Have mid-twentieth century towers reached "never build again" status?

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by 10023

And no, cats aren’t even really pets. They’ve just evolved into a particular ecological niche in which they use humans for food and shelter.

Definitely not pets.

Sentient predators living among us.

[JManc]

Our master bedroom is on the first floor so we rarely go upstairs. The cats took over that part of the house as well...

[Via Chicago]

it is interesting to me how inversely kitchens have grown in size to the proportion of cooking people actually do. whats ironic is i cook every meal at home with fresh ingredients, and my apartment kitchen has roughly 1 foot of counter space and is only about 6-7 feet wide. despite that fact, i make 2 loaves of sourdough bread every weekend, create multicourse meals for special occasions, and otherwise dont let space constraints limit my passion. i make do with what i have. meanwhile my peers all have enormous open layout kitchens with fancy appliances, and i rarely if ever see them legitimately cook, and most of their budgets are blown on restaurants and takeout.

im firmly in the camp that open layouts are a passing fad and are going to look painfully dated in short order, especially given how poorly so many of these have been crammed into what used to be older homes defined by their segmented rooms. right alongside reclaimed wood being slapped up onto walls for no purpose, edison bulb fixtures, subway tile, grey walls and floors, etc etc. Theres nothing more painful than seeing a Craftsman bungalow ripped apart so that the interior can look like every other suburban McMansion. Unfortunately this is the only template flippers seem to know.



"Oh wow, what a beautiful Victorian, cant wait to see the inside!"



"Oh"

[Via Chicago]

seriously, who finds stuff like this to be welcoming? i cant imagine a more sterile and awkward living environment.

[JManc]

Big open kitchens are not really a fad. They've been a thing since the beginning of the Post War era and don't see them going away anytime soon. My grandmother's house was built in the 1880's and they remodeled their kitchen in the early 50's to the open style with peninsula and wide entrances. My other grandmother's house was built in the 50's and kitchen had same layout. The fads were the Formica counter-tops, linoleum tile and avocado appliances.

[cannedairspray]

Originally Posted by pj3000

That's what backyard cookouts are for.

Attempting to have that in your kitchen is the recipie for a lame party.

Food Network, HGTV, and Rachel Ray, et al. have made you all think it's actually cool.

It's not.

What in the world are you doing at these parties where you think everyone is standing in the kitchen? How afraid of cooking are you?

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Via Chicago

"Oh"

What the hell is that mustache thing on that kitchen island?

[Via Chicago]

Originally Posted by pj3000

What the hell is that mustache thing on that kitchen island?

as an example of how incongruous that kitchen is with the rest of the house, it still has most of its historic elements in tact (at least as far as basics like walls/layout, trim, hardwood, staircase, etc):



id be immediately endeared to that home due to the front portion, but would without question reject it due to the ridiculous back portion/kitchen. its an example of thinking you need to change something to be like everyone else, when the original identity of the home was just fine as is.

i feel like people flipping/buying homes now just have this basic checklist for supposedly on-trend features, and they just cram them into spaces that otherwise arent accommodating. open layouts work in some instances and can look quite nice. they certainitly dont work in all. i dont know what so wrong about embracing the architectural style of the house you choose to inhabit...sometimes our forefathers even knew what they were doing!

[johnnypd]

Open plan kitchens are seriously hideous. I guess the original rationale was that parents could keep an eye on the kids as they cooked and cleaned up. That sort of makes sense to me. But I don't want cooking and cleaning smells and noises and unsightly pans, chopped herbs etc when I am in the living room reading or watching the game on TV. Nor do I really want soft furnishings in what is essentially my kitchen so that steam from coq au riesling or a slow cooked rendang pervades the living area. I like well defined spaces more so than everything open. I do like hanging out in the kitchen though, finish off a bottle of wine while cooking, listen to some tunes etc.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by cannedairspray

What in the world are you doing at these parties where you think everyone is standing in the kitchen? How afraid of cooking are you?

Not having any fun, that's what I'm doing.

That's what happens at these lame "parties"... no one has any fun because everyone is standing around the fucking kitchen while chores are being accomplished by the host while he/she talks to people. Like it or not, the gathering revolves around what the host is doing... that is the focus. It's not about the guests relaxing and enjoying themselves as they please. The environment sucks... and we've adapted to accepting this screwed-up scenario as normal.

I cook all the time. I just prefer not to force my guests to be a part of it by making it the centerpiece of a party because my kitchen (and home) is designed in such a way that they cannot help but be a part of it.

[Jibba]

Originally Posted by 10023

I think you’re talking about suburban mansions, and he’s talking about 1- and 2-bedroom condos, in which he’s correct that there is barely a kitchen at all.

Personally I hate open kitchens because I actually cook, and if I have guests over for dinner I don’t want them to witness the flurry of activity and the mess that necessarily results. Open kitchens are great if all you’re doing is opening up something pre-made from Whole Foods and arranging it on plates, but real cooking is a hot and messy business.

The ideal for me would be a small “family kitchen” with an island and bar stools, and then a “service kitchen” for actual cooking, designed for efficiency rather than looks. Everything stainless steel, open shelving, etc.

