfortable and relaxed in their chosen environment.
Carla says
I agree with the separate room concept! I love rooms with a dedicated purpose, because they can be decorated with that in mind. I also love privacy and it’s nice to have a room in which to read or do a hobby without noisy competition.
Maybe people who love open-concept are very extroverted?? Maybe they love always being with everyone else.
Oh, also I am a messy cook and prefer my guests not see the hurricane-like appearance of my kitchen during a dinner party!
Love the website, Kevin. You’re gifted in domestic genius.
Carla says
Forgot to say that we live in a 125-year old home and LOVE it!
~gloria says
To me, a house with traditional rooms has more character. I like a house with lots of hallways, twists and turns, odd shaped rooms, and hidey-hole alcoves where a child can sneak off and read.
Marilyn says
I, too, want a large, wonderful, separate dining room! I don’t care if I use it only 3 times a year….though actually I’d use it much more than that, for myriad activities. I prefer an open kitchen to a small cramped aisle kitchen, which is what I have (and hate!). But I’d like it bitg and square, with an island, and open only to the family room, and not TOO open…..kind of on one side, with a bar in between, perhaps, and distant from the tv (I know a plan like this). I’d also like a separate living room, with yes, doors that close. Advantages to both concepts, depending on need and use. What we can all agree we don’t want, I’m sure, is a house, large or small, with small, cramped, dark rooms that welcome no one!
CJ says
Door #2 needs to be CLOSED I don’t like looking at dirty dishes while I’m eating dinner, either.
I live in a small home (1100 sq ft) and have a partially open kitchen. At least when we sit at the dining room table, the sink with the dirty dishes is tucked back around the corner behind a wall and out of sight. The partially open concept gives us the illusion of more square footage than we actually have.
Sheryl says
I really love the open concept (there are only two of us, the house is not that large and this makes it feel a bit bigger. The t.v. is hardly ever on unless the two of us are watching a movie.
One thing you mention, though, and one you don’t, that I miss about a closed floorplan: the need for the kitchen to constantly be clean (which it isn’t, but…it should be!) AND having more walls to either put furniture against or hang things on the wall. (I would also like closets, but that’s a story for another day…)
myrtle miller says
Both concepts make complete sense to me.As a child though the older a home was the better and if it had stairs that just made it more interesting. To me an ideal home is huge, abounds in good craftsmanship and hopefully imports some of the designers’ own sense of style.
Ronnie says
Hi Kevin! I grew up in an old antique colonial. My parents were always working on it as there was always something to be done. So, I also LOVE old homes you can’t beat the charm !Or in your case elegance!!! My house is a center hall colonial. I had a huge country kitchen when we moved in. What did I do? Well..I put up a wall to create a dining room! YUP and I have never regretted it! My kitchen is big enough for a small eating area and it suits us fine! I do like the open concept too, but not as much as my private time in the living room while my husband is cheering on his favorite sports team in the den! So there you have it! I’m with you !
Ronnie ☺
Gloria says
Out of 8 houses I have owned only one was open concept and I never felt comfortable there. I chose the nursery off the master bedroom for my sewing room and spent a lot of time in there. The house I’m living in now had one of those windows between the kitchen and living room and that was my first remodeling project, to get rid of that thing!
Susan says
I adore the intimacy separate rooms can provide.
Maryrose says
I agree. I love my charming 1840’s Carpenter’s Gothic cottage! I can escape the kitchen and go into the Library or Living Room. When we entertain people are strewn all over the house and it’s a delight!
Our Bed & Breakfast guests just love all the rooms and especially our reuse of architectural elements throughout the house way before it was a trend.
Trisha says
I love rooms! When I married 40 years ago, the “great room” was becoming popular. I have never cared for them at all. I don’t have a good story or reason for my likes/dislikes. I grew up in a very small, post WWII. It had a living/dining combo, 1 bath, 2 bedrooms. Maybe I just like having “somewhere to go” in the house!
Denise T says
I love a traditional home with high enough ceilings for beautiful moldings. I grew up in a cramped cape house w/o moldings. I love a grand house but nothing over the top or unlivable in decoration. I had an architect draw addition plans for me once and even though I gave him a design I liked found in a magazine, and listed a lot of what I wanted, he drew up a McMansion with atrium ceilings, a dressy facade with no beauty to the other 3 sides of the house. There were many other things as well that just turned me off. Thanks goodness we met a few more times and I took notes of our discussions so I could prove to him he was not listening. Eventually he got there.
If I could have the beauty of an old house with rich moldings and built ins ,, etc you get that give a house character yet have all the systems modern and comfortable it woudl be my ideal. Ok with land to garden and a view.
I love your house.
Erlyn says
Until recently I lived in a center hall colonial built in 1910 and enjoyed all the formality- china, crystal, sliver – even a grape scissors. I now live in an open concept house and I love being able to enjoy my company while preparing my less formal dinners etc. In my previous house my guest were in the formal living room and I in the kitchen and so many came to the kitchen and yes they did see all my pots and pans etc . at least now we are all together. I do have private places, a library and an enclosed porch, laundry/sewing room etc. Kevin could put his piano in my library and I would enjoy hearing him play.
Kevin your house is amazing and so are your gardens.
Dina says
I’m with you, Kevin. I work in a field that allows me to see many homes and I’m as tired of open floor plans as I am of stainless steel appliances with granite countertops. It’s a look that reminds of the last housing boom. I have cringed upon walking into a beautiful old colonial or even a mid-century modern to find I have a vista of a kitchen, a corner office, various chairs and a giant TV with a sofa planted in front of it. Unless people are perfect housekeepers there is always something messy in review (piles of papers, dishes, toys, dog chews etc) I love a few nooks and crannies and the feeling of elegant transformation that comes from walking between a well-used kitchen and a handsome dining room. I just suggest if people want this open design that buy or build a house that was made to have it instead of destroying perfectly good homes of the past.
Durf says
Amen, brother! What I would hate about open concept plans is the fact that you have to pick only one paint color and everything has to coordinate with every room. How boring! Also, furniture placement is a nightmare. Where do you plug lamps in? Your rooms can’t be changed around all the time like I like to do.
I have a c. 1875 vernacular Gothic Revival workingman’s cottage, which is very simple but has a lovely double parlor. The previous owner had removed most doors. He cut back the wall between the living and dining rooms. He also created a “pass-through” between the dining room and a room I use as an office. I get great light! I sometimes wish, however, that I could close doors to some rooms that I don’t use often, especially in the winter to cut back on heating them.
But, yeah, I hate to see some of these houses ruined by taking down all kinds of walls. You’re right – noisy and no privacy, and high heating bills.
Chris says
I moved from an older closed-concept home into to a brand new open-concept home. I enjoy the ability to visit with my guests as I check the chicken, make another round of drinks, etc. but having the mess of meal preparation visible is definitely a negative! Thankfully our dining room is somewhat closed off from the remainder of the first floor so we can dine away from the dirty dishes. All said, I do prefer the more open floor plan of my new house because I feel included in the party as I put the finishes touched on dinner.
Chris says
*finishing touches
Sybil says
LOVE your house! We are about to renovate the kitchen in our 1968 house. I am finding it incredibly irritating that SO many people keep bringing up, unasked I might add, “taking out that wall to open things up” ! I don’t want my kitchen open to the living area, don’t even want an island and definitely don’t want people lined up on bar stools while I cook…lol. I also don’t want to look at the prep mess while I am eating or from the living area.
