# How do you really feel about the trends in homes - granite counters, open concept, etc? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709 "2012-01-16T17:34:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/81 "2012-01-17T16:29:37Z")
Yeah, the two sinks in the master is a great idea, and that fits most people’s modern lifestyle-- ie, both genders work, and need to get ready about the same time in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/82 "2012-01-17T16:50:25Z")
I love the darker themes coming up in design. There’s a lot more black and dark brown wood going on over the last 5-10 years. Combine that with stainless steel and it makes a gorgeous kitchen. I like open floor plans as well. I don’t have a bunch of kids though, some people might not like the big open spaces when you have a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/83 "2012-01-17T16:51:30Z")
_Bang for Your Buck_ features high-end renovations, compared for resale value. (Although some of the folks are planning to stay put until they must leave.) One master bathroom was big enough to have two sinks–facing each other. Each was equipped with storage & a mirror, so the couple couldn’t see each other at their ablutions. (The lady’s mirror was lit from within, to avoid shadows while applying makeup.) They got points for that setup; perhaps watching your partner floss does not help keep romance alive! They had a pretty big walk-in closet. With serviceable metal accessories–quite practical. And a chandelier! I really liked those people… ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/84 "2012-01-17T16:57:28Z")
I like open concept, provided there is one room in the house that is well away from everything else. The Not So Big House lady does this, and calls it “the away room”. I like wood floors. Carpet is just disgusting, and tile is cold and unforgiving if you drop something or fall. Vinyl is deadly when wet. Nope, wood is definitely what floors oughta be made of. I think that having a lot of storage is important. People have stuff nowadays and they need somewhere to put it. I’m in favor of big closets and pantries for sure. Now: I hate any kind of stone or stone composite countertop. Again, cold and unforgiving if you drop something. I’d prefer a laminate countertop or, my first choice, Corian/Staron. Stainless appliances get fingerprints all over them and aren’t THAT special. We have white appliances and I like 'em just fine. Way the heck cheaper too. Aesthetically, I love woodwork in a house. I love deep baseboards, crown molding, door frames and all that. I think it’s lovely and speaks to the craftsmanship of a house. Having said that, I live in a mod-concept house myself where there is NONE of that, and if there was it would look silly. You have to take the whole feel of the house into account. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/85 "2012-01-17T17:06:17Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I’m in that group. > > I built a nice wet bar in the basement a couple years ago, and decided to have a granite countertop installed. It looks beautiful. But I now \*hate \*it. About two weeks after it was installed, I discovered a small chip in it. I assume someone must have set a wine glass or beer mug on it too hard. Now I’m paranoid about setting hard stuff on it, such as glass and ceramic items. I should have gone with Corian[sup]®[/sup]. There is much better stuff than Corian IMHO. It stains. We went with Eco by cosentino. Made of 75% recycled products. It was very expensive but it’s beautiful and tough as nails. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/86 "2012-01-17T17:23:05Z")
Granite is a beautiful natural material that looks great but is not necessary IMHO. Open kitchens I really like and would be a major factor in such a decision. To me a kitchen is symbolic of the heart and a open kitchen signifies a open heart, and one that is connected to the rest of the house. A closed kitchen also is reminiscent of the throwback to women should be in the kitchen not seen but there to serve. Crown molding I have doesn’t really do anything for me. ---
**Author:** ![Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Throatwarbler_Mangrove)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/87 "2012-01-17T18:33:42Z")
I’m baffled that there are still people who watch HGTV now that generally it’s come to light that houses are Ponzi schemes. Is there also a whole TV channel dedicated to shows about people shopping for the cheapest oil change place or cheapest store to buy cans of soup? And yet there’s a show that has 24/7 programming about assholes shopping for houses? Who gives a shit? _Jersey Shore_ is about 100x more interesting. > [@Athena](#): > > Boy, I don’t understand all the hate towards open floor plans. To me, they perfectly compliment my lifestyle. I don’t want to be stuck away in the kitchen when Mr. Athena is in the living room; I want to be able to see and talk to him. And every party I’ve ever had or been to, people end up congregating in the kitchen. Doesn’t matter if it’s closed or open, everyone’s there. It’s nicer to entertain with the open floor plan because even though everyone is in/around the kitchen, we can still see the TV, sit at the dining room table, or whatever. With open concept kitchens don’t you get a layer of oil and stale food smell on everything? 