Are Open Kitchens in Senior Living Meeting Residents’ Needs or Just Following a Trend?

The open kitchen trend stood out this year while reviewing projects as a juror for the Environments for Aging Dining Competition. Many of the remodels had thoughtfully added acoustic treatments to reduce noise in the dining areas, showing a growing awareness of how sound affects resident comfort. Still, it made me wonder whether open kitchens are the right fit for senior living. In larger communities, kitchens tend to be bigger, more industrial, and filled with hard surfaces. Even when dining rooms are designed to absorb sound, noise from adjacent kitchens can easily carry through, making it difficult to maintain a comfortable auditory environment. Are open kitchens truly supporting resident well-being in these settings, or are we importing a residential trend without fully considering its consequences?

In many senior living communities that I visit, even those with closed kitchens, residents often complain that the dining room feels too loud and that it is hard to hear others at the table. In one project I worked on, I measured ambient kitchen noise at 58 decibels when the kitchen was not in use. That was just from the hum of equipment and reverberation from hard finishes. When cooking begins, the noise rises quickly. Studies show that restaurant kitchens average around 87 decibels.

By comparison, the Environmental Protection Agency recommends keeping indoor noise levels below 45 decibels for comfortable conversation. Speech becomes difficult to understand at 50 decibels and nearly impossible at 70. These thresholds matter. For older adults, especially those with hearing loss, too much background noise can turn mealtime into a frustrating or isolating experience.

In skilled nursing or assisted living settings that follow the household model, open kitchens can serve a meaningful purpose. Residents may find fulfillment in helping with meal preparation, and the visibility of the kitchen can support orientation, engagement, and a sense of home. But in larger independent or assisted living communities, is that what residents are really seeking? Or are they paying for comfort, convenience, and a social lifestyle where they can enjoy meals without being involved in the work?

Until open concept homes became popular, most family gatherings took place in formal dining rooms. For centuries, the dining room was a distinct and valued part of the home, set apart from the kitchen. It provided a place where people could come together, free from the noise and activity of food preparation. While formal dining rooms have started to fall out of fashion in recent decades, their ability to support meaningful connection has not disappeared. In fact, separating the dining space from the kitchen may help create a more relaxed and focused environment where conversation is easier and socialization becomes the priority. What makes a dining experience feel homelike is not the visibility of the kitchen, but the sense of comfort, familiarity, and connection that happens around the table.

This raises the question: Why are open kitchens becoming so common in senior living? Is it what residents truly want? Or are we importing a trend from hospitality and contemporary housing design that may not fit the needs or preferences of this population?

I would love to hear from designers, operators, caregivers, and residents. What has your experience been with open kitchens? Have they improved the dining experience, or created new challenges?