apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Closed kitchens! My current kitchen has no ventilation to the outside and as a result, any smoke/grease/yuck just recirculates. Who wants that wafting into the next room? Plus by the time I'm finished cooking a big meal, there are pots and pans everywhere - and who wants to see that? I think open kitchens are only for people that don't cook - and the same thing goes for tile floors.

In my relatively small space, I prefer an open kitchen. My living room and kitchen are a combined 450 square feet. I took down part of the wall between the kitchen and LR to visually open up the space, and to allow more natural light to flow through.

I have a small space kitchen/living room area and I called the architect who designed my building because I actually hate the open kitchen and want to close it off. I am thinking a "semi-closed" kitchen, such as adding a hanging cabinet above the bar or extending the top of the island to hide the "prep work" area. I think open kitchens are used too frequently and are not always great for every space.

i think open kitchens are really fun
A-for people who don't cook, but like to look at their fridge
B-for college kids that imagine that all of their friends are going to come over and bake pot brownies and lasagne together
c-if you want to make a really small apartment look a little bit bigger

i am on my 3rd apartment with an open kitchen and continue to hate it.... but it's hard to find a seperate kitchen in nyc

I never understood open kitchens. Am I the only one who is a loud cook? Not singing or anything, just loud with the pots & pans, dropping spoons in the sink, etc. If there is a family room next to me, people would not be able to hear the TV. Plus I don't like people peeking over my shoulder when I cook.

I love to cook dinner for friends and entertain at home, so an open kitchen makes sense. That way, I can remain social throughout the evening without limiting my menu to make-ahead items!

I am also a huge proponent of the clean-as-you-go school of cooking, so large quantities of leftover pots and dishes are never a huge issue for me. Besides, if the kitchen is open, I can wash the dishes and chat at the same time!

The last house I rented had an open, "great room" floor plan, where the kitchen was basically inside the living room. My husband and I didn't like it. For one thing, kitchens are noisy places, what with chopping and sizzling and the thumping and clinking of pots and utensils. All of that noise can be pretty annoying to whoever is trying to watch TV or listen to music in the living room. Plus, I didn't like how my messy kitchen was on permanent display during dinner parties.

Now we have our own house. The kitchen is its own seperate room - clearly my domain - and I enjoy it. There is an open passage between the kitchen & dining room so they aren't completely seperate, but the layout keeps my pots and pans out of view. There is a door between the kitchen and living room. Usually we leave the door open, but it's wonderful to know that we can close it - especially if we're running our dishwasher while watching a movie.

Open for me! I love being able to chat with my guests while I'm in the kitchen, and they always seem to enjoy watching me cook, especially if there's a fancy dessert at the end. At the least, they like being able to see me when I chirp in to joing the conversation. I'm not really messy, since I was taught to and am strict aboue cleaning as I go. For the most part, all my prep dishes are in the dishwasher before my guests even arrive! Of course, my condo's row layout is additional impetus; guests have to walk through my kitchen and bedroom to get to the only bathroom! Additionally, if it weren't as open as it was, I'd get no natural sunlight in the kitchen.

Our apartment in Cambridge, MA was built back in the days of servants--lucky us! As a result there is a clear "front of the house" with the bedrooms, living room, and dining room, and then the "back of the house" with butler's pantry/pantry, kitchen and maid's room (now an office, obviously!). The front of the door from butler's pantry to dining room has a fancy knob, and the back has a plain one; the flooring gets plainer, the moldings disappear... Anyway, we love the uber-traditional layout, for the same reasons others have cited. I can make a smoky, noisy mess in the kitchen and keep it closed off from the rest of the house. I can plate things in the butler's pantry and bring them out to the dining room all ready to go. And I slip in and out to finish things off, etc. without worrying that steam or clinking dishes or clashing pans are distracting. Most of all, I can keep the lights on full-force in the kitchen while the dining room is candlelit. Even when we don't have guests it's nice to have that separation.

DanielleM, I share your pain. I'm planning to redo our kitchen and hoping I can convince the HOA to let us vent through a cleverly disguised, single brick-sized vent.

I prefer a closed kitchen for many of the reasons mentioned above. During the summer, the AC always comes on while I'm cooking because of the open floor plan (an induction cooker has helped some with that, though) and the smell travels everywhere and remains.

Open is a necessity for me, except I don't really have one. Even in my "One person is almost too many" kitchen all of my guests end up IN my kitchen trying to help and just getting in my way. I love that they like to cook and want to help and talk to me but it would be so much easier to banish them to the other side of the counter!

I also love natural light so if the kitchen didn't have a window I would want it open. As it is, my kitchen is a galley style that opens into the foyer on one end and the dining room on the other.

Open is an absolute MUST for me. We recently bought a condo and the first order of business was tearing out the wall between the kitchen and the living/dining area.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bitchincamero/2100766085/in/set-72157602251846418/

I spend 60% of my time in the kitchen when I'm home and do not want to feel isolated. I love being able to entertain guests while putting the finishing touches on dinner and I love that my husband is able to sit at the bar and chat when I make weeknight meals.

