The Old Coot is a “space”
man
By Merlin Lessler
The “Open Concept” in
house design is all the rage. Kitchen – Dining – Living, all in one big open
space. You see it on ”HGTV” – on “This
Old House” and just about everywhere that living space is the topic. This new
way to live is hip! I like it – but it has some drawbacks.
Back in “The Day,” the kitchen
was a food prep area – the dining room was an eating space and the living room
was the sitting around space: for reading, watching TV and socializing. If you
were lucky, there was a rumpus room in the basement: a place to send the kids
to get them out of your hair.
A typical family gathering
found the women in the kitchen in those days, helping the “hostess,” swapping
gossip and complaining about the “lumps” in the living room. The lumps sat
around watching sports on TV and discussing the routes they took to get there.
Often disagreeing with each other’s choices.
It worked great! Both
sexes liked the set-up. When mealtime came, they merged together in the dining
room, except for the kids who were shuffled off to a card table out of the way.
When asked about the topics discussed in their separate quarters, the women
said, “Recipes;” the men said, “World politics.”
That dynamic is lost with
the open concept. New lines of communication have developed. Better or not? I
don’t have a clue. I find when I exaggerate something, embellish a story, I get
corrected by my wife when we’re all together in an open concept environment.
“OK, so there weren’t a thousand people in line at the DMV; there were six. But
it was still a painful wait.” My tales have lost their umph. Sometimes couples end
up not speaking by the time they leave the gathering. It might have something
to do with the high divorce rate in this country.
Complaints? Send to mlessler7@gmail.com Compliments? Send to this paper.
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