The Most Important Thing To Think About
When you’re thinking about making changes to your home, it’s so easy to jump in, and start thinking about the new sofa, or the wallpaper, but it’s really important to start with the simple stuff.
Think about your day, from start to finish. About having a light switch next to the bed for those dark winter mornings. For a bathroom that works when everyone is rushing to get ready for work, school and college but can also work when you need a soak at the end of a busy day. How to lay out your kitchen so that the person who is unloading the dishwasher isn’t being pestered by someone making a cup of tea or getting their cornflakes.
If you start by thinking about the most hectic times of the day, you’ll know what the pinch points are. For one couple I was chatting to a while ago, it was the mountain of sports kit and school bags for their children- every evening there were different activities, so an easy way to keep all the sport kit organised and school bags put away was key for them.
Design your home for you, for your lifestyle and your family. Trends come and go but if you’re realistic about how you live, you’ll create a home that stands the test of time and is perfect for you. We’ve just made a fairly big change at our house- we had a playroom off the kitchen. When the children were small, having glass double doors into the playroom was great: I didn’t have to listen to Peppa Pig for the 1000th time but I could keep an eye on them. But now that they’re teens, that didn’t work. So we’ve created an adult friendly TV room for us to chill out in when they’re monopolising the sitting room with their friends. Yesterday we had my parents- in-law over for Mother’s Day, and it was perfect. After lunch, the children vanished to their rooms and we sat and chatted to them, while the dog pottered about, optimistically sniffing around for leftovers before collapsing by my feet.
So if you are thinking about making changes, try this first. Mentally walk through your space and notice where your home needs to work just that bit harder.
AMC