We recently went from closed to open and love it. Yes, smells do tend to travel a bit easier, and yes, you have less chance to be "lazy" about cleanup. But it is great when guests are over, and since our kitchen has a lot of windows, it brought a lot of light into the rest of the house.

If anything, having a bar (on an island that houses our stove and oven) actually keeps people out of the actual kitchen. Whereas previously, guests would lean against the counter and invariably be in my way, now they can have a seat at the bar, enjoy their drinks, and chat while I finish the meal. (open or closed, I always prep ahead of time).

I'm all over the open kitchen. Cooking mostly smells like food - I don't find it terribly unpleasant. And otherwise I can't kick the dog's toys far enough away when she comes and drops them at my feet while I cook. My friends are nosy, too, and if the kitchen was closed they'd be in there trying to find out what was going on anyways - with the open kitchen at least they can be in there and out of the way a bit!

We also have an old house that has distinct areas for guests/servants. It is rather stuffy, and controlling the flow is a challenge. I have big plans to *eventually* remodel the kitchen and open it up to the dining room since we do eat in the formal dining room about 1/2 of the time. My biggest woe is the swinging door of death. No injuries yet. . .

I love our open kitchen.... guests are going to come in and chat with you no matter what, so if you close off the kitchen they'll be crammed in there anyway. At least this way I can keep them on one side of the island! :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/albopix/2341065595/

@SisterRae,

what a cool kitchen! really imaginative.

I'm afraid many people here would not like my kitchen.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/art_chel/2086736913/in/set-72157600128826994/

open and tile floor. Here I thought tile was actually a smart choice for a kitchen floor. I'm curious, what's a better alternative?

I'm afraid that most of the time open or closed is not a choice. Especially in the city. As with any space, you must adapt to it and make it work for you. This site is all about people creating healthier spaces out of what they've been given through design.

I came across bitchincamero's renovation not too long ago and was super impressed. I think that is an example of the best of both worlds. Part of the kitchen is closed and part is open if I remember correctly. But what is exciting about the design is that the parts that are open provide space for interaction with the living area of the apartment creating a harmonious living, cooking, eating, wine drinking, socializing environment.

people could stand to spend less time in front of the tv and more in the kitchen anyways.

@art - I LOOOOVE your tile! It's beautiful! In fact, I love the whole kitchen :)

@SisterRae - Beautiful kitchen! I agree that the open kitchen actually keeps people out of the way, but still close enough to chat.

we have a closed kitchen and I love the separation between the two rooms. It also helps to keep the little one away from there when I'm busy cooking. We could have opened the space up when we renovated but I am so glad we didn't.

bitchincamero--beautiful kitchen! Is the backsplash hard to clean. What is the tile, slate? I love the 3D aspect, but being a messy cook, I am concerned it would be difficult to clean.

Can I vote "both?" I currently have a teeny kitchen, which is closed. It's a pain because I have a toddler and I have to keep popping out of the kitchen to keep an eye on her while I cook. If the kitchen was open, I could strap her in at a counter and let her crack eggs and stir things. So I'd like an open kitchen. However, sometimes the kitchen is my only refuge. My husband doesn't cook, so sometimes on the weekend he's playing with our daughter while I'm cooking away, and that minimum bit of privacy is wonderful. So I like my closed kitchen.

And to whoever said bleh to tile floors, I so agree! I HATE the stone tile floor in my kitchen and had to buy FLOR carpeting so I could work in there for hours without my legs screaming.

I wish I could pick semi-open. Right now my kitchen is set off from the rest of the apartment, so when people are over, I feel like I'm missing out on all the fun. Even if I cook ahead, running back to the kitchen to get the next course is a downer. And the kitchen's not big enough for other people to be in there with me. I wish that I at least had a pass-through window, a wrap-around island or even just an adjacent dining room. But I also think it's weird to have the kitchen build into one wall of the living room for all to see.

My kitchen is visible from the front door, which I hate. I'm thinking of putting up a wall and turning it into a galley kitchen, which will still be accessible from the dining room/living room, while adding more counter and storage space. Is it just me, or does anyone like a kitchen that's so visible from the entrance of your home?

My kitchen also plays the role of dining room and it's totally separate from the living room. This equates to hosting informal dinners and gatherings, which is my style anyway. So everybody hangs out around the table in the kitchen while I'm cooking - it's laid-back and fun!

I love a closed kitchen. There is nothing worse than being distracted at the dining room table by what is going on in the kitchen. I clean as we go but since I either plate or platter everything before it goes out there still are dishes waiting to be done. I also like to whisk away empty wine bottles, etc from the table as they are emptied. This way I can hide away anything that takes away from the meal.

I love having people in my kitchen with me. Most of my friends like to cook as well, so we share the time. I get one chopping, one plating and one pouring and we all love it.