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
These ideas are all very intriguing. You have struck a nerve with this post.
Love that day bed photo.
Loretta says
You’ve made some valid points, I totally agree. An open plan concept is perhaps a more modern idea? I cook a lot, so don’t really want the aromas of garlic wafting through my living room :).
Amanda says
You are the cutest thing ever! And brilliant.
We’ve knocked down some walls, and I immediatly noticed I could not hide from my children while cooking dinner. Hmmmmm….
xoxo
a
Arlene Bice says
I have always agreed with your thoughts on lots of individual rooms for many of the same reasons. I like privacy and there is a time to be separate from the rest of the family. And think of all those walls to hang paintings on-they make the home personal and . . .create the home in the house.
light & love to you, your blog is the best ever!
Betty says
I love to have separate rooms I do not like the open living idea, open living was devised by builders to save putting in lots of doors etc; open living is cheaper to build. I love my house with its individual rooms and their “personalities” I love your house and all you show us.
Tina Neyer says
Kevin, My husband and I just had a significant conversation about moving from our beautiful, 3-story, home, built in 1900. We fell in love with it 5 years ago: original wood, pocket doors, 4 fire places and ornate mantels. Character that is void in the newer “open” concept homes is abundant in my home, where there is a unique french door off the dining room and a way to close off the kitchen when entertaining, and guests can move to the outside area without bothering the cook. The light is beautiful when it casts on the leaded glass and stain glass windows and color seems to be so approriate–my dining room is a deep red wine color that accents the woodwork.
I LOVE my home. What I struggle with is noise. If this house were in a setting as pastoral as I see in your posts of your home, I would never even consider moving. Yet, our area is fraught with gawkers and tourists these days.
But I ramble. Perhaps I only wanted to share this with you because you have pointed out the beauty of your home and helped me to assimilate those feelings regarding my home. Thank you.
Dr Janelle Trees says
My wife is European and she has taught me the value of closing doors. I’m Aboriginal and never really got it before. Privacy, temperature control. Thank you for sharing your beautiful house with us. I trust I will have as many rooms one day.
anita says
“Closed concept” is great IF the house is large enough. But for sure, I think the kitchen should have walls and a door.
More importantly, Miss Lily looks beautiful on the staircase.
Karen L. says
Personally I would not ever want an open concept house. I just don’t get it. Currently we are in a small ranch and I find that the kitchen is a bit too close to the living room. Maybe if we had a library or family room that could be used for TV watching elsewhere in the house, it wouldn’t be so bad. The kitchen becomes a noisy place if I am cooking or baking (and yes, messy) so I really do not understand the big draw of open concept. Yes, it appears wonderful when you walk into a house and it has been tidied up for showing but what about when you are actually living there? Nope, don’t want one and never will. I am beginning to think it is an idea pushed by builders and realtors so that they can get people to want to move. But just like bell bottoms, I think the closed concept will eventually come back into fashion …. especially if the builders and realtors want to sell a home or renovate one again.
Vickie @Vickie's Kitchen and Garden says
I personally think walls or even cross pieces are nice. Something to define a room. Just makes it more inviting.
Amy says
Open concept + two boys = no place to escape. We moved last year, our boys are mid teens now, and all of us wanted walls and doors. Love my sitting room and my dining room. If I could figure out a way to box in the family room with the giant flat screen TV that adjoins the kitchen, I’d make a door there too!! And soundproof it!!
Deb Stover says
The open floor plan fad has caused an epidemic of toddler moms hiding in bathrooms across America. It’s the only privacy they have, and even that is questionable before Daddy gets home to ensure they don’t burn down the house while Mommy is hiding.
John says
When I remodeled my 1908 bungalow, it was more of an ‘undoing’ of past ‘improvements.’ Removing metal siding and restoring the original narrow clapboards, etc.
My kitchen had long lost any of its former charm: a blank slate. I confess I stewed about opening it up to the dining room (with a cased arch that would match the one that separates the living and dining room).
But I didn’t do that. Mainly because I was afraid of ruining the home’s charm. But also because it was one of the few blank walls in the house. (Where would I put the buffet?)
I’m glad I didn’t do it.
Helga G says
I’m with you on that one Kevin. To me every room should be an “Individual”. I don’t want to “cook in my Livingroom” or have cooking smells invade the bedrooms. That’s where I want closed doors.
But then sometimes it all comes down to that “almighty pricetag” and what you can afford.
Becca says
I HATE HATE HATE open floor plans! I am currently in a rental house that is an open floor plan and I have a very mobile 11 month old. An open floor plan and a toddler just don’t mix well because where a wall should be is a security fence…..I have fences everywhere! Very frustrating and not pleasing to the eye what-so-ever! But I don’t really have a choice because that is how all the homes come here in Idaho. I just can’t wait to move back to Illinois and into an old house 🙂
Donna says
I’ve always loved old houses over modern-open space home. We live in an old house and love it. I have to say with six children, now grown and on their own, I still had noise, noise galore.
A boom box playing upstairs, one practicing piano, the others doing whatever,
TV on in the kitchen as the main one was quiet because of piano, friends in, etc. Makes mother’s learn how to block the noise out. After all were gone, took a long time to live with the quietness.
Linda says
I love our open living room/dining room/kitchen! Who wants to be isolated in a kitchen making cookies while everyone’s chatting away in the living room? We have “rooms” too–bedrooms, laundry room, upstairs office/TV room/bedroom. We live in the mountains, and have a large covered deck that’s open too–to the woods and Mother Nature! We raised our 4 daughters and half the kids in town here! Noisy? Oh yes! 🙂 I remember when the girls had their flute (recorder) practice–they’d have to go into a closet, or the dogs would howl!
Heather says
Hi Kevin! I’m going to come down in favor of some open concept (although not for the whole house). We have a large family, and an open kitchen, family, and eating area is a must for us. We do have a separate piano/living room and a separate office/study. We sacrificed the formal dining to have that, but we aren’t formal people. Lots of places here to hide or be social, but mostly we like to be together.
Anne says
We have a home that was started in 1790 and added to in the early 1900’s. We have modernized the plumbing, put in central ac, rewired and updated the kitchen. We have not messed with the floorpan! We love the separate rooms for different activities, privacy and peace and quiet. Wherever possible we have kept old fixtures, windows, doors and hardware. We don’t care that it isn’t all perfect-it has character. And everyone comes together for meals and conversation….
Amy G says
Kevin,
Your home makes me swoon! Currently, we live in an open floor plan that I incorrectly thought was a great idea to make everyone (including my 4 kids) easily accessible…maybe I should now write a book “Parenting Mistakes 101”! Our home is extremely loud and the only way to separate from it is to go into a bedroom. I personally love closed floor plans and cannot wait to get back into one! And, if you have lots and lots of kids, put in an old-fashioned intercom system…it’s much quieter than shouting to come downstairs for dinner! 🙂
Amanda Merritt says
Rooms, walls, doors, staircases are what make a home. I feel there’s no peace or privacy in an open space, and peace and prvacy are my definition of home.
