For a replica old house (replicating the late Victorian to early 1900s era), would you want an "open" floor plan. or one with a more 'closed' kitchen / butler pantry / back hall area?

I like things closed, dark and cozy.

The way to combine both is to have large rooms (14’ x 20’) separated by pocket doors, and very high ceilings. The diningroom/pantry/kitchen has the pantry against the adjoining wall as opposed to a room divider type. I once lived in a wonderful 1900 house that had an open, ranch house feeling because of the large rooms, high ceil8ngs, and pocket doors.

My great grandmother’s house, where they lived from the late 1930s well into the 1980s, had those pocket doors but the rooms were smaller; mostly 16×16 and 16×14. and the kitchen and back hall area were not open. Her ceilings were only 10’6” but seemed higher.

I have kind of opted to have open passageways en lieu of pocket doors due to cost and to reduce wall space to make it more open. But the back areas and upstairs I like regular rooms.
But the more open plan I have been working with the past several years may be too open and seems a little too contemporary. especially with the kitchen flowing more into the living areas without the butler’s pantry.

Although I am only making drawings, and maybe that’s all I’ll ever do, even making plans takes a lot of planning and work. I want to get this right the first time

Oh, no. Don’t expect to get it right the first time. You need many revisions to get it right.
A search for “open floor plan, Victorian” revealed many fine choices

Morey Mansion has always been my favorite Victorian. The photos on Wikipedia don’t do it justice, it’s an absolutely gorgeous house.
Have you checked out Circa ? It’s great for finding old/historic houses.

I wouldn’t want an open floor plan in a real Victorian. That’s just not how they were originally designed.

In a replica, I wouldn’t care. I’d consider it more of an homage.

Probably a more open floor plan. Remember that those old houses didn’t have (fan forced)central heating like we do today so you would want the heat to circulate, hence the open plan.
Also, there was no television so the main rooms were big for the entertainment of large families, with lots of friends. Large living rooms, large dining rooms.

When I think of Victorians, I think of separate rooms.
I like them better than an open floor plan which offers no escape from….people. lol

Of course, there is always the possibility that the house being replicated could be one that has undergone tasteful but non-authentic renovations, reconfiguring the kitchen / keeping room areas to something that is more open and flowing but in keeping with its original character.

Its just that for me, I am not wanting something just a tribute but something that feels as authentic as possible. I have seen craftsman-era homes so authentic that the pristine condition of the foundation walls are the only way to tell they are not REAL old houses.

I guess I’ll be at work on this for a while. Please keep your thoughts coming. Its one hurdle / conflict that I cannot get beyond at this point. and thoughts from old-house and design aficionados will help me to consider all possibilities and the reasons to consider.

While in college there were several groups of students that rented old Victorian houses, one house had an elevator that went from the first floor to the second floor landing and finally the third floor bedroom, that one had two pantries ! Another had a music room that at one time had a grand piano (not a baby grand) the room was 20 by 40 feet, could be used as a ballroom.

You could sketch both and see.

Probably I would prefer only slight concessions to new style. It would depend on the specifics, but I tend to love the details, nooks, crannies, and considerately divided private spaces of older houses.

I don’t know what the better open layouts are like that may be out there, but mostly when I hear that term, I think of the many examples of large spacious newer houses that have huge open areas which mostly end up seeming like wasted space to me, and lacking in built-in cabinets, closets, and lacking the experience that there’s a place to explore because you can see so much space at once, and essentially you have fewer spaces that are larger but less designed to be useful.

It also tends to mean you need to always heat or cool the whole thing rather than being able to hide out in a few rooms and heat or cool only those.

I like modern amenities, so I would prefer the open floor plan with the architectural “feel” of Victorian style, without the claustrophobic reality, and inconvenience of true Victorian style.