Originally Posted by pj3000

I'm tired of the "open ktichen concept". Not just for the reasons you mention, but also because it seems that now it's the only room people even use. Why bother having a living room, family room, or dining room? Why do kitchens now have to basically be designed to be sports bars with beer refrigerators, high-top tables, and flat screen TVs mounted on the wall?

When all of our friends who have the big, open kitchen with central island have parties or gatherings of some type, everyone just stands around that damn central countertop island. I hate it. I don't want to hang out uncomfortably in your fucking kitchen. I don't want to watch you cook, I don't want to watch you put dishes in the dishwasher or pots in the sink or glasses in the small island sink (who the fuck uses those stupid things anyway?), I don't want to watch you wipe up the countertop or put bottles in the recycling bin or get ice from the icemaker. It's uncivilized.

I want to sit on a comfortable seat in a room meant for relaxing with a drink in my hand and preferably not enter your kitchen the entire time I'm there. My wife and I specifically bought a house that did not have that "big, open kitchen" that everybody seems to need.

It's nice to see there are still people on here with sense.

And the same homes that have that kitchen contain an ocean's worth of hard, 'clean' surfaces that are anxiety-inducing to stand within. Voices aren't captured and any social gathering quickly becomes a cacophony (usually one of tired platitudes of currency, to match the hoped-for signification of that fabulous kitchen...).

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by johnnypd

Open plan kitchens are seriously hideous. I guess the original rationale was that parents could keep an eye on the kids as they cooked and cleaned up. That sort of makes sense to me. But I don't want cooking and cleaning smells and noises and unsightly pans, chopped herbs etc when I am in the living room reading or watching the game on TV. Nor do I really want soft furnishings in what is essentially my kitchen so that steam from coq au riesling or a slow cooked rendang pervades the living area. I like well defined spaces more so than everything open. I do like hanging out in the kitchen though, finish off a bottle of wine while cooking, listen to some tunes etc.

But don't you love the view of soaking pots and pans from the living room?

Can't get enough of the view of that fine, stainless finish on your kitchen garbage can from your dining table?

Enjoy the smell in the family room of those scallops that you cooked three days ago?

...

The kitchen is for food storage, making meals and coffee, washing dishes, eating breakfast/lunch at times, and boning my wife when she bends over to look in the fridge.

[Sun Belt]

Kitchens sell homes and an open concept is what consumers want.

Maybe one day that'll reverse back to compartmentalized spaces, but probably not.

[cannedairspray]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Not having any fun, that's what I'm doing.

That's what happens at these lame "parties"... no one has any fun because everyone is standing around the fucking kitchen while chores are being accomplished by the host while he/she talks to people. Like it or not, the gathering revolves around what the host is doing... that is the focus. It's not about the guests relaxing and enjoying themselves as they please. The environment sucks... and we've adapted to accepting this screwed-up scenario as normal.

I cook all the time. I just prefer not to force my guests to be a part of it by making it the centerpiece of a party because my kitchen (and home) is designed in such a way that they cannot help but be a part of it.

This is so bizarre. So you're attributing bad parties to open kitchens? Yo, if you can't have a good time because there's an island in the kitchen, it's not the kitchen's fault...

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Kitchens sell homes and an open concept is what consumers want.

Maybe one day that'll reverse back to compartmentalized spaces, but probably not.

Yeah. If there's a game on, I want to be able to watch along with my guests while I'm cooking. If I'm a guest, I want to have the opportunity to volunteer to help prep while seamlessly hanging out with other guests and/or keeping an eye on the game. It's called socializing.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Kitchens sell homes and an open concept is what consumers want.

Maybe one day that'll reverse back to compartmentalized spaces, but probably not.

Correction.

Kitchens sell homes and an open concept is what unsophisticated consumers think they want because that's what they are told they want.

[Crawford]

Open plan layouts coincide with the elimination of gendered spaces. Obviously, women formerly gathered in the kitchen and men in the family room or den.

Once those norms were altered, home designs adapted to flowing social spaces. I don't think home design is reverting back to the discrete rooms.

[10023]

Originally Posted by JManc

Our master bedroom is on the first floor so we rarely go upstairs. The cats took over that part of the house as well...

It’s starting to sound like your neighbors should be checking on you at regular intervals, lest the cats get hungry.

[10023]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Open plan layouts coincide with the elimination of gendered spaces. Obviously, women formerly gathered in the kitchen and men in the family room or den.

Once those norms were altered, home designs adapted to flowing social spaces. I don't think home design is reverting back to the discrete rooms.

You’re probably right, but we don’t all have to go along with it. Just as we can still avoid wearing shorts in the city, wear proper shirts with buttons and collars, and know that a jacket or black tie is never “optional”.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by cannedairspray

This is so bizarre. So you're attributing bad parties to open kitchens? Yo, if you can't have a good time because there's an island in the kitchen, it's not the kitchen's fault...

No, I'm attributing bad parties to hosts who don't know how to have a party.

Having a party in your kitchen is bad form.

Unless there's cocaine.

Kitchens are good for coke parties. Anywhere is good for a coke party.

Expecially if there are housewives who like to get naked involved.