90% of what I eat is either fried in oil or curry. Maybe white people just have oatmeal and boiled vegetables for every meal. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/88 "2012-01-17T18:42:45Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > With open concept kitchens don’t you get a layer of oil and stale food smell on everything? 90% of what I eat is either fried in oil or curry. Maybe white people just have oatmeal and boiled vegetables for every meal. A powerful extractor above the cooker helps, although they are noisy. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/89 "2012-01-17T18:47:26Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > With open concept kitchens don’t you get a layer of oil and stale food smell on everything? 90% of what I eat is either fried in oil or curry. Maybe white people just have oatmeal and boiled vegetables for every meal. Well… not quite. We live on sandwiches and Chinese take-out. 🙂 Well, OK, the Irish and Scottish live on oatmeal and boiled vegetables… but I don’t hold that against them. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/90 "2012-01-17T19:00:54Z")
Re: crown molding. In some houses it just looks ridiculous. Ours is a craftsman style bungalow, with the typical 6"-10" square-edged base molding, and complementary window molding. Crown molding would not be in keeping with this type of architecture, yet people do it all the time. Our kitchen is open in the sense that one can see in and out, but this is a very small house, and it works well. Our good friends have one of those enormous kitchens where you run yourself into a frazzle trying to work in it. What I really don’t understand are the monster appliances such as those cavernous Subzero refrigerator/freezer units, unless you’re entertaining large groups on a regular basis. How much food do you need to store in your home? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/91 "2012-01-17T19:03:32Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > \ > > We’re actually being shown a bunch of options. Only the most brain-dead of _House Hunters_ insist on granite. (Why are so _many_ of them brain dead?) I can live with the idea that they only show the idiots and wankers on tv - no one wants to watch house-hunters like my husband and me, who were well-educated and reasonable when we were looking for a house - not a lot of drama there. There sure are some who seem _particularly_ clueless or silly, though. > [@Athena](#): > > \ > Insulation makes a difference. A HUGE difference. Having grown up here, I can tell you, houses feel different than they do in other places. In any decent house, there are no cracks, no drafts, no windows that don’t-quite shut. House feel solid and quiet inside. > > When I lived elsewhere, houses don’t feel the same. Even in Colorado, which gets cold in the winter (but not as cold as it does here!), the houses don’t have that solid feel that they do here. I’ve noticed that, too, watching shows with southern houses. I’m not sure I could get used to a house that wasn’t a highly-engineered system - I think I’d always be worried about not being able to properly set my own environment inside. > [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > I’m baffled that there are still people who watch HGTV now that generally it’s come to light that houses are Ponzi schemes. Is there also a whole TV channel dedicated to shows about people shopping for the cheapest oil change place or cheapest store to buy cans of soup? And yet there’s a show that has 24/7 programming about assholes shopping for houses? Who gives a shit? _Jersey Shore_ is about 100x more interesting.\ You’re threadshitting, my friend. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/92 "2012-01-17T19:09:59Z")
A friend installed granite counters two years ago and now just about every dish in the kitchen inventory has a chip in it. Numerous broken glasses, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/93 "2012-01-17T19:42:35Z")
I love HGTV and its ilk. The only shows that don’t interest me are the yard makeover or curb appeal type shows…around here, it’s usually miserably hot outside. I’m not going out in the yard no matter \*what \*you put out there. Our house has an open floor plan and I like it. The foyer, living room, dining nook, and kitchen are all in the same room, separated only by partial walls. There’s a pool table in this room as well (probably that’s where the formal dining area was meant to go). The back wall is a sliding glass door leading out to the porch, so there’s a lot of light and air and space. Now, I admit that the kids spend most of their time in their rooms with the doors shut, but isn’t that what they’d do anyway? The big room is tiled…so much better than carpet! It can (theoretically) be cleaned, and the pet accidents are a whole lot nicer to deal with. We just recently had wood floors put down in our bedroom, and wow. I love it, although I’m going in fear of the day when it gets a big ugly scratch. Now we are painting (and painting, and painting…). Our all-white house is getting colored rooms. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/94 "2012-01-17T19:51:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > What I really don’t understand are the monster appliances such as those cavernous Subzero refrigerator/freezer units, unless you’re entertaining large groups on a regular basis. How much food do you need to store in your home? Well, I need a huge freezer (even though I don’t have one) due to my large garden - I harvest and store a considerable percentage of my yearly vegetables in the fall. But I’m pretty sure that I’m not the target demographic for Subzero. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/95 "2012-01-17T19:55:08Z")
