Living/Dining/Kitchen: How do you live or how will you live?

We had an open kitchen connected to the living and dining room in our former rental apartment. I definitely did not want that in the house anymore because the cooking smells are simply everywhere and you can't just leave something in the kitchen without it immediately looking untidy. In our house, we have now separated the kitchen from the living and dining area, but you can access the dining area directly through a glass door. The living and dining areas are combined, but for a slight visual separation and to gain more space for furniture, we built a small half-height wall between the living and dining rooms (about as high as a dresser). This makes the living room area with the large sofa much cozier because it doesn't get lost in a large room. We like it, but everyone has different tastes and that's a good thing!

I voted for "all three together." My wife and I like open spaces and are therefore planning it for the new house as well. We enjoy having guests and actually, our main living area usually takes place in the kitchen. I can understand the objection regarding smell and mess, but the advantage of being together while eating/cooking and the larger rooms simply outweighs it.

Thank you for the lively participation! Elina, your concept is really very unique, I have never heard of it before. But very interesting, and if it’s perfect for you, why not.

It’s not about finding the “one and only” truth for me, that’s impossible anyway because everyone lives differently. But it is very interesting to see how it is with you and to hear the different opinions about it.

I also really like open kitchens to look at, but I find them rather impractical for everyday life. We currently have one, and for example, when I make a tea with the kettle in the evening, it immediately disturbs the TV watching... Or when one of us unloads the dishwasher in the evening, the clattering also disturbs in the living room while reading or watching TV (or whatever).
When you live in a multi-person household, the clattering in the kitchen increases even more. Getting a drink, eating cereal, this and that.

I’m asking because I’m currently thinking again about what I like best. We are planning a separated kitchen and additionally a large living and dining area. However, for everyday life I might also like a kitchen with a dining room and a separated living room.
Although the distances are probably the same if you leave the rooms as they are and only move the “partition walls.” So the way from the kitchen to the dining table is just as long as if it is separated by a sliding door.

... I also really like open kitchens to look at, but I find them rather impractical in everyday life. We have it currently and, for example, when I make myself a tea with the kettle in the evening, it immediately disturbs watching TV... Or when one of us unloads the dishwasher in the evening, the clattering also disturbs reading or watching TV (or whatever) in the living room.
When you then live in a multi-person household, the clattering in the kitchen increases even more. Getting a drink, eating cereal, this, that...

You should consider what is or will be the focal point of activity for you, especially if you have children in the future.
For some, cooking and everything around it is the central focus of life and a hobby. More money is spent on expensive kitchen appliances than on the family sofa or technical TV equipment. Whether as a couple or a larger family: (shared) eating is the focus, so the large dining table in the kitchen has its justification.
For others, the open kitchen is simply practical: children play in the carpeted area while the househusband or -wife takes care of supplying food. Partners or older children sit at the table, do homework, or look up information on the laptop. This way you keep the family together.
If people’s taste buds are not well developed (or have atrophied during that time), eating simply becomes secondary and is gladly combined with PC or TV entertainment.

Then there are characteristics like whether you have trouble keeping it tidy while cooking. If you entertain your evening guests next to a battlefield, that’s probably not very pleasant for anyone.
Maybe the set breakfast table stays up half the day because there’s no time? That’s also not something you want to openly show.
Or how is it when the children have already left the house and visitors only consist of old aunts having tea?
Besides, as you already said, the openness of the kitchen is associated with noise that annoys when watching TV.

And that is why the next (construction) trend is actually obvious – at least for you: a large kitchen/dining area and a separate living room.
Actually, this design has always existed: all farmhouses have a large kitchen with a dining table and a closed-off living area.

We are two and have everything open. Through an open staircase in the living room with a gallery, the ground floor and upper floor are also open. And we live it that way. The dishwasher is whisper quiet, the kettle goes on at most twice in the evening for 3 minutes and then must be tolerated.
If dishes should clatter, the other can help!
The only thing that really bothers is the extractor hood – but since I’m the one who cooks and my husband is not exactly having a sofa siesta during that time, it’s not important.

Elina’s concept is not unfamiliar to me: I once had acquaintances whose focal point was more PC games (2 PCs next to each other in the living room for gaming, the TV running on the side, eating also on the side). That was not my thing.

I think one should generally not jump on every current trend with such a long-lasting item as a house. There is a big difference between "modern" and "timelessly beautiful." The former looks outdated after 5 years, the latter is simply timelessly beautiful - and also harder to achieve.

Just as dark wood-paneled party basements and light orange bathroom tiles were all the rage in the 70s and 80s, today it’s walk-in closets and open kitchens with cooking islands and counters including bar stools. All on wood-look tiles. In 5 - 10 years, you won’t want to see any of it anymore.

I think one generally should not jump on every current trend when it comes to a long-lasting item like a house. There is a big difference between "modern" and "timelessly beautiful." The former looks outdated after 5 years, the latter is just timelessly beautiful – and also harder to achieve.

Just as in the 70s and 80s, dark wood-paneled party basements and light orange bathroom tiles were all the rage, today it’s walk-in closets and open kitchens with cooking islands and counters including bar stools. All on wood-look tiles. In 5 - 10 years, you won’t want to see any of that anymore.

I can’t believe that you will build "without trend." Somehow your tile collection also came about and then follows a trend, whether in structure, surface, color, or format.
All items are produced according to a trend specification. You will also now install things that people will prefer to change in 20 years.
And what will you have on the walls? Was the trend with textured wallpaper or is it a trend to live without wall coverings?

A trend is not negative – of course you don’t have to go along with everything (that’s not the point either), but just as
does, critically examining the possibilities is right – whether it ends up being living/building with the trend of the 80s or the 10s will be what suits her.