ᐅ Open Plan Kitchen: Regretted Choice or the Ultimate Solution?

Our first apartment with a closed kitchen of about 6-7m2 (65-75 sq ft) was always quite busy.
When guests came, the men stayed in the living room, while all the women crowded into the kitchen, as women want to hear everything that’s being said.
Now, with the open kitchen, everyone stands relaxed around the peninsula and talks.

Same here. There is often a lot of coming and going. With some visitors, I don’t stop working in the kitchen. Many times, someone is lounging at the peninsula or sitting at the dining table while I keep working. Some Sundays here are a continuous flow of people. If I stop, breakfast is only served at dinner time.

You simply need enough space to connect two wings—one for living and one for cooking and dining—with a classic salon in between.
And for quiet retreat, a library or, in summer, a garden maze with a trickling fountain.

Okay, seriously:
In my life, I have had closed kitchens more often than open ones (now open), and I think each has its own advantages and disadvantages. I also believe an open kitchen requires more space to make an impact. I like the sociable aspect that @hampshire describes.
Odors and noise can definitely be a problem or could become one, although with the right technology, they can be managed.
The biggest issue right now is compatibility. For example, my wife cannot tolerate the smell of 3/4 of the dishes I cook; it actually makes her feel quite sick.
I hope to solve this with a suitable downdraft extractor.

Thank you very much for all the responses here. I hope this discussion will also help other homeowners with their decision-making. To be honest, none of the answers convinced us to move away from the idea of an open kitchen. It has to be said that an open kitchen is not just one thing—there are many variations, as has already been mentioned here. Therefore, we would like to use the dynamics of this discussion to get feedback on our considerations, especially from supporters of the open kitchen concept.

There is Option 1 with an open kitchen including a kitchen wall:

Advantages:
- A door in the hallway is possible.
- Guests do not see the kitchen immediately when entering the living room.
- View lines from the living room to the kitchen are more limited.

Disadvantages:
- Less ergonomic
- Smaller coat storage area than in Option 2
- Smaller pantry than in Option 2

Option 2 eliminates the kitchen wall:

Advantages:
- “Cleaner” design: fewer corners and edges than Option 1. Likely easier to keep neat and clean than Option 1.
- Larger coat storage area and pantry possible (yes, the pantry might be oversized for some, but it is ideal for us).
- More impressive kitchen (although this is not that important to us).
- Even greater social interaction factor.

Disadvantages:
- Very open layout that we might regret due to drafts (when the exterior door is opened) and noise.
- Every guest has to walk past the kitchen first and may see any mess.

What do you think? Have we missed anything important? Our head says Option 1, but our heart says Option 2 🙂

Just came to mind: Would it be better to start a new thread?

BauFamily schrieb:

Many thanks for all the responses here. I hope this discussion helps other home builders with their decision-making. Honestly, none of the answers convinced us to move away from an open kitchen. You have to say that an open kitchen isn’t just one thing—there are many variants, as has already been mentioned here. That’s why we want to use the momentum of the discussion to get feedback on our ideas, especially from supporters of the open kitchen concept.

Option 1 includes an open kitchen with a kitchen wall:

Advantages:
- A door in the hallway is possible.
- Guests don’t see the kitchen directly when entering the living room.
- The line of sight from the living room to the kitchen is more limited.

Disadvantages:
- Less ergonomic.
- Smaller cloakroom compared to Option 2.
- Smaller pantry compared to Option 2.

Option 2 eliminates the kitchen wall:

Advantages:
- “Clean” look: fewer corners and edges than Option 1. Probably easier to keep neat and tidy than Option 1.
- Larger cloakroom and pantry possible (some might find the pantry oversized, but it’s perfect for us).
- More impressive kitchen (although this is not very important to us).
- Even higher sociability factor.

Disadvantages:
- Very open layout that we might regret because of drafts (when the exterior door opens) and noise.
- Every guest first passes by the kitchen and might see any mess.

What do you think? Are we missing anything important? Our head prefers Option 1, but our heart leans toward Option 2 🙂

In this case, definitely Option 1.

I’m also generally in favor of an open kitchen, but Option 2 would clearly be too much. In my opinion, the frequently mentioned “coziness” of an open kitchen would not be achieved here.