KimmieInIN says
Kevin, I am with you 100%. We bought a newer (1991) very traditional home with with 2-story foyer and French doors leading to the dining room on the right and the music room on the left. I am all for doors to close off or open up for every room for exactly the reasons you list. It will be really hard for us to down-size when we will probably end up with a smaller open concept home and the feeling that we are on top of each other all the time.
Rhonda Strahler says
Once again, we are in complete agreement!! These days, privacy is at a premium, and besides, older homes just simply have more STYLE, as most older things do….(she said, anticipating her 67th birthday next week…; )
kath parran moriarty says
You are so right! How can the Open Concept People stand the noise? If it’s not the piano vs. the Nightly News, it’s the echoes from not having any rugs! Not to mention–in a VERY open kitchen, people keep talking to you when you’re trying to concentrate on last-minute garnish or
measuring correctly for gravy. You can help me LATER.
And also not to mention: harder to hide clutter–or as I prefer to term it, the Raw Materials of Life.
(Hello to all of Columbia County from Ed’s sis.)
Brenda says
I agree also. Open concept gives me very little wall space to hang things and place furniture. I want rooms and doors and to be able to get away……..and hide.
kath parran moriarty says
P.S. Too open = no place to play Hide and Seek with small children. Good grief.
Angie says
The only open element of my house is that the kitchen and family room are open to each other. I hate it. It’s great when I want to be cooking and clapping and screaming at the baseball game on the tv in the family room…, but horrible when I’m cooking and someone wants the tv or stereo to watch/listen to something that doesn’t inspire me to cook. (Reality show or horror movie… egads!) I want my kitchen to be a sanctuary, not an extension of another room. And I certainly miss the cabinets that would have gone against that open walll!
Suzanne K says
For me, it depends! On the (now very rare) occasions that I’m entertaining, I enjoy the open concept because everyone tends to gather around/in the kitchen and the open concept means that spreads out a bit, and I can still be ‘in’ the party while in the kitchen cooking. The rest of the time, I wish I had walls (I have open). Walls on which to put furniture, pictures, cupboards… and most of all, rooms to close off and NOT spend money heating or cooling when they aren’t being used!
Angie says
Kath — “raw materials of life” — marvelous!
Annie says
If we had walls in between our kitchen, dining and living room they would all be tiny claustrophobic spaces. When we have guests for dinner they all end up in the kitchen anyway, having an open space means they can hang around – on the edges – without getting in our way. I love our open great room AND the doors on the office, sewing room, bedrooms….
MARTI Meyer says
Everything has its season. When the kids are toddlers, then the open plan seems wonderful…you can watch them from everywhere. When they get to be teens, (and I raised 6) you never can find a place to be alone. They have their friends over and there is video games and movies into the night. Far better to have walls then. I love the flavor of old houses and it hurts my heart when the TV crews go in and tear out beautiful places to leave everything open.
ingmarie peck says
I totally agree with you here. I like walls and doors too.
You live in a absolutely beautiful house.
Sheri Rice says
Three cheers for traditional houses with separate rooms with doors. Privacy keeps us sane. I grew up in a closed concept house, and it allowed four people, three cats, and two kids who were music students to cohabitate well. My home as an adult is a newer home and quite open although not as open as some I’ve seen, and thankfully it’s only two of us or I suspect it would get mighty noisy. The downstairs has a vaulted ceiling in the entry/living room which is great for the Xmas tree, but otherwise a waste of space. Yes there’s ample light as you can see from the front door through to the sunroom in back. When the teenager visits, we all tend to retreat to the privacy of our bedrooms for reading quietly. Our next house will have a more traditional layout. We have a romantic notion about a dark walled study with a big fireplace and heavy, wooden doors….. A study that opens into the main foyer with a grand staircase. Doors. Love ’em.
Nelly says
Your mansion is to die for!! That’s why it has so many doors, there’s room for it but a 1,700 home needs to be a little bit open or it’d look smaller than it is. That’s why they’re remodeling those houses and opening the walls, the entertaining concept, the you can see your kids playing while prepping meals. Besides your mansion of course, I like a half open concept. I still need a couple walls to hide from the kids in a corner of the kitchen and don’t want the people who comes thru the front door see the mess in the kitchen ups
Suzanne Rowe says
I am with you Kevin. I love old houses and the mysteries they hold behind each door. I love the ability to have privacy with the close of a door or leave it open as an invitation to having a guest. When I think of this the memories of my mother’s family home comes to mind, it was built by my great grandfather with love and care. Every time I walk into that house I feel like it is hugging me with its warmth and closeness. Unfortunately here in Montana where I live it is very hard to find old traditional homes. Most have been taken down and more modern styles replace them.
Darla Metro says
I love traditional homes. Especially when they have beautiful woodwork and doors. Something no one has mentioned about open concept homes is that they are much more dangerous if (heaven forbid) there is ever a fire. With no walls to stop or slow it down fire can consume an open concept home quickly. Looks, noise, etc. aside, that alone seems a good reason to have some walls and doors.
Monica says
If I had very small children and a smaller kitchen than the current trends promote I would consider an open concept. However, as an adult, I so totally agree that separate rooms are far more functional and elegant. Sometimes you need to slip into the kitchen and hit the hidden bottle when entertaining or whisper to your best friend your true thoughts. Looking at the pots and pans that created the feast you’re serving detracts from the intrigue of a fine meal and takes away any wow factors with the arrival of a special dish arriving at the table. And cooking aromas are always better enjoyed in the kitchen. However, I’m into pocket and sliding rail doors to not loose the space traditional doors can eat up. Thanks for your site and especially for the info on this deplorable law they’re trying to disguise as helpful!
Mary Jouver says
Kevin I love your beautiful home! When I lived on Long island, before moving to Washington State, I lived in a home built in the early 20’s. I loved the center hall entrance with the stair way leading to the second floor and all the separate rooms! It was very cozy and welcoming…miss that in today’s homes!
dragonfly says
My kitchen would make Dina cringe (…”I have cringed upon walking into a beautiful old colonial or even a mid-century modern to find I have a vista of a kitchen, a corner office, various chairs and a giant TV with a sofa planted in front of it. )
But, it has been perfect for us as we raised our 3 kids in this house. I have always loved cooking and baking, save for the isolation that a small kitchen demands. We knocked out the exterior wall of our 1927 kitchen, and along with custom designed cherry cabinets to preserve the craftsmanship of the original house, added a peninsula and a family room that adjoins the kitchen (with a small corner “office” space for my computer). The remainder of the house has individual rooms.
I, unlike many of your readers, actually LOVED having my kids and their friends hanging around and sitting at the cherry peninsula table across from my stainless steel stove in the granite countertop. Not only could the kids do their homework there, but they could observe and assist meal preparation. All 3 of my adult children are very good cooks who appreciate well
prepared nutritious meals.
Our house is on the market now. A lovely kitchen with solid cherry cabinets, stainless steel appliances and beautiful granite countertops is apparently passe. Hopefully a buyer who loves beauty, mixed with a little happy noise and untidyness will come along soon.
sarah says
I am totally anti-open floor plan, Kevin, after having lived in such a home for 18 years. I much prefer the 1950s split level I live in now because of the walls. You’d think an open plan would offer more decorating choices, but it does not. Dirty dishes in the sink? Guests can see them the minute they walk in. Noise? Terrible noise control. Give me the quiet, ordered life of a 1950s home.