I wouldn’t mind the bottom floor being open concept if I had a lot of guests. But I don’t, so I would prefer completely separate rooms once the rooms get beyond, say, 400 sq feet. ETA: I’m not sure if open concept means a lack of hallways, but I also don’t like space wasted on hallways. So ideally I would have a house with 2 or 3 floors with 4 rooms of around 300-400 sq feet on each floor, with no hallways. Sure, you can’t use all of them as bedrooms all the time since they interconnect, but it’s not like I’m going to get a large family right away. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/96 "2012-01-17T20:21:04Z")
Can we expand a bit to other trendy items? One I find really overdone lately is those “apron front” sinks. If you have a cottage style house with other ‘old fashioned’ touches in your cabinets and appliances, fine. Otherwise it just looks strange to me. (You get a pass if you genuinely preserves a lots of fruits and vegetables.) The other that strikes me really stupid is the sink that looks like a bowl mounted on top of the counter. They look like they’d take at least three times as long to clean as the under the counter sinks AND you can’t just brush splashed water back into the sink. Whoever came up with those obviously never cleaned a bath room in his life. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/97 "2012-01-17T20:44:41Z")
> [@Throatwarbler\_Mangrove](#): > > With open concept kitchens don’t you get a layer of oil and stale food smell on everything? 90% of what I eat is either fried in oil or curry. Maybe white people just have oatmeal and boiled vegetables for every meal. I do my share of frying (though not 90% of what I eat) and I like strongly-spiced foods. I roast peppers on the top of the stove, and I’ve rendered lard and made stock, all of which are fairly smelly. If I’m frying at high heat, we’ll open some windows and/or use a fan to move the smell out. Other than that, I’ve never noticed a layer of oil and stale food smell on anything. I mean, we do have to scrub the floor and wash things, but no more than an enclosed kitchen, and once a year I take the stuff off the tops of cabinets and clean them, and they definitely need it. Given that I’ve lived in apartments where you can smell what your neighbor is cooking, I’m not sure walls and doors really do that much when it comes to smells, anyway. When you cook, you can smell food. In my mind, that’s a plus in a house, not a minus. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/98 "2012-01-17T20:44:58Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > The other that strikes me really stupid is the sink that looks like a bowl mounted on top of the counter. They look like they’d take at least three times as long to clean as the under the counter sinks AND you can’t just brush splashed water back into the sink. > > Whoever came up with those obviously never cleaned a bath room in his life. Oh! I hate those things! I can just see myself dropping something and breaking a big chunk out of it. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/99 "2012-01-17T20:55:21Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > The other that strikes me really stupid is the sink that looks like a bowl mounted on top of the counter. They look like they’d take at least three times as long to clean as the under the counter sinks AND you can’t just brush splashed water back into the sink. > > Whoever came up with those obviously never cleaned a bath room in his life. I fucking love those sinks and wish I had them in my house. In fairness, I have a housekeeper, so I probably wouldn’t be scrubbing them myself, but the point remains. I frequently stay in hotels in Vegas and- in the fancier, newer places- these sinks are all the trend. Oh. My. God. I can wash my face without having to hunch over at a 90 degree angle! Water doesn’t spill all over the counter if I happen to lean up a bit while I’m washing my face! Amaaaaazing. Would I put them in my kitchen? Hell no. But they are great for bathrooms. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709/100 "2012-01-17T21:22:58Z")
I forgot my biggest annoyance with new homes today: master bathrooms. You know, the ones that are bigger than your childhood bedroom and have a bathtub big enough for four people and a standalone shower. The same homes typically feature multiple non-master ‘bedrooms’ that are smaller than the master bath and can just fit in a twin bed and a dresser. I don’t want to clean that bathroom TYVM and my kids are getting a good education in sharing because we only have one (gasp) shower/tub in the whole house. (It is actually second on the list of reasons I never want to move into a new home. The first is packing.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-really-feel-about-the-trends-in-homes-granite-counters-open-concept-etc/609709.md?page=6)