I am building 4 apartments and I need your feedback. Do you think it is acceptable to design an open kitchen/living room floor plan? With this plan the kitchen is included with the living room with out walls. The kitchen, dining area, and living area are basically contained within the same room. The advantages to this is you can incorporate alot of style into the space. Its also a great way to showcase your high end materials and appliances. We spend considerable amounts of time in the kitchen and under this scheme you can still work in the kitchen while interacting with your family/guests. It is a common and popular design where I live overseas and many people will not consider a property if it wasnt an open layout. My brother thinks its a bad idea because the odors of cooking would permeate the living space (install an exhaust fan), The tenant may have a cook and desire privacy, its hard to keep clean. It would increase the operational costs of air conditioning to keep cool. Keep in mind my brother and myself both have open layouts in our houses and wouldnt have it any other way. Do you think this is a good design for the African market. Your thoughts?

Wetin dey Vex me be say ma ba3 don LOW

Open plans are modern and classy but these are not common in Africa. Some reasons for this is the kitchen smell diffusing into the living room, our culture which had the kitchen outside the building historically,lack of appreciation for open plans etc
I think its good for the African market but the end user's preference is to be considered foremost.

I agree with you but I think it can work. I have included open layouts for 2 of the units. As a test one unit will be convertible, meaning I can always brick and enclose it traditionally. The other unit will forever be an open floor plan. I would just reduce the rent or use the space for short term vacation rental. I personally love the concept and I think a potential tenant would like it once they visit and realize what is going on. I dont plan to change the African tradition, but I think this is acceptable.

Environment is a crucial factor when it comes to architecture.
Dis kind of open design encourage free flow architecture, america architecture. It's less complex and simple. Though it's good to explore new ideas, I wouldn't advise this in nigeria, considering weather & other factors.

There should be a partition wall btw kitchen and d living room. If at all u still want to introduce it in ur design, d open space can include dining & kitchen, d living room should be excluded. D weather here is hot. D kind of kitchen activities we practice is gonna detract from d congenial atmosphere of d living room, consider steam & d likes.

So the consensus thus far is this is a bad idea?

My advise:

Create a barrier between the kitchen and living area...but use "half wall and half glass" or something of the sort...

That way, you can still give the effect of an open feel/flow where the occupants in the kitchen can still interact with the folks in the living room. It also goves the feeling of segregation between both areas (i.e. kitchen separated from the living room).

What do you think?

Do you think people will avoid the open concept as if it was damaged or designed by a mad person?

Even if I have 10 housemaids, it is my wifes duty to cook my meal (call me a male chauvinist pig if you must) and the cooking/eating time may be the major time as a family. I don't want her stuck in some enclosed room by herself.

A whole house fan located near the kitchen will take care of dispatching any unsavory small and can be powered by its own dedicated solar energy source.

The biggest challenge for us will be cleaning ness. Since the kitchen will be in direct view of guests and in the entertainment zone then it has to be spotless. And that's where the housemaids comes in.

UPDATE...I went ahead with the semi open plan.pics post soon.

the workers have dubbed the place as the "american house". not sure if i should be impress or insulted.

tegoguy:
the workers have dubbed the place as the "american house". not sure if i should be impress or insulted.

I think it's a good idea

tegoguy:
I am building 4 apartments and I need your feedback. Do you think it is acceptable to design an open kitchen/living room floor plan? With this plan the kitchen is included with the living room with out walls. The kitchen, dining area, and living area are basically contained within the same room. The advantages to this is you can incorporate alot of style into the space. Its also a great way to showcase your high end materials and appliances. We spend considerable amounts of time in the kitchen and under this scheme you can still work in the kitchen while interacting with your family/guests. It is a common and popular design where I live overseas and many people will not consider a property if it wasnt an open layout. My brother thinks its a bad idea because the odors of cooking would permeate the living space (install an exhaust fan), The tenant may have a cook and desire privacy, its hard to keep clean. It would increase the operational costs of air conditioning to keep cool. Keep in mind my brother and myself both have open layouts in our houses and wouldnt have it any other way. Do you think this is a good design for the African market. Your thoughts?

In 9ja, try cooking ogbono where you have to bleach the palm oil and see waht happens to ur guest in the living room lol

erico2k2:

In 9ja, try cooking ogbono where you have to bleach the palm oil and see waht happens to ur guest in the living room lol

I gave zero considerations to my visitors when designing my house. how much money will they give me to build it? if they don't like any smells coming from the kitchen they can go home and rest.

