We are in the planning stages of a kitchen remodel and my wife wants to go against the grain and not go full blown open concept. She actually wants to make the space between the kitchen and the living room slightly more closed off than it already is. I am torn because it seems like the trend is and will continue to be open concept. Do yall think this trend is going out of style, or is it going to be the standard indefinitely?

I do all the cooking and she says she hates open concepts because I make too much damn noise when I cook. I get that part, but not sure I want to do an extensive remodel that would hurt selling it in the future. Thoughts?

I mean, it depends on two main things: the house layout and personal preference. I work with alot of custom builders and remodelers I still see a bunch of open concept being done, but also see some plans getting more closed off. Alot of it is due to noise. People are opting for more closed off hangout spaces, so not everyone is on top of each other. Not all plans are conducive to blowing out walls and opening things up while maintaining functionality and general flow of the home.

That being said… alot depends on what you guys do and how you live in your house. Do you entertain a lot? Do you have kids? Do you like to be able to see from one side of your house to another? Do you want to always be sharing space with family members, or do you want to get away?

For us, we had a very open concept house. Then we had kids and there was nowhere for us to hang out with our friends without being over taken by kids playing and being loud. Now we're in an older home that has a couple of areas dedicated areas for hanging out (without having to go to bedrooms) and it is much more functional for my crew. We're a super tight family, but we also entertain a lot and have mixed company (kids, adults, etc). All of our common spaces are big enough for us to all hang, but if one group wants to go off and do something loud, they can.

I do think closed off will limit the buyer pool but not drastically so.

I think lots of people are in the same boat as your wife, truly open concepts can be loud if you're actually utilizing the kitchen.

I think our new house is a good balance of it. Our kitchen has two islands, the second island has shelves (which we'll likely remove soon) and a fireplace. It closes it off slightly from the living room so they're separate spaces, but we still have the sight lines, etc. into the living room. And the spaces flow well.

It's really one of the reasons we bought this house. It wasn't like every other house where you walk in and it's just open spaces, it was different.

I like the barrier between the kitchen and living room to be a bar height counter with some cabinets above. That is open concept, but will keep a bunch of the noise in. I hate watching tv and somebody is running the disposer or banging pots around.

if any plans to sell in next X years- design/remodel w next buyer in mind !

If goal is to quell "too much damn noise" cooking then ONLY a full height/length insulated wall w/solid core sound-door (if any) is THE solution.

ANY opening, however small will allow most of this noise to invade the neighboring rooms!

What about a glass barrier? Well, it's maybe a "2", compared to open = "0" and the sound wall above perhaps a "15+".

Other solutions others have claimed work:
SHE cooks
Headphones
Entertainment system speakers upgrade
Soft wall/floor finishes in all rooms noisy, soft furniture, etc.
Surfaces OUT of parallel, be they walls, ceiling, cabinets remodeled, etc.
Cabinet closing pads = no more slamming noises
Heavy curtains ... although rare between Kitchen/Family ....

Appreciate all the responses. The noise factor was just the most tangible reason but she generally just does not like the super open floor plans that most houses have now. I agree with her on that so I think we can come to a middle ground.

Open floor plan is overrated. Our remodel was somewhat open. We have the living room and big bar at the end of it, however our stove and sink are off of the big bar. No one is cooking behind the bar or running a sink built into the bar.

If I had my way, I would build a house with no internal load bearing walls. That way you can put in fold back or sliding walls to use at different times.

However, maybe they had it right with a formal living area for guests and talking, den for TV and kitchen for cooking. I hate having people over and all we do is pile around a kitchen bar. Wife always says that's just where everyone end up. However it is really because she never invites them to go to another seating area. "If everybody has a drink or plate, lets retire to the formal living room to talk. " Be a good host.

I'm right there with you. Ditch the open floor plan, it's the trend of the future!

I hate that layout & have for a long time. Once Covid hit, I really hated it when 4 of us were all in the same house.
*No privacy
*Hard to keep areas clean. (Everything piles up on on the bar in the kitchen which floats like a battleship in the middle of everything)
*Loud

Many of the houses I have worked on the past couple of years are more divided up. Kitchens, dining & living areas all split up, generally not with traditional doors.
Here's an example of a kitchen split off from the living, enough space for two separate conversations to occur without having to yell.



I've read quite a bit about a trend that seems to be more popular in the UK called "Broken" floor plan.
It uses different methods to create a variety of rooms/areas in a larger house.
https://www.granddesignsmagazine.com/renovate/broken-plan-layout-ideas/

Here are a couple of good articles about why rooms are good & how the open floor plan came about:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-case-for-rooms
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-curse-of-an-open-floor-plan

A couple of things come to mind from someone who has designed more than a few Kitchens and Living Rooms.

#1- This is "your dream" not someone else's. You are going to spend a lot of money, you should at least feel good about living in it when it's all said and done.

#2 - Everyone comes from a different place. What I mean is that unless you have lived in an open plan, where the hub of activity is the Kitchen Island, it is hard to explain to people how different the living will be. Kitchen Islands have changed over the years for me. I don't start off putting a sink in the island because that will mean dishes will stack up there and it could end up taking away from the gathering area. That is why if you have the room, do two islands or put the sink on an outside wall. Same with cooking. That sounds like a big deal in your house and you may want prep space around the range. Better to break that activity off on its own. If you bake that is another activity that requires space to lay things out and other appliances to integrate. So I normally just have the island on its own with large pan storage opposite the range.

#3 - How do you live now and how do you want to live when it's all said and done? Cooking is usually a high social activity depending on your culture and interest. Foodies like to socialize while cooking I have noticed. They use technology more (iPads, display screens) and involve their family members in the food prep. Where will you eat? If there is no kitchen island, you will need a Dining Room. How will that work? Where will you store the dishes, cutlery, glasses?

#4 - Is your Living Room really a Living Room or is it doubling as a Game Room/Home Theater? I would walk through a typical night on the weekdays, weekends, and holidays. See how you would use the spaces and try to get them to do more than one thing. This is why an open plan is more efficient. However a lot will depend on how you want to relax when you come home and what activities you enjoy doing together.

Every home is as unique as the people living in it. So try to understand what you do well together and what could be better. HTH

If you have the space to accommodate, what about a butler's pantry? People vary on how much they put back there...one of my friends has her stove/oven/dishwasher/main sink in it so kitchen noise would be minimal from the "actual kitchen".

We just did a big remodel and did not go fully open floor plan, mostly bc we have small kids and wanted to keep things a little separated