BIGGER DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEAN BETTER
To illustrate that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, for this post I’m sharing the isolated floor plans of both the initial and current design for the great room, kitchen and dining room for comparison purposes. In reviewing the floor plans side by side, here’s a list of the differences between them.

The question is: How to make a top load washer and dryer look good while getting the most functionality from a laundry room?

Recently I shared a post about designing hallways with multi function where in part I spoke about the need for bathroom floor plans to include windows. For this week’s post, I’m elaborating on the importance of including windows, specifically in private toilet rooms for primary suites, ensuite bathrooms and shared bathrooms.

In today’s custom homes, not only have we added more specialized rooms to floor plan design but spaces that were once considered to only be for utilitarian purposes like laundry rooms, closets, pantries, etc. have now joined the ranks of being showpieces that are artfully designed while being loaded with functionality.

When it comes to designing floor plans, even though dedicating space for hallways and circulation is essential, it can often times feel a bit problematic, especially when available square footage is limited. However, with thoughtful planning and honed-in spatial design skills, circulation spaces can be designed so hallways add value beyond just providing space to get from one point to the next.

In my early career of designing custom floor plans, I was highly tuned into making sure that I provided livable functionality to every inch, every square foot and every nook and cranny of the homes I designed. And though this is still true of my approach to floor plan design today, I’ve since refined my notion and definition of purpose and the utility of space

I often get asked questions about how much space should be allotted for specific rooms. Is 20 ft x 25 ft a good size for a great room? Would a space 14 ft x 16 ft feel generous enough for a primary bedroom? And what about for our kids’ bedrooms, would 12 ft x 10 ft be too small?

For this week’s post, I’m sharing an isolated kitchen floor plan from a Floor Plan Review.  I’ll start by pointing out what’s not working, and then show a sketch to illustrate how the kitchen design can be improved with minor modifications. Let’s get started!

Welcome friends to a Week in Review. For this week, I’m showcasing a sampling of projects that were front and center last week in the design studio, along with floor plan and spatial design take-aways.

Within the design of every custom home, I like to include unexpected pockets of space that are intentional, purpose driven and filled with functionality and delight.

For this week’s post, I’m taking you behind the scenes with the design development of one such space. We’ll go through the design challenges, then I’ll outline the solutions with five essential design tips for creating impactful spaces that would have otherwise gone unused, underutilized or underdeveloped.

For this week’s post I’m dialing it back to Floor Plan Design / Space Planning 101, and sharing some basic space planning tips, illustrating with a floor plan option for a small house, 2nd story remodel project.