Linda A says
The building industry in our country can still be supported without our having to live in “homogenized home” design. If I hear one more Realtor promote “granite countertops,”
as something everyone must want, I think I’ll scream.
Preserving lovely old homes such as yours and others in our country is important to our heritage. If you’re not already a member, Kevin, you might be interested in the National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) that supports saving historic buildings and homes. (I have no affiliation other than liking what they do.)
Thanks for your blog about your home and the care and attention you give to it! It’s a great read.
Marian says
Hi Kevin, I love old homes, I am currently looking for a home to purchase in Maine. I have found many in my purchase budget at the age of 1700 – 1900. I am hoping to move by early next year, this will be a full time home. Every thing you are saying is what I believe is a home, to me an open concept is a home for display only. Thank Marian
Pat M. says
I think it depends on what part of the country you live in.
Angela Willis says
I couldn’t agree more, Kevin! I ADORE old homes.. yours is lovely! I live in a 1930’s Art Deco bungalow that was all the rage in it’s hay day! We have a ‘bit’ of an open floor plan, with unusual arched doorways that open the dining room into the living room… but that is it… the rest of the house is closed off with doors.
I think it depends on where you live. I have a friend who has a log-cabin near the lake (the one with all the English Ivy!). The floor plan is open kitchen and dinning rooms, with vaulted ceiling and loft bedroom. An entire wall is tall windows that lead to a patio where you have a gorgeous view of the lake (near Mt. Rainer) and the openness (and the quietness of the country) of that house makes me feel VERY relaxed, like I am on vacation- which is the idea when I visit.
However, the modern houses that do that, make me feel like I am in an apartment. I, like you, much prefer beautiful old homes, made with quality craftsmanship and design, especially when it comes to living.
Diane Stegmaier says
My family was in the building business. Mother explained to me that doors cost money, as do ceilings and attics. Cheaper builders left them out and realtors and marketers convinced people that “airy and open” was the way to go. We had sliding doors from the kitchen to front hall and from kitchen to dining room. When Mother cooked, the doors were closed to keep the house cleaner. We had a door between the front hall and the back (bedroom) hall to keep the bedrooms quieter.
I have lived in both types of houses and vote for rooms and walls and doors. Besides peace and quiet and privacy and lack of cooking odors, homes with walls give you a place for furniture and book shelves and wall art.
Janet Sunderland says
I’m with you, Kevin. I love to give parties, but I like hiding out in the kitchen. Only the intrepid come find me, and then they are pretty much hiders too….LOL. We live in a 1924 built house, a stone basement that never cracks, and a stairway to upstairs where guests never go. And thick walls so we rarely hear noise. And a double length yard which has had way to many somethings, so now I grow clover and flowers, and a willow tree to soak up the near stream we used to have, and which bees and birds and butterflies appreciate, instead of grass, and my vegetable gardens are close to the house and in boxes. Not, however, as extensive as yours.
Thanks for all your many recipes! Several are now in my keeper file after trying them out. I expect the kohlrabi and kabbage will join them.
Samantha says
Did part of my growing up in a wonderful, rambling old farmhouse in Virginia with closed doors. Did the other part in a converted 1890’s barn-cum-carriage house on Long Island which was very carefully renovated by my interior designer/draftswoman maternal grandma. It also had closed rooms which she planned, given the time period the barn and carriage house were built. I live in a (sort-of) high ranch with a “great room” which is good, as my harp lives in the “L” space, and our wood stove lives in the “living room” part. I miss formal dining rooms, but gave up the “L” – which could have been one (sort-of) – to my harp. My daughter and her husband live in a beautiful 1899 “Four Square” home on the Delmarva Peninsula in Va. and when we move there in a few years, I hope to have the same arrangement with fire places, and pocket doors and a formal dining room again. And my harp? Libby has a music room, and I hope to have one as well. I love my cathedral ceiling, and wide, open 8 foot high glass doors to the upper and lower decks, but the charm and personality of old houses is not to be denied. A time for each, I say.
marlina says
I am one of the old fashioned ones who much prefer closed walls like you.
I never liked “open concept” very much.
Carole says
Just put my open-floor plan home, which I Iove, up for sale. I’ve grown up with this style and have had it through almost 50 years of marriage. It’s a good gathering place. Most of the television viewing is out of the area as it does cut down on conversation.
If anyone is looking for a nice 2-bedroom,
http://www.trulia.com/property/3209020191-4525-River-Ranch-Rd-Milton-FL-32583
YvonneM says
Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s in Britain meant homes with a door to each and every room, opening and closing every door as you go from one room to another. Even now, most homes are still that way, and visiting family in recent years reminds me how much I dislike this style. Now living in Canada, I’ve had the bliss of living in semi-open plan homes; fewer doors in the public areas of the home with of course, bedrooms and bathrooms having doors – I find the temperature stays more constant throughout and that icy chill going from one closed off room to another is a nightmare of the past!
Having said that, I think it’s all a question of personal preference and balancing that with the style of your home! Excellent discussion.
Elaine r says
Before we built about 35 yrs ago,I found I was stuck in the kitchen while activities went on in the living room so when we designed our current home we developed a semi open plan..with living room and dining room open to each other and the family TV room and kitchens all in one. Solved the tidiness. And isolationi problem, but somehow exacerbated the sound travel, where sometimes the sounds seem louder outside the respective rooms..still not in favour of open plan but don’t nessesarily want doors everywhere.
Jenn says
We have a 1910 bungalow,so the living and dining rooms are open-ish with an 8 foot wide opening between them surrounded by beautiful old molding. We looked at many bungalows in our neighborhood because we didn’t want the galley kitchen most have.
We found one with a 12 ft square kitchen (pretty big for a small bungalow) with an adorable exposed brick chimney and old cabinets with art deco mantles. We have a “pass through” window type thing to the dining room (sort of like what Mary Tyler Moore had in her Victorian apartment back in the 60s on the MTM Show). It provides enough openness for conversing from room to room but hides the dishes during dinner parties. Everyone always asks when we are going to knock down the wall and open it up and can’t imagine why we want to keep it.
I enjoy vacationing in open-concept vacation homes but with my messy cook of a husband I like being able to keep the dishes out of sight. I would also hate to mess around with the historic nature of my home and turn it into a cookie-cutter TV remodeling show style home with an island and faux mid-century modern furniture.
Marianne says
I am living in an open concept house and I hate it! I really hate the openness of the kitchen. Ugh! I don’t know why this concept was developed but bring back the walls and doors. I do not have a bathroom door! The toilet area has its door but if I want to shower in privacy I have to shut the bedroom door. Ugh!
Barbara O'Brien says
Hi Kevin! We live in a 1906 Victorian house … therefore, are HUGE fans of old homes with lots of rooms! We are having a building and rental resurgence here and included in that are “lofts”, “open concepts”, “industrial lofts”, etc. and because we rent our downstairs apartment (2,000 sq. ft), we were concerned people are turning away from these lovely, old homes. But alas, we love our old oak hardwood floors, pocket doors, 6 panel oak interior doors, high ceilings w/fabulous mouldings round the room, butler’s pantry, glass pantry, exposed brick chimney in kitchen, exquisite original black/white hexagon bathroom floor tile, original subway tile walls and tung and groove wood in back and front hallways, two front of the house porches, as do our new tenants and as did our last tenants. Ahhh, the beauty of all this plus so much more … love love love your house and ours. Here’s too traditional homes and all the beauty they hold!
