We recently opened our existing house to the extension and WOW!!! You can see from the front door, down the passage, through the kitchen to the end of our new family room, then, courtesy of our spectacular new bifold doors, the alfresco and all the way to the back fence. Some 40 metres.

Ability to open or close off spaces as required

It's a no brainer in Australia I think. We love open plan & indoor outdoor living spaces.

Totally agree with Kerrie Langloy7, open plan is an absolute no brainer, gives you space, you are with your family and friends while in the kitchen, not shut away on your own, not all open plans have huge windows for light, if you have you are a lucky one, open plan is for families large and small whether noisy or sedate, open plan is just right, I am 72 and had open plan from the time I was married, all the time our children were growing up and now we accommodate our children, their children and our great grandchildren, would NEVER change.

Whoops. I'm English and would go crazy if I couldn't shut myself away to recharge. I have a big kitchen diner, but the rest of the house is separated by walls. Best of both worlds, depending on need.

yes it's interesting how the Brits like closed off rooms. I watch those UK home shows & thy seem to all says "don't want cooking smells" but don't they have good extraction fan rangehoods there like we do? I've also wondered why they don't have/ install proper air conditioning there that warms, cools & filters the air? Wonder if now their summers are getting hotter if they'll embrace it. I certainly thing you can have the best of both worlds in the right house, open kitchen dining living & then maybe a seperate living or reception room as they call them in the UK. Also if you have nice big bedrooms & master suite you can escape there for peace & quet. Interesting the differences between countries.

I prefer open plan! i love the feel of a big open space creating personal spaces in that area.

We love both open and closed layout but if we had to choose it would be ope to create the sense of space.

who likes a cramped space

Open plan brings family and friends together

Open Plan feels more spacious

Mostly I prefer open-plan. Just so long as there is some sort of distinction between the different areas.

I like open plan, however unless its cleverly designed open plan can dramatically increase heating and cooling costs, amplifies noise and echo, and particularly if your kitchen is included, exposes your upholstery, paintings and other fabric in the lounge area to fumes and grease. If you have more than one or two people in the house, you can't hang out watching TV due to the noise of someone in the kitchen. Best option for me is a design which enables the kitchen to be closed off when necessary.