I've been cooking more lately, and I've been realizing that it makes a big difference if you can see the living room (or wherever the kids mostly hang out) from the kitchen!
I never would have thought about this before becoming a parent, but it's tough to cook in the kitchen if the kids aren't in your field of vision.
We're considering a move later this year, and now I'm wondering how common this setup is... can you see your living room from your kitchen?
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
@mrbee: Yes. The open floor plan we have was a big factor in our house purchase. I knew I wanted to be able to see the kids playing from the kitchen.
The only part I don't like is from the living room when you are trying to relax, its hard if you are looking at a messy kitchen with dirty dishes. But it helps us keep the kitchen cleaner. Its also a lot easier to "graze" and snack a lot because you are always around the kitchen versus it being out of sight, out of mind.
grapefruit / 4703 posts
We couldn't, until we knocked down two walls last year. Best decision ever.
nectarine / 2886 posts
@mrbee: We can, and this was a big must when we moved. It really does make a big difference!
olive / 71 posts
yup! We have the 'great room' concept where the kitchen, dining and living rooms are all one big space. It's great for entertaining, watching LOs play and communicating with the SO 
GOLD / wonderful pea / 17697 posts
Yes, but we're in a smallish apartment at the moment with an open layout. When we move I'm still hoping to be able to see the living room, though.
pomelo / 5469 posts
No, but we will be moving before LO arrives and I hadn't thought of this before so will bear in mind, thanks!
pomelo / 5820 posts
Yes, our living room, "breakfast area" and kitchen are all connected. I can also see into the dining room from the kitchen. It's also very nice for entertaining!
cantaloupe / 6800 posts
Yep, I wouldn't have bought a house that was closed off like that.
My musts for a kitchen included being open to the living room and having a window facing the backyard. Sacrificed having a dining room to get it, but it will be worth it once there are littles running around!
honeydew / 7917 posts
No, the rooms in my house are sectioned off. My LO's play kitchen is in the kitchen, and he cooks along with me. I would like to knock down a wall partially so that it's more open to the family/play room. He has spending more and more time in there and hates when we are in separate rooms while I cook.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
Yes, we have an open floor plan so we can see our dining and living room areas from our kitchen. I agree it gives us so much peace of mind knowing that I can see the kiddos in my line of vision. Great when guests come over too because we can still interact/entertain while prepping in the kitchen!
I'm always watching HGTV shows like house hunters, and one of the first things I look for is whether or not the house has an open floor plan!
pomegranate / 3383 posts
Yes. We knocked down a wall and renovated the majority of our main floor in Nov/Dec so that our home was more open concept. We absolutely love our renovations!!
Unfortunately we found out we will moving across the country next month and our new home (which we just signed the papers on yesterday!) isn't totally open concept but we have plans to make it that way down the line.
eggplant / 11824 posts
Yup! We have an open concept home so you can see the living room, dining room and kitchen from any of those rooms. We always wanted a very open floor plan, but they are not all that common where we live.
cantaloupe / 6869 posts
Nope. And that's a big reason why we want to sell and move soon! The floor plan and flow just isn't conducive to families or gatherings!
bananas / 9899 posts
No, not really. We currently live in the equivalent of a 2 bedroom apartment though (We rent out our basement). This is definitely something I will consider when we move soon!
pomegranate / 3521 posts
Yes, we have a cut out in the wall that allows us to see the living area.
pomelo / 5178 posts
We've been house hunting, and a lot of the places we've seen have a family room within sight of the kitchen, and then formal living and dining areas separated from the kitchen. I like that setup ok, but I really prefer open concept/ great rooms to formal living spaces since we're pretty casual people.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
Oh yeah. We have a new home with an open floor plan that goes family room/eating area/kitchen.
nectarine / 2797 posts
Nope, we can't. We would love to eventually knock down a wall so we could though!
bananas / 9357 posts
Unfortunately no. Didn't even think about it when we bought the house. No plans to move so I guess we'll set up a little play area in the kitchen.
honeydew / 7916 posts
@Honeybee: That's what we have - kitchen open to informal eating area and family room, and then separate dining room and living room. I never know what to do with the formal areas because they're furnished but we'll never use them except mayyyybe Thanksgiving?
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
At our apartment now we can, but we are moving in two weeks and it's not as easy to see the whole living room from the kitchen. That was the one downside to the house we chose. It is within hearing range and you can see it full on from the dining room, so I'm hoping to make it work.
pomegranate / 3895 posts
Yep. They're right next to one another and our floor plan is pretty open.
coconut / 8483 posts
We can, we have a new house and it's very open. I'm sitting on my couch in the living room and I can see my entire kitchen.
eggplant / 11287 posts
Our kitchen, living room, and dining room are all "one room." It is an open floor plan.
pear / 1699 posts
We also have a formal living/dining room and then our kitchen is open to the family room where we have all our baby toys/gear. We have a tv and nice couches in our living room that we use too - it has a fireplace and a great view of our beautiful yard but it isn't baby proofed as well so its used less but we still love it - it's so bright!
watermelon / 14206 posts
Yep...and when we move into our house (wherever that will be!) it'll be on the must-have list.
GOLD / cantaloupe / 6581 posts
Yes, we have a very open floor plan, and you can see the living room from most of the kitchen. I love it right now because I can watch tv when I cook, but it will also be great when LO gets here!
pomegranate / 3863 posts
Yes! Wasn't something we were looking for when we bought this house but now we're glad that it is open concept.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
We altered the floor plan of the house we're building so that the kitchen is open to the living room. The original floor plan had a wet bar in the way.
blogger / coconut / 8306 posts
We can.
I grew up in a home that had a great room. I hated it because it meant I had absolutely no privacy with friends or a boyfriend. If my parents were in the kitchen it meant they could see and hear everything we were doing! It was a 14yo's nightmare.
Now that I'm a parent, I love the idea of an open floor plan!!
cantaloupe / 6206 posts
Haha yes. We have an open floor plan so our living room and kitchen are just one big rectangle (that make up our entire first floor). Not that big, probably 600 sq ft. Upstairs are 2 br and 1 bath.
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