Barbara O’Brien (Buffalo, NY)
Ardelle says
I also love traditional homes with rooms and doors. It can provide a separate room for reading rather than watching TV, noisy activities don’t bother others as you mentioned, control cooking odors…. What’s not to love? I can also contain my Sophie (Pembroke Welsh Corgi) until a proper introduction to visitors. Love seeing your handsome beagle grabbing his nap as my Sophie does as well – or watching the squirrels from a higher step vantage point.
I love your house and your respect for its lovely ‘bones’ 🙂
Maxine Goodyear says
I live in an older Victorian home. Nothing built within the last 60 years can compare. You can shut off rooms if they are not being used. The woodwork is fantastic, and with all the natural trim is warm and inviting and very cozy. To say nothing of the history behind this house. Wouldn’t trade on a bet.
Love your site, thank you.
Melodi says
I love rooms and walls and doors. I have an opening over my kitchen sink that looks in on our family room that was added on. It used to be a window looking outside into the back yard. This is ok but what bothers me is that guests from the more formal part of the house have to pass through the kitchen to get to the family room. I want my work area to be shielded from view so I don’t have to worry about any mess I’m making, the kitchen gets hot and I don’t need extra bodies in there and I don’t really want to visit or trip over people while I’m trying to do all those last minute things before a big meal. There is no table in the kitchen so people are just roaming around. I like that I have a formal living room and a family room and a dining room because there is a different atmosphere in each room and I can suit the location to the nature of the event. When we looked for houses my husband said I’d never find a house like the one I wanted – a foyer (so you don’t just fall into the living room), a separate kitchen, bedrooms in the back of the house for privacy. The minute I walked into my house I knew I was home and still feel that way after 40 years.
LynnB says
We have a mixture of open and closed. I have a huge kitchen/family room (in Aussie speak) with an island bench, room for a table and a small sofa and chairs and massive picture windows. But then we also have a comfortable lounge room, a dining room (although not used as such – it’s my study or parlour, as I prefer to call it) and what we very pretentiously call a gallery – really a very large entry hall. I do like separate rooms but big!
Edie says
Kevin, I love your closed rooms that have large doors to open. A home should be open enough to “flow” with company and to socialize. Bedrooms need to be quiet and private and also an office or small sitting space. Guess I want both worlds. Too open makes for a boring home because color and design requires too much “matchy matchy” Individual rooms can have their own character. In the kitchen I am thinking about under counter space with a stainless surface near the sink to conceal the mess I can not tidy immediately. I tend to clean as I prepare a meal to lessen the cleanup afterwards, and my current open kitchen exposes itself to everyone if I am not making an ongoing effort to fix the mess! Will be adding more island to spread out on soon – will use for guests to chat near cooking action, bar and buffet space, flow to other social areas.
Hannah says
I wish I’d read this before our house reno! We are open concept and it’s lovely but sometimes I crave the pleasure of being able to hide in the kitchen and shutting the door!
gaby says
I like both, but I prefer the looks of open spaces, but I prefer the privacy of doors and walls, but I like to be able to see everybody and everything as working in the kitchen, where warmest reunions take place… and ow well, I cannot decid, I like both.
patrice caden says
I totally agree with separate rooms. We have lived in an open concept for many years. Now that’ we’re getting older and harder of hearing, it’s a challenge for me to be in the kitchen, my husband is in the family room and the tv is right there. It’s loud to accommodate the hearing problem and the kitchen noises. I’d love to have a separate kitchen and living room area…just like I grew up with. Love the posts Kevin. Thanks so much for brightening my Inbox
Scott Trudell says
Definitely, definitely, definitely a house with separate rooms. I love having a house I can close off every room if I want. I grew up in an old house with lots of rooms, lots of doors and lots of walls, and would never feel comfortable in anything but. My kitties, Madeline and Lizzie, might disagree. They have, on several occasions, found themselves locked in the dining room. They sneak in behind me and hide under the table. I finish my business, leave, and close the doors behind me. Hours later I hear faint meowing… Only to see their faces peering through the French doors! They never seem to learn their lesson… So I always need to do an inspection before I leave!
Judy says
My favorite house had a beautiful stone entrance with a front door of the plastic kind made to
look like carved wood. I painted the carved flowers out with muted earth tones. The first view
was of a beautiful older gilded mirror with a pretty dresser below that. The living room was on
the right with a fireplace and huge windows to look out at the hills. I repurposed a hand carved
four piece room divider screen into two bi-fold doors to keep our three cats and dog out of
there. They folded back against the wide door frame. The formal dining room was on the left
where we added double divided light doors that folded flat against the wall and added a single
divided light door to the kitchen. I could never set the table before adding the doors as the
cats never learned proper etiquette! There was plenty of light there too with a huge triple
window. The kitchen was behind the formal areas with a family room at the far end with
another fireplace and a family eating area in between. It was great for large parties and also
for intimate dinners. The bedrooms and library were upstairs.
Thank you for sharing your views, home and gardens! They are always inspirational!
Cathy says
I like the idea of both. I have sliding doors between living and family room that can be open or closed. On hot days opening the windows and doors allows a nice breeze to flow. I have a door and sliding window/partition between the dining room and kitchen and in winter close them off to help keep rooms warm or open up to allow breezes through. I would like to have doors put on the living and dining room to close them off from the entrance and may do that in the future.
Sharon says
Love your house Kevin! I would love to have huge rooms like that! Two pianos in one room and still have huge space around them! wow! we just have a colonial that had a teeny tiny dining room. So we decided to take out the wall between the kitchen and dining room to open it up and allow for more seating, which turned out perfectly. But the noise level increased signifigantly!
It is so noisy when guests are over and all talking at the same time, you would not believe it!
When on our own we can hear every single little noise that is going on, such as when i make coffee at 4:30 in the morning. Incredible. I would definately opt for a closed kitchen with walls.
While I love how my kitchen looks right now, it’s beautiful, I would love for a kitchen as big as mine is now, but closed in. My open open (yes two opens, our living room is adjoined to the kitchen) floor plan does work really well at holiday time, though. We have close to 30 relatives and they all feel included with such an open space.
Janice says
I TOTALLY agree with you. We have a mostly traditional floor plan and I still find myself wishing for MORE doors! When we have family gatherings people tend to congregate in certain rooms with different activities and conversations. An open floor plan would not work for our lifestyle; however, there are those who love the openness of no walls. So whatever floats your boat!
Debbie says
My thoughts exactly. Who wants to see the messy kitchen after preparing a big meal?
Amy G. says
Hi Kevin,
Great post! I think in general I prefer rooms, as you do – and especially as YOU describe the experience! I grew up in an old farmhouse that had rooms, although downstairs no doors. Not exactly open concept, but with some flow between kitchen, dining and living spaces, and unfortunately no way to close off certain areas when entertaining to hide any messy areas. At least my mom was a neat freak, so that wasn’t an issue. 🙂
We have been living in a 1927 bungalow for the past eight years and there is a lot to love about it. It, too, is kind of a hybrid – the front sunroom, living room, and dining room all flow into each other through large arched open doorways, with no doors. It does make arranging things a challenge because of the lack of wall space. The rest of the house is rooms – two small bedrooms and a bath off of the dining rooms, lots of doors. A door to the upstairs, which we now mainly use as storage.
