Having the right floor-plan can change your life
I was horrified by the amount of stuff lined up in the hallway for our camping trip.
Camping is meant to be about getting back to basics, right? So how did we come to depend on so much “stuff”? I lamented myself and society at large for being so materialistic. *sigh* A less philosophical concern was that I thought there was no way we would get it all in the car!
My kids had asked for more comfortable mats, so I had new air mattresses for them. Then there was the tent itself, sleeping bags, camp chairs, a camp table, clothes, esky, food for two days, cooking equipment, torches, the kids’ essential soft toys, hats, towels, shoes and the sundry bits and pieces that always turn up.
But you know what? My husband’s Tetris skills meant all this stuff just kept disappearing into the boot. And we used every single thing we took.
Using all this stuff and the process of camping reminded me what a house actually is.
A house is a place where we can have permanent and delightful settings for life’s essential tasks. Water arrives at just the right place and is washed away when we are done. A clean, flat surface is essential for food preparation. We need a pantry and storage (the car boot!). Sleep is essential to our health and comfort, so those air beds were actually great. It is so natural to gather in a circle when you are eating with others, whether its around a table or a campfire. Sitting on a chair keeps you clean, comfortable, and away from bugs and prickles.
As for orientation and microclimate, we were able to set the tent up in the shade which meant it didn’t get hot inside even when the sun got intense. A thicket of shrubs and trees protected us from the harsh western sun as we got dinner ready in the late afternoon. Even as we got “back to basics” all the design principles were there!
If I had drawn a plan of the campsite I would have recognised a bedroom zone, a kitchen and dining zone, a lounge zone and, yes, even a bathroom zone (teeth brushing happened behind the car, using the boot as a vanity bench. Other functions happened some distance away!).
What this reminds us of is that when designing a floor plan layout, it is essential to keep in mind the real purpose of each space and how you move between them. A floor plan is an abstraction of a real life, your life, moving through space.
Imagining a person’s movement in the home is one of the key techniques I use when reviewing floor plans, and I’ll be demonstrating it in my upcoming interactive webinar. (It’s free by the way)
Then, once the physical form and functions of a home are designed it is so much easier (and efficient!) to choose materials and finishes, because you have confidence in the plan.
A Floor Plan Review allows us to go into more detail. With pen in hand I’m constantly asking myself and my clients questions:
How will you move from here to there?
How can the path be made smoother, more direct, or more pleasant?
Does this space feel generous?
How many turns are there?
What will you want to collect?
What will you want to have access to?
Where is the space that isn’t contributing to the layout?
How can “wasted” space be made useful? Or removed altogether to reduce build costs?
Developing your floor plan should be a fun, dynamic and confidence building process. There is support available, especially if you feel that your builder or draftsperson is taking passive instruction from you, rather than working with you on the design.
So much good can be achieved with a great floor plan. If you’re at all curious, come along on 26th March at 12pm and see for yourself.
