Ground floor approx. 100 sqm, upper floor expandable (planned bathroom, 2 children's rooms, 1 storage room)

Karsten, you are simply living with an outdated housing concept: the best parlor is used only on major holidays or when the pastor comes. Otherwise, it remains unheated, sometimes furniture covers were even pulled over the furniture to prevent them from fading in the sun. The door stayed closed, and life consistently took place only in the kitchen. The kitchen was accordingly large, heated anyway because cooking was done there, and very often, yes, like in your case, there was also a couch in there, later a radio and then the TV. You can like and do it that way, but it is simply an outdated housing concept. Today we no longer have cold rooms, and I personally find it a waste of space and furniture if I reserve parts of my house only "for special" situations. Usually, you don’t have enough space to easily afford that anyway. I know rather the situation that there is too little square meters. If you like it that way, then that’s fine, but singing the untouchable praise about it is just something very retro. And for a 3- to 4-person family that has to optimally use their square meters, it’s not really suitable.

I don’t care anymore here if someone sticks to their floor plan, but I want to clarify some things regarding smells from the kitchen and the use of exhaust hoods:

Use of exhaust hoods: We didn’t know either but were recently informed accordingly by a kitchen consultant (Karsten, watch out!!!). An exhaust hood can only really work effectively if NO window/terrace door etc. is open. It is also optimal to start the exhaust hood well before cooking, at least 5 minutes. Then a corresponding air circulation develops and the exhaust works. So it’s not the Ikea part’s fault (they are not that bad!), but the open window. Though I admit: at least in summer, we also always have the terrace door open. Now I know that then I don’t even have to switch on the exhaust hood... and ventilation is simply done old fashioned: window/door open.

Distribution of kitchen smells and how to avoid them: Don’t fool yourself into thinking that a closed kitchen ensures you don’t smell cooking in the rest of the house. That doesn’t work. Don’t bet on it. Whether the kitchen door stays closed or not, it will smell. At the latest when the food is carried through the whole house from the kitchen to the parlor at the dining spot for special occasions. Then the smell avoidance strategy with a closed kitchen is over.

There are only three really effective ways to more or less keep cooking smells at bay: 1. a good exhaust hood, ergo downdraft and then use it properly 2. house with controlled residential ventilation 3. a bit retro, but works perfectly: thoroughly airing out after meals and putting away leftovers and dirty dishes

That’s it... wait, one moment, I just thought of a fourth way: only cold food and no stinky cheese anymore! But whether that’s the solution...

I can report from my own experience because I have lived all three housing concepts: separate kitchen, eat-in kitchen with dining area and living room separate from that, and now open living concept.

One thing upfront: when you cook, the whole apartment smells like it, no matter how consistently you close the kitchen door or not, whether you use the exhaust or not (if you cook a roast over several hours in the oven, the exhaust doesn’t help at all), only thorough ventilation afterwards helps. I have only experienced controlled residential ventilation once at an acquaintance but it was impressive and definitely “swallowed” the cooking smell.

My first apartment had a separate kitchen. I also wanted it that way at the time, precisely for that reason: don’t smell when I cook. The illusion quickly faded... in the kitchen, I still had a small sitting area; more square meters were not available. The dining area was in the living room. I lived alone in the apartment and regularly used the dining area in the living room when I had a nice breakfast on weekends or cooked something nice. The seating spot in the kitchen was rather for a quick breakfast or a snack in between. It was okay, but as I said, in terms of smell, the kitchen door and exhaust hood hardly helped. Only ventilation afterwards.

The next apartment I had with my ex-boyfriend: large kitchen with a large dining area. Smell-wise, it was the same as in my small single apartment: if you cook, you smell it. But I didn’t live alone anymore. Only partly because the living room was separate from the kitchen and my boyfriend mostly sat on the couch or in front of the PC in the living room, I was usually alone in the kitchen while cooking, and so it was not really much different than living alone. I can also understand the “non-cook”: we had a nice dining area, but the couch is cozier. He came in now and then to ask if he could help or just drop by, but basically we were separated. I found that annoying and suboptimal at the time.

Then we broke up (not because of the kitchen/living room situation *g*) and I was looking for an apartment again. The main focus was that I could bring my two cats who are outdoor cats as well. That’s how I got my current apartment. This time with an open living/eating/cooking area. The way people do it today. And I like the concept very much. When guests come, I can still quickly do something on the side, but I’m not locked away in a kitchen. Meanwhile, I am in a relationship again and live with my current boyfriend. We like to cook together, and if only one is fiddling in the kitchen, the other is right next on the couch, and you can talk, watch TV, etc. That’s why our new house we want to build will have the same concept. We find it brilliant that way. Smell-wise: sure, it smells like food when we cook. But it always did, even with a closed kitchen. We expect a lot from our planned downdraft exhaust. We attended a live demonstration and it was impressive. I think that together with controlled residential ventilation, it will do more against cooking fumes than a kitchen door.

I just wanted to explain this because I have really been able to “live” every possibility. Added to that is also that you plan to have child(ren). Especially then I find an open concept not unwise: mom cooks and still has the kids in the living room in view. How you decide in the end, of course, is your business. But you can forget about having a closed kitchen to avoid cooking smells.

Was there also a canapé in there, later a radio, and then the TV.

And that’s when open living was born at the latest, only they then enlarged these “eat-in kitchens” to salon size, and in return disposed of the former “good parlor” into the abyss of history... Because doubling up is too expensive.

And now there are discussions about whether you need a kitchen that can also be a living room, but still a separate living room. Why? Because that’s how it always was, the German justification. As if in the north one absolutely wants to enter the house 90% through the utility room with kitchen connection.

A question then: Why not be consistent? Enlarge the utility room, put the wardrobe in there, set the whole thing as the main entrance, and discard the now unnecessary “representative entrance.” What you don’t need 90% of the time is actually superfluous. Frees up square meters for more important things. Or makes the whole thing cheaper.

Affordable is not the same as cheap! (Who am I sounding like now?)

Additionally, you are planning for child(ren). Especially then, I find an open concept not unwise: Mom cooks and still has the kids in the living room in view. How you ultimately decide, of course, is your business. But a closed kitchen to avoid the smell of food, you can forget about that.

The closed kitchen, which is also forever far from the living area, is really very impractical with small children. You can’t even see or hear the children from the kitchen. How are you supposed to cook calmly when you constantly have to run into the living room to check if everything is okay? Small children need to be supervised constantly and can’t exactly be tied up in the kitchen. Besides, it’s no fun working in the kitchen while the rest of the family is having fun in the living room.

Best regards
Sabine

that I am/was afraid that an additional window in the utility room would cost too much space for my plans.

I can't quite follow you there: how does the number of windows increase by relocating the utility room?

You just don’t get it. Intellectually, sure, but not emotionally. It creates distinctions. T and S and W are friends; they don’t ring the bell, they come in through the back and call out, hello, where are you. They’re allowed to do that. The door is always open during the day anyway. A stranger has to ring the bell and is let in. I can understand the thing with children and kitchen and living room. My daughter has two small children and closed off the formerly open kitchen, just doesn’t like to see kitchen furniture in the living room. From time to time, especially the little one plays in the hallway when Grandma is making food. A little house like this is no palace after all. It’s not that big at all. Karsten

At friends' places, I just walk in, either because the front door is simply not locked during the day or I go through the garden via the patio door. So far, I haven't needed a second entrance for that. Strangers ring the doorbell, absolutely right. But I'm not so snobbish that I need two doors for that. I understand that, and such a door directly into the utility room has its appeal, no question. But that also depends on the square meterage and whether I can afford it without having to make too many other concessions.