What is a ground design for family life with toddler

4 years ago

What is a good design for family living, with toddler who is super energetic and a husband who likes to cook, and me who likes big family gatherings and cozy corners.

Our house is a 1930s semi detacted house, with through lounge and side kitchen

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Juliet Docherty

4 years ago

I would also think about where the daylight is. Natural sunlit rooms are where children would want to be, dim rooms can be good for adult evening spaces. Practicality is everything with kids and as Emmanuelle says, storage everywhere.

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Comments (6)

Ellie
4 years ago
Depends what space you have to work with to start. I would always want separate living room from kitchen/dining rather than all open.

Also, they are only toddlers for such a short time so your space must work now and in the future.
merinmaria thanked Ellie
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OnePlan
4 years ago
Safety first is always the first port of call in good design. Then addressing the individual hopes and requirements, looking forward and future proofing and being a bit sensible and working within budget or in chunks that can be done as budget allows - but ultimately aiming towards the same finish post helps ! There’s lots of drawings on our pro page that might give you some ideas ? Click on my name or icon to go there !
merinmaria thanked OnePlan
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Emmanuelle
4 years ago
Storage, storage & storage! What ever you do, whatever room, storage is key! So you can hide the paraphernalia which comes with toddlers... and yours! floor to ceiling is the ultimate, even better if it just looks like a wall... just make sure some storage is easily accessible for toddlers so they can tidy up themselves ( here is to hoping!)
merinmaria thanked Emmanuelle
PRO
i-architect
4 years ago
Chances are that if you're just starting to consider making changes to your home, then by the time any big alterations are built your toddler will be more of a preschooler and things will have changed a little. The thing about family life with kids is that you just start getting used to the ways things are and they gradually change into a bigger kid with different needs. So the most important thing when designing with children in mind is adaptability - making it possible for your house to change easily as your family grows and develops.

When it comes to you and your husbands love of cooking and entertaining, then this is a bit easier to address because it's likely that you will still love doing this well into the future.

For cooking easily you don't necessarily need the biggest space, but you do need it to be really well designed so that everything you need is quickly to hand. This depends on the kind of food your husband cooks, it's complexity, and the different techniques he uses. So more complex food will have more ingredients and will need more storage and preparation space. More techniques will require more specialist equipment and the space for them.

For entertaining it's a lot simpler - just decide how many people you want to entertain at any one time and in what style - formal or informal. If food comes into the entertaining then you will need to consider the relationship between the kitchen and the dining space.

I have a free checklist with support emails to help with getting your project off to a good start and making the right decisions for you.

You can get a copy from my website: www.i-architect.co.uk

Hope this helps! Jane, i-architect
merinmaria thanked i-architect
Sven
4 years ago
I would not plan around a toddler as they grow and learn so fast that you would need to change your plans every few months. Getting as much natural light, comfy seating neuks and natural materials would be better than transient safety.
merinmaria thanked Sven

What is a ground design for family life with toddler

Juliet Docherty

Comments (6)

Ellie

OnePlan

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Emmanuelle

i-architect

Sven

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