That said, I wish we had a little more space. Over the years I have felt a little bit cramped, and it’s not that we’ve added a bunch of stuff to the space… it’s just pretty small. The house I grew up in had room to roam, which I miss. I don’t want excess but I would like more room to spread my wings. Bigger rooms, not necessarily more rooms. And the tiny galley kitchen is challenging.
Still, I will take rooms over open concept any day, and certainly a house that was built pre-1940 over anything newer.
Julie R says
The house where I grew up had rooms that were closed off with lots of walls and doors. We had a very tiny kitchen with no dinning room. Family always came over for the holidays and some how we managed to fit everyone in the kitchen. My mom had always wished for a larger kitchen, but I always thought it was nice and cozy. When I got married, my hubby and I had a small house similar to my parent’s house. Two kids, one dog and two birds later, we now live in a house that originally had the rooms closed off. But the previous owners took down a major wall on the main level. So now our kitchen is opened to our living room. It is good and bad. I have to keep the kitchen clean because it can be seen from the living room, but it is nice to be able to see what is going on in the living room when we have company. I have lived in both styles of houses, and there are things that I like about both. What I like most about the older style house where I grew up was that it had lots of character and charm.
Deborah L. Marshall says
I have an open floor plan in my home and I hate it. It is too difficult to keep everything clean and coherent between dining, living, kitchen. I’m with you, it is nice to be able to close off a room and get to it later.
Joanne says
So pleased so many people everywhere feel as I do. I am in my late 70’s and had the opportunity to build a new house here in SW Alberta 7 years ago. I went against the flow and had built for me (I drew up the preliminary plans) a 2 storey Dutch colonial with a centre hall entrance, stairway to the second floor, living room on one side, dining room on the other side. At the back I have a very efficient galley style kitchen, small sitting/eating area and a large wall of windows and French doors overlooking my garden, which I developed myself, and the foothills of Alberta beyond. It is a joy to cook in, and one cannot see the kitchen from the front areas of the house. In our frigid winters the gas fireplace in the living room can almost heat the entire house.The house is 2100 s.f., actually too big for me, but perfect when the family comes.
Joanne
jeanne illenye says
Houses need ROOMS & PRIVACY. I have never understood open concept. I think it’s popular for those who live in tiny spaces and perhaps want it to feel bigger…? Also, I think this complaint that new parents need to have constant visual contact with their children in the next room is…well…nuts. I guess the kids today are so undisciplined that they are always misbehaving and into trouble that the parent must be supervising constantly…? That in itself is a bit of an oxymoron, isn’t it? I don’t get it….
Naomi S. says
Oh, I definitely prefer old traditional houses with lots of walls and doors. I would so like to not have my kitchen on display as it is whenever someone comes in my side door, which is the one we use all the time. I would be ecstatic if I found a house to live in that had the big, old sliding doors like one of the houses I lived in when I was a child. Doors give you the choice: privacy or not, a view of the space (which may be messy) or not. And old doors themselves are so beautiful: the carving of the panels the woodgrain and the woodwork around them all call to me. I think I must have lived my whole life in one of these old closed-concept houses in another life! So, I’m with you, Kevin, despite the fact that I live in a small 1960’s ranch house with almost NO personality other than what I have been able to give it with my furnishings and decor. But the neighborhood is fabulous! Your post turned into quite a conversation! Thanks for writing it.
Carolyn L. Houghton says
I love the idea of an open space in the middle of my imaginary home. I can come in from the driveway and load items right into a spacious kitchen that has a breezeway. That looks upon the large family space that has a table for formal eating but couches and easy chairs for good conversations and fun.
However, on either side of these big rooms, I would a master suite on either side and another room for an office or creative space. The basement is where guests can stay with a small kitchen for cooking breakfast before the hostess is up. This includes a walkout area with a patio.
Privacy is lovely, but I am sick to death of little rooms.
Cheryl says
My home addition included a large kitchen with lots of workspace and storage. It adjoins my dining room. There is a wall between the dining room and living room. And I like it that way! If someone wants to hang out in the kitchen while I’m cooking, there is room for that. Or they can easily sit at the dining table and chat. The TV is in the living room where people can sit and watch while aroma’s drift in, but they don’t have to be in the thick of things in the kitchen. The original home was built in 1949. The kitchen and dining room area were one, and very, very cramped. Thus the reason for the kitchen addition in 1998, which could use some updates in 2015, but still works quite well. (My office is right off the side of the kitchen now, so I can be two places at one time!)
One thing about my kitchen, anytime I start to cook both dogs have to join me. And they know where to lay to keep an eye out for crumbs and still be out of the way!
Linda K. Dodd says
Kevin, I like your thoughts on open concept kitchens; keeping up with dishes is always a trail in our multi-generational home, but I love being able to interact with everyone in our small open area. Nothing is ever PERFECT. We give up our privacy to those we love and want to be with. We shut ourselves off from others to have ME time. As with every thing else in this life…We MUST choose wisely.
Codi says
Kevin, I almost always agree with you and am continuously inspired by your content. That said, we are not all lucky enough to live in a 10k square foot McMansion. I love the separate rooms that your house has also, but only because each room is big enough for a group of people to mill about in. If one is trying to throw a dinner party for friends and/or relatives in a more average 1600 square foot home, the kitchen isn’t usually big enough to allow anyone in to help with the last minute preparations unless the floor plan is open. And most of us do not have a spare room or two to dedicate to music. Or a parlor. Or an actual dining room. Your house is very lovely, but I still believe that open floor plans are the way to manage smaller houses. and yes, it is a pain in the a$$ to keep all those dishes clean. 🙂
Carol M. says
I thought I must be the only one who doesn’t like open concept. (Not to mention the snobbish way that phrase is used on those home shows!) I love rooms; the more the better!
Danielle says
Well, if my house could have rooms your size in the photos, I’d be happy. Since mine are not, in would like to open kitchen and living area, for light and because I dont have a dining room, it would offer dining space by not segmenting the walk path. 12’4″/x 18′ isn’t much ofnanliving/dining space.
Becky says
My last two homes have had open kitchen to family room areas. I’ve always liked to stay part of the mix while in the kitchen. Both kitchens were small. But now I have an entrance hall and living room/dining rooms separate from the open part. Not only do I love the fact I have quiet space to go to, I have to admit I don’t like all hardwood floors. Carpeting helps quiet things and stop reverberation (a terrible thing for anyone with hearing loss by the way). So I guess I’m 50/50 in the open/traditional debate!
Larry says
I am torn between the closed space comfort and the need for an open plan for holiday entertaining. My wife and I have 4 daughters, 4 sons-in-laws, 15 grand children and 7 great-grandchildren. In addition, there may or may not be additional significant others ( at the time) or the occasional friend or relative. We host Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve. Our home is a small ranch style with an open Kitchen area, in the process of renovation, ( I might post some pictures when it is finished) and an open living room dining room that we created by eliminating a hall closet and a bedroom. Even with the open space it is still crowded and hectic. But We wouldn’t have it any other way.
