Inspiration with Plenty of Seating
L “Lousy” The old ubiquitous L shaped lounge/dining room!
When looking at plans or at established properties for future living, the layout can be enhanced with 'styling' to minimise the look of the space. Or in the case of plans, furniture not to scale can deceive the unwary into expecting there to be more space than there is.
Care needs to be taken if there are special pieces of furniture to be housed too, especially if abnormally tall items. For example: Pianos, dressers, king size beds and proportional bedside tables etc.
It is a very good idea if looking for a new established home to take with you a compass to ensure that north is beneficial to the layout in allowing sunlight into the living areas and the rear garden and the home enjoys FREE heating! That is a big Tick!
- Walk through lounge room interrupting conversations, TV and more.
- Dining area too small for standard six seating table and chairs.
- Circular 'race track' through lounge, dining, kitchen creating a fun children's game but it is too dangerous.
- Kitchen usually has two dead corners where the benching joins at a right angle. With a dishwasher installed there is little storage.
- Between the 'tall wall' and U shaped benching is not conducive to constant passing foot traffic.
- The peninsula bench is usually short but supposed to to be sufficient for the majority of preparation space and breakfast too.
- The Family Room is NOT! It is not large enough for more than a couch if that. With access to the garden, the minor bedrooms, the kitchen and the entry it leaves NO space except for traffic lights or round-about. Certainly not for furniture or the family to be together.
- The tight corner where the kitchen is situated does not allow views to the main section of the rear garden. So children are free reign with supervision very restricted defeating the purpose of having a good sized site.
- Most often the laundry is 'designed' with trough under the window and taps for the washing machine installed. No bench, no provision for the 'flow' of activity, no storage, no real design.
- There is no orientation of this plan that allows for decent passive solar access. The façade usually has garage, living (possible under a veranda) and master. The long side has bedrooms and bathroom. The rear with typically two bedrooms often with the windows to the sides. And where the kitchen and dining may benefit from some sun entry: that is the usual placement of an alfresco. The other long side has the garage, 'family' (not) room, blocked by alfresco, and laundry or bedroom.... It is not a plan to build for good environmental positioning at all.
- A new kitchen stretched into the dining area. This closes the lounge to be an easy room to furnish: three walls with only window and door to interrupt the furniture placement. Couch backing the kitchen on the full long wall, chairs arranged for the outlook to the garden. NO conversations interrupted. Tick!
- The kitchen with long benches, pantry at the far end, again not a walk through, great to increase the view to the garden too. Tick!
- Dining moves into the 'family' room which is far better for supervision of children. Tick!
- By extending the rear of the house with two new bedrooms, the family can become a 'real' room. With three walls for furniture, television, desks, it can be open to the garden, dining and kitchen so it becomes a great area for all the random activities a family requires. Tick!
- But it still may not be any good for passive solar design. At least the long side of the family room can benefit from day sun but not sufficient for the home to be considered passive solar efficient. Cross.
When looking at plans or at established properties for future living, the layout can be enhanced with 'styling' to minimise the look of the space. Or in the case of plans, furniture not to scale can deceive the unwary into expecting there to be more space than there is.
Care needs to be taken if there are special pieces of furniture to be housed too, especially if abnormally tall items. For example: Pianos, dressers, king size beds and proportional bedside tables etc.
It is a very good idea if looking for a new established home to take with you a compass to ensure that north is beneficial to the layout in allowing sunlight into the living areas and the rear garden and the home enjoys FREE heating! That is a big Tick!