Open floor plans look great and also help with cross ventilation. It's a must for us.

thanks for the reaffirmination, i did, in fact, include a semi open plan. it pt the place on market. (fingers crossed)

tegoguy:
thanks for the reaffirmination, i did, in fact, include a semi open plan. it pt the place on market. (fingers crossed)

It's your house and money. Do what you want.

Why do you have a pass through window next to the opening? Why not extend the opening?

its a good idea.. I think it needs to be backed up with an outdoor kitchen for theft and steamy delicacies. This will be a fancy one for breakfast, eggs and light dishes. But the banga soup will be made in the outdoor kitchen....

erico2k2:

In 9ja, try cooking ogbono where you have to bleach the palm oil and see waht happens to ur guest in the living room lol

https://www./float-glass-finished-product-oladotun-olusola?published=u

EgunMogaji:
Even if I have 10 housemaids, it is my wifes duty to cook my meal (call me a male chauvinist pig if you must) and the cooking/eating time may be the major time as a family. I don't want her stuck in some enclosed room by herself.

A whole house fan located near the kitchen will take care of dispatching any unsavory small and can be powered by its own dedicated solar energy source.

The biggest challenge for us will be cleaning ness. Since the kitchen will be in direct view of guests and in the entertainment zone then it has to be spotless. And that's where the housemaids comes in.

Upon further consideration..read..Madam putting her foot down..I made the following changes.

I enclosed the kitchen though it will have a pass through, a rather large one that can be opened when were not cooking "ogbono" soup

That being said, there are vast open space of openness as can be seen in the attached floorplan. The courtyard will also have large sliding doors that will bring the outside in.

dotman201:
its a good idea.. I think it needs to be backed up with an outdoor kitchen for theft and steamy delicacies. This will be a fancy one for breakfast, eggs and light dishes. But the banga soup will be made in the outdoor kitchen....


https://www./float-glass-finished-product-oladotun-olusola?published=u

In my opinion, an outdoor kitchen is not necessary. Get a ducted range hood to vent the air to the outside. It helps a lot.

msogunro:


In my opinion, an outdoor kitchen is not necessary. Get a ducted range hood to vent the air to the outside. It helps a lot.

Yes, not necessary, but if the space allows for it then why not. I'll be having one in the courtyard, eventually.

Some may consider indoor toilet to be an unnecessary expense

Barn doors for kitchens would be great from those days when you want to have your kitchen displayed to display it's beauty. Creates an atmosphere of openness. But can be closed for privacy when cooking "ethnic dishes".

I love barn doors. I would like to have them installed in my project. Does anyone know people who do such in nigeria, or a company?

I considered it for a while but I realized that most western countries where open plan is adopted, they don't really spend so much time in the kitchen and they are in the habit of ordering food. On average it takes westerners less than 30minutes for them to make a meal. They don't cook the things we cook neither do they follow the same cooking process like heating of palm oil or pounding yam etc.
I also noticed that Indians who spend so much time in the kitchen like us don't favour open plan kitchen. We have different processes of cooking which must be factored in to make the house conformable for the residents.
If you are considering extractor, what if there is no light. It can work for short lets.

msogunro:


I gave zero considerations to my visitors when designing my house. how much money will they give me to build it? if they don't like any smells coming from the kitchen they can go home and rest.

Open floor plans look great and also help with cross ventilation. It's a must for us.

Ok .but I dnt think it suits our environment as Nigerians. The open plan kitchen concept is just to save space
In other news try Boil kpomo and see if ur led tv nor absorb moisture

dotman201:
its a good idea.. I think it needs to be backed up with an outdoor kitchen for theft and steamy delicacies. This will be a fancy one for breakfast, eggs and light dishes. But the banga soup will be made in the outdoor kitchen....


https://www./float-glass-finished-product-oladotun-olusola?published=u

Now U have spoken. If not Ambode and the Oba where going to hear about this

Any new thoughts about this?
This is 2021, Ill love to know what people feel.

I am consoderinv doing an open plan for a shortlet property.

Wow, What a Excellent post. I really found this to much informatics. It is what i was searching for.I would like to suggest you that please keep sharing such type of info.Thanks homefocus