Brigid says
Kevin, I’m with you. I hate open concept. I don’t want to see or smell a kitchen from my living room. What happens when there is a big family party and you want to grab someone into the kitchen for a private conversation? I think in a few years this will revert to being undesirable. For the moment, it is a nice idea for mom’s with kids so they can keep an eye on them… but all they really need is a kitchen that opens to a den, not the whole damn first floor. Great room, my kahunas.
Paula Smeltzer says
I just found your blog and love it. I fully agree with closed concept. We have an 1850 colonial here in Maine and I get the biggest kick out of having a “morning room”. East facing light reflects off the pale green walls. This is one of the most comfortable rooms in this very old house. Having walls and doors means each room can have it’s own personality, instead of everything having to “flow” together. Open concept people just don’t know what they are missing.
Meryl says
I do love the look and feel of my open floor plan, but it’s got some major drawbacks that make me question whether I’d choose it again. Cooking is a huge one – using the oven heats up the entire living space which is already warm enough for much of the year in San Jose, CA. There’s also mess – no matter how much I clean as I go, there is always the end of the process finishing and plating that leaves me with scads of unwashed dishes that I won’t get to until after the meal unless I want to skip sitting with everyone and wash dishes while my food goes cold.
Using the space properly is another thing – the “front room” as I call it doesn’t lend itself to being anything because what kind of room do you want people to walk right into? We’ve lived here 12yrs and it’s still basically open storage – drafted into use for the folding table when we entertain a larger group or for the Christmas Tree come December. I’ve thought about making it a dining room, but there’s a small area off the kitchen that serves this purpose and wouldn’t lend itself to being anything else and besides, who wants to walk into your dining room first thing? The only thing that really makes sense is a “parlor” of sorts with a sofa and chair but I know it would never be used and I hate “ornamental” rooms.
Then there’s decorating – because everything flows together, the flooring and color schemes have to complement each other or it looks off. The rooms don’t have individual character.
Lastly, there is a lack of walls. Everything is open and airy but between windows, doors, fireplaces and cabinets, I can barely hang a picture!
Don’t get me wrong, I really do like the open feeling, I just find some of the trade offs to be not worth it.
Edward says
When I cook, my guests are usually present (for the later stages in any case), and I want to visit with them while I cook. I don’t want to banish them to the living room where they would sit alone. We eat in the kitchen because that is where there is room for a table, and I often need to get up to get something for someone – I don’t have to leave the conversation when it is in the kitchen. When dinner is done, I would like to go to the living room, but most often, I make tea or something, so we wind up staying in the kitchen. There is no stereo in the kitchen, and I would like to have music while I work, before my guests arrive or when I cook for myself, and the option of having music while guests are there.
The kitchen is in the back of the apartment and is not a cosy room. The living room is in the diagonally opposite corner of the apartment. Carrying all the food through the entire apartment and then everything back to the kitchen is just something I wouldn’t do. I already have too little time in a day.
I dream about switching the kitchen and the bedroom next to the living room, and to have the double sliding door between them often open while I work. I would finally be able to play a little piano while letting something simmer, and not have to worry about burning it because I couldn’t notice that the stove was a little too hot, and it was boiling away instead of simmering.
Yes some times I would close those doors after dinner to confine the uncleared table, but being able to make tea and sit in the comfortable living room to drink it without having to trek through the entire apartment would feel luxurious.
Mary says
What a refreshing point of view. I am absolutely exhausted with the open concept! Especially when homeowners tear down interior walls in vintage homes. My theory is that someday the trend will swing back to closed concept and the beautiful older homes will be irreparable. What a shame from an architectural perspective when the original moldings and details have been removed.
I’ve lived in a New England farmhouse, San Francisco Victorian, and now a 100 year old Berkeley traditional. My feeling is that we should be stewards of these wonderful old houses by preserving their integrity.
And I do agree with the others who posted that walls provide needed privacy. I certainly don’t want to hear my teenage son’s video games while I’m cooking or reading!
Ryan Dilla says
We are currently house hunting. So many of the new builds don’t actually have “kitchens” in the familiar sense. To me, a kitchen should be an actual separate room, not a stove and an island in the corner of the living room. The open floor concept always reminds me of the apartments I lived in when I was in my early 20s.
Tamara Mcclellan says
Every house being bought in my 45 year old Florida neighborhood is being gutted into open concept. The houses actually seem smaller inside now and very boring. Recently a new neighbor came into my home and confessed she regrets the open floor plan after seeing all the nooks and crannies in mine. She says there is no escape from her husband’s extra large flat screen tv, no peace and quiet area to read a book or have a cup of coffee. I love my closed kitchen and separation of the living room and family room
Dustin says
This is what I needed more than anything to bring this work week to a glorious close. I make a living drawing up new plans for a track home builder. He wants open concepts with so much efficiency in the design that you could build it with Lincoln Logs. Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my job. It has been the best provider of all my employment adventures. I’m just saying, its nice to see in black and white, what the voices have been screaming in my head for the past 4 years. When I walk into someone’s home, the last thing I want to see is all their hobbies spread all over the dining room table and the previous nights dishes piled up in the kitchen sink. I too grew up in a traditional home, complete with doors and a fireplace I might add. I value my privacy now just as much as I did then, Plus traditional homes have their own built in mazes. Every tried to play hide and seek in an open concept house? Thank you for this!!
Dee says
Many, many years ago (watch Little House on the Prairie or The Waltons) poor people lived in open concept homes and desired separate rooms. Fast forward to 2016, open-concept is the trend. Trends come and trends go. Design your house the way you like, and you won’t be disappointed. By the way, I love old homes with separate rooms and lots of character.
Virginia gambardella says
I’m with you! When you have open the children once they are beyond kid hood escape to their bedrooms with DOORS and you see them no more!!
My son grew up in a 3 room apt and used the living room as a play room,
What could be better, oh my goodness I couldn’t gaze at him every waking minute so he actually had PRIVACY away from the dreaded constant prying eyes of MOM! Are children today so bent on mayhem that they have to be under constant survelience. Sometimes I wanted to
Get away from the family. Oh and I didn’t have to live within shouting distance of my parents like today’s clinging children!
Gina says
Well spoken. I despise (!!) open plans and it’s refreshing to find someone who agrees.
Janis says
Love your home, Kevin.
Mary Ross says
I built my house with pocket doors to the kitchen, living room, den, and master bedroom. This gives me the freedom to have any room open or closed whenever. Plus in the winter I don’t have to heat the entire house– a big saving here in Mn. I think different personalities and locations call for the type of home a person is comfortable in.
However I do envision many walls going back up in the years to come!
Lorraine J. says
I agree! Though I like the clean lines of modern design, I don’t want open-concept. In my mind its a trick. People have been brainwashed.
In my area it all started with condos. Real estate started to get way more expensive so open-concept gave the illusion of a bigger place. Now there’s no choice.
I wish I left my stairway enclosed when I renovated. Now the tv & music practice sounds can be heard everywhere. And downstairs is freezing in the winter because all the heat goes upstairs.
