Open plan kitchen or separate kitchen?

We have a huge open plan kitchen/dining room which I love, but wouldn’t want an open living/dining/kitchen as I like to away from the noise of the TV while I cook and like to be able to shut the door to keep the cooking smells out of the rest of the house.

Everything is open plan, because I live in a modern apartment. It’s the best use of space for this particular building, and it’s fine for me. I am tidy, because I haven’t got room to spread, and cooking smells are easily dealt with by opening a window, lighting a candle or switching on the oven hood. I live alone, and I love my apartment.

We had an open plan kitchen in our last house and I hated it, so when we moved a separate dining room was a must. I don’t want my dinner guests see me paddling furiously under the water while sailing serenely on the top! Sooner or later the furious overtakes the serene and it’s never a pretty sight!

I really disliked our open plan house, it is so noisy ! Having to listen to the kettle, running taps, microwave and even the constant hum of the fridge freezer drove me insane and the smells permeated everywhere, ok if you dont mind your coat stinking of fish and cabbage

Separate for me but then our rooms are large enough to function well as they are. Plus I like to contain kitchen smells and mess should there be any.

An open plan kitchen/diner is okay but I would want a separate sitting room. My last house was difficult to sell as it still had a small separate kitchen and most younger people want it knocked through to the dining room.
None of these young couples think of the issues once you have teens and young adults at home as they want their own space. It's much better having separate rooms. My dining room was used as the younger generation's sitting room.
My previous house had a through lounge and separate kitchen which was good with young children.

Pros and cons. I've had both.

You do get cooking smells lingering in the lounge.

However, you don't feel so isolated in an open-plan kitchen as you can join in conversations in the lounge if you have people in there.

Wouldn’t ever buy a house with an open plan kitchen. It is lovely being able to close off the mess/smells especially when OH is cooking and I get to play my music/audio book while I’m cooking.
Incidentally I run a small property rental business and the number 1 question (apart from costs) that I get asked is about a separate kitchen. Everyone wants a door.

At 67, I've just extended to get the family friendly open plan kitchen/diner I've always wanted so now I hardly use my lounge. I think separate dining rooms are usually under used, sad spaces - sometimes only brought out for Christmas - and I hate lounge/diners, which is what I have always had before.

Open plan every time. Its best to have one other room downstairs too though.
We are lucky that kitchen is a fairly good size so it's like a mini living room. That does mean DH uses it a lot so not always my space.
Ar the moment I have a bad case of kitchen envy as next door are on phase two. 1 was taking out most walls downstairs and moving staircase to the sidewalk.
2 is an extension so the room has distinct areas. Plus ceiling windows.
I do appreciate what I've got but get the odd pang.

When we had works done on our house (15+years ago), I elected to have a large kitchen/diner and a separate living room.

My partner was quite keen on having one open plan room (kitchen, diner, living room) but I am so pleased we didn’t do that.

We both enjoy leaving the table after supper and going into the living room for coffee or a glass of wine and watching tv or listening to music. If we have family or friends eating with us, it’s nice to shut the door on the kitchen and the plates and dishes and go into the other room to relax.

Hope you find a lovely solution to your conundrum. ?

I have had both and loved both.
The open plan taught me to tidy up as I went along.
Now I have a big kitchen diner and separate living room. We also have a dining room which we only use on high days and holidays.

I have an open plan kitchen/dining room and louvre doors through to living room. This works for me - visitors are ushered into living room and don't tend to bother me in the kitchen! Maybe because if they wander out to talk to me I give them something to do!
My son and daughter-in-law have just moved into a house with a huge kitchen/dining room with doors to the garden that fold right back. It is amazing but the living room is quite small and (a deal breaker for me) there is no down stairs loo.

I like my kitchen and dining room. DH wants to put an arch through to link them, but I don’t. DS sides with dad, but it’s not up to him. The bathroom needs an update before we do anything else!

No, open plan definitely not for me. I'm like Ecci53 don't like visitors in the kitchen when I'm cooking; when we had a new kitchen, we had an island installed and most visitors now tend to congregate there; I have to shoo them into the lounge! Factfinder you can still have a TV in your kitchen, we do.

I would love open plan for the purposes of not missing anything on the telly if I need yet another cup of tea. However, I can see that cooking smells, clatter, etc might not be welcomed by those who like a refuge for peace and quiet.

Kitchen/diner or kitchen/family space yes. We have an open plan kitchen and dining area, open to the stairs.

But I think a cosier space is nicer for relaxing in and watching television. I wouldn't want to just have one big open area because of the cooking smells, heating it and simply being able to have a separate bit to be in on my own sometimes.

It would be my ideal but although my house would work with this idea, I am too old to undertake the work.
Family members have opened up kitchen and dining room which were side by side and had a new conservatory which is open to the dining room creating an L-shaped large area.
I love it and they practically live in.
The smallish sitting room is hardly ever used.
It makes for a really social atmosphere.

Separate kitchen every time. I can't bear people hanging around while I'm cooking, particularly if it's a complicated meal or for a lot of people. I've even asked visitors to leave the kitchen so I can get on uninterrupted. I also don't like the lingering cooking smells everywhere that you can get with open plan. We like kippers, but can confine the afters mell to the kitchen. Wouldn't have open plan.

I have an open plan and I love it.
Would never have a separate dining room again.
Plus the cooking warms up the dining area so saving on heating too.

I would love fully open plan. I think you get more out of the space and I wouldnt feel alone and only have myself to talk to when cooking/clearing up.