Are doors necessary on our ground floor? Floor plan attached

I think it's my fault! I pointed out in another forum format that you always have to go through the kitchen if you want to get to the [WZ]… :cool: The draft just caught me elsewhere :p

You ask here, "Do you need doors there?" Who is "you"? There can only be individual answers to that, which you also get here. For example, I never wanted to live so openly.

But there are objective truths that generally apply to people, even if not everyone may feel them equally strongly. We are prey animals. We feel safer with a wall behind us and an overview of where a saber-toothed tiger could be lurking.

That is probably the case with you too, but you apparently accept it in favor of your chic and fashionable staircase. That is perfectly fine, but if you ask, there are answers. Personally, I would feel like my sofa is standing in the stairwell, but maybe you use your living room quite differently than I do. For me, it is a very private retreat where I want to feel safe, unobserved, and cozy. What is it for you?

Fortunately, a door still has a use. Does your house have a door too, or did you forgo it because it gets in the way?

My house surely has a door, and it does not get in the way. Comparing it like that is quite... special. But, for example, our pantry does not have a door. It is always a trade-off between utility and obstruction. And in the case of the OP, a door in that spot would definitely be in the way. A sliding door could work, if one likes. I would wait and see in everyday life whether one would really close it.

I lived in a house several years ago where the stairs to the basement were located in the living room. For us, the cold draft (especially in winter) was always the problem. The cold air from the basement was always very unpleasant.

Is that still the case in modern houses? I always read that with underfloor heating all rooms are heated to the same temperature. But also the basement?

Our basement is always colder than all the other floors. The house we lived in was 20 years old and had a heater in every basement room (except the heating room).