Karen Aamodt says
The older the better! We have a not-very-old old house; 1926 Dutch colonial. I am still not happy that my husband took the downstairs sunroom to be his home office. I had planned to fill that space with chintz and ferns; but I am thrilled to have all his computers, papers, etc., corralled in one place. We can close the door on the mess and forget about it! I love my dining room; it is beautiful. Sunny so the cats like to lay on the table (yes, I do wipe it down before we eat) and sometimes they snooze or play hide & seek on the chair seats. That is my space and I use it for craft projects, sewing and as my home office. One of my favorite “rooms’ is the entry hall with butter walls, butter and blue area rug, butter carpet on the staircase and the new plaid silk valance over the small window. I love the old cherry dressing table which now catches keys and mail; the blue and white Chinese ginger jar lamp and the needlepoint bench. I love having the kitchen behind closed doors because no matter how hard I try to be a tidy cook the kitchen always looks like something exploded! I love to say the word “staircase” and i enjoy the secret nooks and crannies in an old house along with squeaky stairs and crooked doors in need of planing. We call the living room the parlor, the downstairs half-bath is the powder room and the new addition off the back of the house is called the breakfast room. An added bonus to a closed concept house is that every room may be painted and decorated differently from the rest of the house. Enjoy your old house my friends!
L.P.-Grenn says
I was starting to think something was awry with my sense of aesthetic design until I read your essay. I love big homes with lots of rooms; it’s so much more exciting that way! Open floor plans make me dizzy; it’s too much to take in at a time. Cheers to gracious older homes that exude charm behind closed doors!!
Marcia says
Open-concept houses look great on the fix-up shows and magazines, but in reality they are magnets for clutter, toys, and general mess. I guess it all depends on the kind of life-style people choose. Love your home!!
Jane says
I agree with you 100%. I thought open floor plans would be a fad but they still seem to be popular, which baffles me. Your home is beautiful, thank you for sharing.
PJ says
The Noise!! I live in a 1954 that has a great flow but all rooms in the house can be closed off by a door or pocket door. What happened to this style of living? It is SO NICE! I LOVE that when someone is watching TV or a movie, I can just shut the door and have a more quiet space to myself. TV and noise can sometimes be mentally exhausting for me. I prefer quiet with a good book, magazine, cookbook or blog most of the time while others in my house hold prefer the TV/movies. Being able to close off the rooms helps with my mental health for sure, but then when I have a party or company I can just open all the doors and the house has a nice flow. The versatility is underrated these days. I don’t think I would buy an “open- concept” design.
Tracy says
We’re looking for a house and among the things I simply hate is the open floor plan design. Walking in the front door slam-dang in a big huge room with a kitchen stuck in the middle is beyond off putting for me.
I like it when cooking in the kitchen is a family/friend activity, where there are no distractions from the TV or the pool table or other stuff. People are slicing and dicing and talking and cooking: IN the kitchen. Not in a big huge open room. Where’s the ‘cozy’ feel in a big-A room?
Glad I found this article. I needed to vent. I’m so frustrated with these houses we’re seeing !
Gina says
I like The closed concept for all the reasons you said. Everything on HGTV is knock down the walls and Everything is open. I watch the shows but don’t really care for it. I like being able to listen to music in the kitchen while someone is watching tv in the living room. By the way, your home is elegant and beautiful!
Cynthia says
Kevin, Your house is beautiful !! Thank you for the inspiration!
I am with you too! For me, open-concept plan equals kitchen smells everywhere, visual clutter, same mandatory color/match deco for hall-kitchen-living-dining, high heating bills, no privacy, no walls to hang art, etc. No wonder kids are hidding in their room to get some privacy!! Aha, ha, ha.
I’m happy too that there is still some lovers of old, traditionnal house with closed rooms here.
Cheers to everyone!
Nancy says
My first choice is an old home with separate rooms. They provide warmth and privacy and the opportunity to have a different “feel” in each room if you choose. However, today’s homes, unless independently wealthy, have very small rooms and therefore little space for daily living. It seems family size and useful living space should always be key factors.
Nancy says
All of those parents with young children who want open concept so they can keep an eye on the kids will change their minds when the little ones become teenagers! Open kitchen to family room is not so bad, but there has to be somewhere to get away from everyone. Take it from someone who had four teens/pre-teens at once; open concept leaves a lot to be desired.
Kevin, I love seeing your beautiful home and gardens, and I love your recipes! Thank you for sharing with the rest of us!
Mary Lou says
I grew up in an old, old house with rooms and lots of nooks and crannies that made for great hiding places for kids. There were three fireplaces and when an ice storm would cause a power outage, we would sleep in front of the one in the living room and cook in the one in the dining room. Today I live in an 85-year old house and I love my rooms!
Pamela says
I grew un pa 1919 very small original farm house in St. Paul, Minnesota. The tiny kitchen was closed off to the living room and it was so cozy! Then my dad tried to modernize it and ripped the dividing wall down for the “open concept” in 1956. Fast forward to me now living in a beautiful home in CO. open concept. It is lovely and I’m grateful but a previous 70s house we lived in had closed off rooms and I much prefer that. I love being in my kitchen alone, watching cooking channels or listening to classical music while Hubby watches golf or football! Lol.
Anthony says
I read some time ago that the open floor plan was partly the result of pushing and promoting if as a means of increasing profits by the contractors. The less walls, the less cost all around from materials to labor. Unfortunately, there is always a way to entice people into such things, usually via word of mouth until someone of note catches on, promotes it and then whether it is truly a desirable element or not, it runs like fire through an August field. It’s just like clothing trends, wall colors, and other fads. A similar thing occurs in cooking shows. Someone well known. makes a side comment that all Italians use sugar in their tomato sauce and before you know it, everyone is making catsup and putting it on their pasta. No one, absolutely no one from my family heralding from Southern Italy ever did such a thing-ever. I can hear my great grandmother cursing in Calabrian from the grave as I write this. :). If your tomatoes were a little too acidic, toss in some shredded carrots, or a beet. Onions alone will sweeten a sauce. Adding sugar does nothing to lower acidity. It just makes your sauce sweet and sour. If you’re really that concerned about it, use basic chemistry. Toss in a 1/8th of a tsp. of baking soda at a time. That will neutralize acid quickly. But do a very little at a time. You can completely wipe out all traces of acidity in your sauce very quickly. Today’s canned tomato is indeed more acidic than years prior as they seem to be overindulging with the citric acid as a preservative.
Few trust their own taste and instincts and decide to like whatever the vogue of the moment is. As for the open floor plan, this atrocity has been with us far too long. I never liked it, and never will. I prefer rooms that keep each function to its purpose as it should be with no bleeding of those elements from one area to another. To me an open floor plan is akin to living in a dorm in college, or bringing home our work environment, something we’ve seen far too much of both in home furnishings (stark, modern, and officious) as well as this relentless never ending gray and white, gray and white, gray and white. It is as if there are no other colors in the spectrum, just never-ending shades of gray.
The final convincing experience that proved that an open floor plan was never going to exist in my future was attending a dinner party at someone’s lovely, very large, newly built home. There was nothing more distracting than seeing the inner workings of the kitchen during, while, and after dining. That and moving to the living room was no respite. No matter where you went, there you were. You were never that far from the dining area (not room) the kitchen, the foyer, the everything. And to think that so much money was spent on a giant open air living space of almost 3,000 square feet.
Personally, if you want to live in a loft then live in a loft. Don’t play act at it by hiking to the suburbs and try to create it there.