Designing for an easier life
Did you know that good design can be better than a marriage counselor? How can that be? The common perception is that you might need a marriage counselor after a home building project. Architects are trained problem solvers and are committed to being collaborative partners with their clients to make the clients’ lives better.
When planning your project discuss irritants in your life with your architect. Do the children’s messy rooms drive you nuts? Do dinner guests in your cooking space make you want to run from the kitchen screaming? Does your spouse’s pile of clothes on the dresser make you crazy? Solutions to these and other problems can be found through good design.
In the majority of our projects couples request separate sinks or vanities in the master bathroom to make life easier. When different tolerations of neatness, cleanliness, or privacy are involved we often design separate closets and/or bathrooms in the master suite.
We had clients where the husband was a very early riser. The wife slept late and was a light sleeper. This was not a good combination; he regularly woke her during his early morning routine. We designed the master suite so the husband could enter the bathroom and exit through the closet into the hall. With the installation of sound insulation around the bathroom, the problem was solved.
In a renovation project, moving one door in a kitchen solved the problem of guests hanging out in the cooking triangle.
Another client had an interesting dilemma. She loved her artist daughter-in-law but hated her art work. Her request was to design her house so there was not a wall in the public rooms where you could hang a painting! We created an open floor plan with curved walls and lots of glass. Fortunately, the house was on a great view so the huge window wall made sense.
When an elderly mother with dementia was moving in with her daughter’s family, we redesigned the now grown children’s bedrooms into a small apartment for her. We configured the bathroom and cabinetry like her previous home of 50 years. We also used the same color palette to increase the familiarity of the space.
When you move into an existing house you make the space work for your lifestyle. The unused dining room might become a home office or play room. In a custom designed home or renovation, the house is designed for your lifestyle. Think about how you want to live in your house and move through the day. Communicate your desires with your architect; who is committed to solving your problems and enhancing the spaces where you live.