Hello everyone,
After almost a year’s break, we have resumed our building project and are planning a new floor plan.
We’re stuck when it comes to the open-plan living area, so I would like to hear your opinions!
Our garden faces west, and to the south, the neighboring property begins after three meters (10 feet).
Option 1:
Overall, we like this option best. BUT: Is it possibly too tight? About one meter (3 feet) between the sofa and table—is that too cramped? It’s enough for walking through, but maybe it compromises comfort on the couch? Currently, we have much more space between the couch and table, but not as much room depth as in the planned layout. We are thinking of trying to place the table this close to the sofa in our current apartment to get a feel for it.
Pros: Great window view to the west, a skylight to the south (brings in plenty of light but prevents the neighbor from looking into our house), from the couch you can see the room, the garden, and the TV.
Cons: Is it too narrow in width?
Option 2:
Same setup, only the table is rotated. Basically, a table with a footprint of 1.00 x 2.00 meters (3 x 6.5 feet) requires a total space of 2.00 x 2.00 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet) to accommodate chairs. In this arrangement, all guests could look out to the garden. In option 1, both the sofa and the kitchen island have visual contact with all guests.
Option 3:
The sofa and the entertainment wall are swapped. The skylight to the south changes to a floor-to-ceiling window, but the window to the west is removed.
Pros: More freedom of movement in the room, sofa hidden behind the fireplace, more coziness.
Cons: No view of the garden from the sofa, loss of a west window, view of the fireplace only from the side.
We have gotten so lost in the planning that we can’t see the forest for the trees right now.
What do you think?
Thanks and best regards,
Ypsi
After almost a year’s break, we have resumed our building project and are planning a new floor plan.
We’re stuck when it comes to the open-plan living area, so I would like to hear your opinions!
Our garden faces west, and to the south, the neighboring property begins after three meters (10 feet).
Option 1:
Overall, we like this option best. BUT: Is it possibly too tight? About one meter (3 feet) between the sofa and table—is that too cramped? It’s enough for walking through, but maybe it compromises comfort on the couch? Currently, we have much more space between the couch and table, but not as much room depth as in the planned layout. We are thinking of trying to place the table this close to the sofa in our current apartment to get a feel for it.
Pros: Great window view to the west, a skylight to the south (brings in plenty of light but prevents the neighbor from looking into our house), from the couch you can see the room, the garden, and the TV.
Cons: Is it too narrow in width?
Option 2:
Same setup, only the table is rotated. Basically, a table with a footprint of 1.00 x 2.00 meters (3 x 6.5 feet) requires a total space of 2.00 x 2.00 meters (6.5 x 6.5 feet) to accommodate chairs. In this arrangement, all guests could look out to the garden. In option 1, both the sofa and the kitchen island have visual contact with all guests.
Option 3:
The sofa and the entertainment wall are swapped. The skylight to the south changes to a floor-to-ceiling window, but the window to the west is removed.
Pros: More freedom of movement in the room, sofa hidden behind the fireplace, more coziness.
Cons: No view of the garden from the sofa, loss of a west window, view of the fireplace only from the side.
We have gotten so lost in the planning that we can’t see the forest for the trees right now.
What do you think?
Thanks and best regards,
Ypsi
Much of what @Myrna_Loy mentioned, I can fully agree with. However, every child and family is different. You can plan as much as you want, and you can use your best friend as a role model and advisor, but it will never work out exactly as planned. Therefore, plan activities next to the nursery or bedroom. You can rearrange and modify as long as the rooms allow it. That is perfectly fine.
Apart from that, I find the parent’s living area on the ground floor unbalanced. I agree with Ypg and would reconsider that.
Apart from that, I find the parent’s living area on the ground floor unbalanced. I agree with Ypg and would reconsider that.
Y
Ypsi aus NI25 May 2021 11:11haydee schrieb:
I agree with many of the points that @Myrna_Loy made. Of course, every child and every family is different. You can plan as much as you want, even take your best friend as a role model and advisor, but it will never work out exactly like that. So plan workspaces near the children's rooms or sleeping areas. You can rearrange and make changes as long as the rooms allow it. That’s perfectly fine.
Aside from that, I find the parents’ area on the ground floor unbalanced. I agree with Ypg and would revise that. That’s also a relevant point. If I shouldn’t take the people around me as role models, why should I then take the comments of a complete stranger at face value?
Just to be clear: that was exaggerated!
But you get the point...
Every family is different. I don’t know what my child will be like!
But you put it well: planning the parents’ area downstairs is the basic idea. However, we can also have a very spacious sleeping area upstairs. From my perspective, this offers maximum flexibility. As I said, it’s not like we couldn’t sleep upstairs.
haydee schrieb:
@Yaso2.0 You lucky one. Here, everything is dragged into the night.In this regard, I really shouldn’t be taken as a reference.
askforafriend25 May 2021 11:37I would say it balances out – half of my friends have children crying at night, while the other half sleep through.
@Myrna_Loy is quite right about many of the points she makes.
In our case, your plans wouldn’t work and never have.
There’s a good reason why standard designs place bedrooms upstairs and workspaces downstairs. However, every parent has to find their own way. I would never plan bedrooms on the ground floor for several reasons, not just because of children.
How do you manage with the available space? Isn’t your ground floor too crowded while the upper floor has a lot of free space?
In our case, your plans wouldn’t work and never have.
There’s a good reason why standard designs place bedrooms upstairs and workspaces downstairs. However, every parent has to find their own way. I would never plan bedrooms on the ground floor for several reasons, not just because of children.
How do you manage with the available space? Isn’t your ground floor too crowded while the upper floor has a lot of free space?