I personally prefer the open look. My kitchen in Ohio was open to the eating area or what would be called a country kitchen I suppose. My kitchen here in Georgia is open to the diningroom, divided only by the kitchen island. Diningroom is open to the sunken livingroom....one step down.

Vote for open. looks like a bigger space.

Definitely open. Same reason as Raven. And, it is conducive to talking with guests in the next room while you are prepping.

Another vote for open.

I hate the open concept. I don't want to see meal preparation and dirty dishes from the living room. And it's noisy.

If I want to leave dishes in my sink, I don't want my visitors to be able to see them!

I prefer open concept. It makes the kitchen seem much larger and lighter.

Open concept makes it look more up to date and definitely more spacious. Spaciousness sells, or rents in this case. As a parent I preferred the open concept because I could keep an eye on the kidlets and their behavior.

Another vote for open.

I always had closed (8 homes), and I was alone in the kitchen fixing meals when we had family dinners/birthdays/etc. I missed out on a lot of socializing . The house we bought 2 years ago is open and I love it! We all hang out together during meal prep. Ditto sheilajoyce keeping an eye on the very young grandkids when they're over.

I vote for open

Open. I wish I had it in my house. (I DO have it in my condo) In fact, in the condo, we were able to CREATE an open kitchen by removing some walls.

I agree with those who have said that with an enclosed kitchen the cook always seems to get left out of the socializing, and for those with kids it's nice to be able to see what they're up to. But I also agree with the statement that a hostess never wants her guests to see a messy kitchen (and it's a pain in the patoot sometimes to get the kitchen cleaned up in time for the guests to arrive).

What about a compromise? Why not take the top part of the wall down, and create a pony wall with a bar stool height countertop? That way, it's open enough for the cook to socialize with guests while still providing some privacy for the kitchen mess.

Open. If my visitors don't want to see dirty dishes in my sink, they are more than welcome to start washing. LOL

I like for my kitchen to be open to my breakfast area/kitchen table, but I like for there to be separation between my kitchen and my dining room. If I had only a single dining area, I guess the "open" concept might feel more spacious.

What I really want is a 1920s house with a Butler's Pantry between the kitchen and the dining room. Might be nice to have the Butler, too!

I'm in the minority for sure. I don't like the open concept homes. No storage and no plugs. I don't like a plug in the floor and I've been in to many open-concept homes where our voices echo. It's too cavernous, and to distinction of rooms. I don't like the kitchen, dining and living room in one open space.

Our kitchen has 3 walls with the dining area at the end by the patio door. There's plenty of privacy to make a mess and rattle around, and I can still hear what's going on in the livingroom, or they can sit at the table or come into the kitchen. (although I very seldom like people helping with a meal)

There are pros and cons for both, Nicole. I think it depends on the person who is going to live in the house. Our plan is open and some days, I wish it wasn't. If certain company is staying with us, sometimes I'd like to retreat to the kitchen to cook and have some alone time, but I can't. If I had a big family, I think I'd like it closed, for that reason and to hide any messes. AND, I could keep the dang dogs out from underfoot! How many times a day do I tell Quigley to "get out of the kitchen!"? At least 20. She's always lying down right where I want to be.

Maybe a compromise- if you give up a little wall space for a pass-thru area to make it feel more open, you could put shutters there in case the tenant likes it closed off better. Sacrifices a cabinet or two, tho.

We have the open plan AND a pass-thru window. LOL I like it most of the time.

My kitchen, which was remodeled last year has the wall but with a very large passthrough to the dining room, which gives me lots more cabinets and storage. It's a large kitchen with an island similar to the second picture but in reverse, and the wall with the passthrough ends in the entranceway, which is also large. It does not feel enclosed at all.

Open concept makes it easier to live in. It is harder to decorate and keep clean looking. At my last house, there was no barrier between the front door and the living room. If the room was messy, it was the first thing a visitor saw. Likewise, the living room and and dining room could be clean, but there would be dirty dishes on the counter. That made everything look a mess. That lack of walls meant decor needed to go up high. I needed larger art to make an impact. We did have that echo, but I think it could have been reduced if we had put in area rugs and curtains.

If you're a "neatnick", open is great. I am not. I prefer the closed. I'm a messy cook and wouldn't want to entertain and look at the mess. I wouldn't mind it as much open to the family room as I would to the living room or dining room.

Most buyers like an 'eat in' kitchen. That means table and chairs to me, not only 'perches' at a counter. I value a window at the eating area.

Our kitchen is two-thirds of a long rectangle, with a breakfast room at the other end. The two areas are bisected by an 'aisle' to the back hall. There's another 'aisle' along the side of the kitchen to the breakfast area. (You don't have to walk through the cooking triangle of the kitchen.) We rarely use our DR. LR is separate.

You can screen kitchen mess with a raised bar on an island and a deep sink. If you expect anyone to sit at the bar, allow knee space under it and space to tuck in the seating when it's not being used.

If you take out both the DR and LR you could have an amorphous space. People like 'cozy' better than 'hotel lobby'.

I vote for incorporating kitchen and current DR, and I vote against the 'industrial kitchen' look in someone's *home*.

While I prefer an enclosed kitchen, I suspect most renters would rather have an open concept space as that's what's been touted as the desirable design for a number of years.

I have an "eat-in" kitchenâ¦.table and chairs one end, work area at the other end. I don't call that an open concept. I think of an open concept as the great room and kitchen all one room.

As much as I miss my Grandma's classic closed kitchen, and as much as I hate cats underfoot and worse, on counters, I vote for open because I'm used to it. Plus it feels spacious.

I prefer an eat-in separate kitchen.

I would guess that for a rental, it really doesn't matter!

I suspect your renters would like open concept. Myself, I would prefer it to have a wall. My kitchen is open concept, and oh, how I wish it wasnt, but, since it was actually built to be open concept, back in 1968, there is not a good place to add a wall to close it up. My last kitchen was about 1/2 open so semi open concept. Oh how I long for my kitchen I had 20 some years ago, that was off by itself.

I prefer a closed kitchen.

I just know I don't like to see into the kitchen when entering the front door.

I have an open kitchen/great room but have a chest high narrow wall with counter on top between the living areas and the kitchen, so you can't see the kitchen counters from the dining or living areas. I like it.