I think if there's a way to avoid it, I would, but its just personal preference. I don't think there is a steadfast rule for it. I would live with it that way if I had to......it's probably motivate me to do my dishes sooner rather than later. :)

Make sure you prioritize what you wasn't out of the open floor plan. If it were me, and there were going to be large island in between the rooms, I'd be tempted to put the sink in the island so I'd do the prep work facing the activity.

Our sink is in the peninsula, facing the dining/living area. I don't see it as a big issue - I prefer to clean as I go, so I'm not faced with mounds of crusty dishes at the end of a meal. Also, it's easy enough to load the dw, so the sink isn't on overload. And - we can put dishes into the sink without going into the kitchen and interfering with that (kitchen) activity.

I was able to hide any messes in my kitchen from the living room with the use of a pony wall, but my entire kitchen in all its messy glory is unfortunately in view when seated in our eating area. Normally I keep the kitchen quite tidy, but I am a messy cook so we always sit down to eat surrounded by the disaster I've created on the countertops. What else can we do unless we want to eat our food cold while I clean up the mess first? I don't know if this sort of thing can be avoided in today's open concept spaces. I just try to ignore it.

What is your layout? Could you add a small island in front of the sink, for a bouquet of flowers to be put there, as you sit down to eat? A very pretty distraction :)

I'm amazed that you guys only have dishes in the sink when you are done preparing meals! My mess stretches from one end of the kitchen to the other and I'd need a REALLY big bouquet of flowers. I do like that idea, though!

That is a good point! It's not just the sink, is it? It's the whole business of cooking. Thanks for the feedback. Gives me a few things to contemplate.

My sink faces the living and dining area but it has a raised bar on it. When we are eating or sitting in the den we can't see over the bar to see the mess left in the sink. On the other hand, the bar tends to be the drop zone for everything (but at least it's not the dirty dishes).

My solution to this particular "problem" is to sit in the seat facing away from the kitchen mess ;-) It definitely bugs me to see everything left out. I generally clean as I go, so it's not terrible, and we have a big deep single bowl sink for stashing a lot of stuff.

Buy a very deep sink. Those things will swallow a boatload of dirty dishes before they become visible.

Another vote for a pony wall and bar top on it. The wall hides any mess on the counter, and if you size your bar top right it becomes a serving buffet surface! Mine is 14 inches wide which seems just about right to hold casserole dishes, etc. during entertaining.

My kitchen and dining room open up to each other but you can see the kitchen through the living room and sun room. It was too much for me to think about seeing all the mess so my opening between the rooms has the counter on the living room side at bar height. I love the look of a big island or peninsula at counter height but it wasn't for me. I couldn't stand seeing the stove or sink (and the mess).

We are also building a very open concept floor plan, with the kitchen opening right up to the great room. In fact the edge of our island (with sink) will be about 8 feet away from where I plan to put our couch. The dining table will actually be farther away from the sink than our couch!

A couple reasons this doesn't bother me: I clean as I go when I cook, loading dishes right away. We keep up with the dishwasher, so that after meals it is empty and ready to load dirty dishes instead of piling into the sink. And lastly the sink will be deep enough to hide a large pot that has to soak before scrubbing. If we are watching tv in the family room we won't be facing the kitchen so we won't see it. And lastly, messes are a part of cooking. If they are cleaned promptly then most of the time it won't be an issue. I can't imagine retiring to the family room and leaving a counter or sink full of dishes or a cooking mess. It's part of my routine immediately after eating to clean the kitchen.

So, IMO it's personal preference, and for our family the benefit of an open concept space outweighs the negatives of the cooking mess generated, which is just part of life anyways.

I am pondering this situation now. I am buying a condo that has a peninsula with the sink facing the dining/living area. I will be updating the kitchen. At the moment, it is two-tiered counter so you can't really see the sink. However, I love the idea of a big counter top on the peninsula. Not really sure what to do. Your thoughts would be appreciated.

I am living in an open concept home that we designed and built about 3 years ago.

There are a few reasons why it works for me.

1) I can see the kids wherever I am
2) I can be part of the dinner party even when I'm in the kitchen
3) There are TWO full size 9" deep sinks
4) Space was carefully planned to ensure a place for everything - clean up is fast when you're not fumbling for storage space
5) Aging in place is easier with an open layout
6) the dishwasher is a kind that has a food disposer in it, so no pre-rinsing dishes needed

When I cook for guests it is a bit of a whirlwind, but clean up is quick and easy when one has a dishwasher and two huge sinks. When company comes, all of the mess is sequestered to the 'clean up' side where there is a stretch of counter by the sink and dishwasher. The island area and island sink is cleaned out and looks nice if anyone wants to wash their hands. The fact that I have ample storage that is easy to access makes a clean sweep much easier. I am not fumbling in a messy base cabinet for the right pan, or fumbling in said corner to put the pans away after cooking. I usually clear the table and put the dishes directly into the dishwasher and run it before company even goes so that the second load can go in before I go to sleep. Some people here have planned with two dishwashers, but for me I only have such a need during parties, so it was not worth it. The cost of a second sink including plumber/sink/faucet was about $1000 and is a big part of what makes the open concept work.

The planning advice here is sage, and has made life easier for me, for sure.

Yes it's unfortunate but if you give stern instructions to your cleaning help to keep it clean then it shouldn't be an issue.

LOL, eve! I must learn to be more stern.

Here's a birdseye view of a standard peninsula. It's what I chose over an island since I thought an island could be a waste of space. The peninsula is perfect as a place to eat, as well as 'put out a spread' for a party.

Here is a link that might be useful: peninsula

I would leave the open concept between the dining and living room, but block the view from the kitchen. Even put up a wall if necessary. I don't clean as I go. I sometimes even leave the clean up til the next morning(OMG,no). I like having my kitchen blocked off from view. Even have a door to the dining room to close off everything. It all depends on how you cook and bake. Close it off completely or partially. Do what will make you the most happy. NancyLouise