ᐅ Smart ideas that make everyday life easier incorporated into the home

Hello everyone,

We are currently in the construction phase of our single-family home. We are actively gathering ideas to make daily life in the new house easier.

So far, we have:
- A laundry chute from the bathroom on the upper floor to the washing machine in the basement
- A platform for the washing machine to allow easy loading and unloading
- Pantry shelving with rotating trays

We have also considered:
- Building a small utility room behind the living room cabinet (sideboard) to house all the TV equipment (satellite box, DVD player, receiver, hard drive, etc.) out of sight

To illustrate, I’m attaching three photos.

Maybe some of you have a nice REALISTIC idea that could be implemented.

Thank you in advance for your ideas!

Best regards,
Slintrebla

I have to admit that, except for the laundry chute, I question all the ideas. A server room—what for? Today, home entertainment and networking can almost be managed on a single Raspberry Pi. The rotating shelves, with a diameter of 25 cm (10 inches), offer little added value. I’m uncertain about the washing machine.

Better focus on having enough power outlets and carefully considering spaces and distances—enough room around the bed, space for a closet behind the door, a dining table where no one has to crawl under, and a wardrobe area where three people can move around simultaneously...

First of all, just out of pure curiosity: Why was the sloped surface tiled?

We once found a platform like that very practical, too—until the day the washing machine bounced off it during the spin cycle. Since then, the new one has been standing directly on the floor. IKEA and Bauhaus offer base cabinets for washing machines and dryers, complete with pull-outs and drawers. In that case, the machine only “jumps” about 30cm (12 inches). This seems to be the latest trend for utility rooms. I recommend using a safety strap or something similar.

Things that make everyday life easier—in my opinion—include good organization in and of the household. This includes a well-equipped kitchen, plenty of electrical outlets, enough easily accessible storage space, help from all family members with daily chores, and last but not least, our Wall-E (the little vacuum robot for all floors).

Whether or not to have a lazy Susan in the corner… that’s a matter of personal preference. In our kitchen, we had a panel installed, creating a “dead corner.”

Whether you really need a separate room for the TV connection and so on, a walk-in closet, a kids’ bathroom, or any other space—I believe everyone has a different understanding of what makes a smart, helpful idea for the household.

My next idea: hiring a window cleaner.

In the long term, having a bedroom on the ground floor (if feasible) is definitely a smart and practical choice for aging. In the years before that, it can be used as an office, guest room, or playroom for the children.

The laundry chute is very convenient in terms of practicality, but is it specially sealed in your case? Last week, I visited a neighbor’s newly built house, and they are now really frustrated because cold air from the basement is freely coming up into the bathroom!

Clever ideas... This reminds me of the catalogs my parents used to receive: items nobody really needs, but very expensive.

Secretly, during the months I’ve been part of this forum, I’ve been watching that laundry chute critically, and now I know this feature wouldn’t suit my house. A) I don’t find it attractive, B) all my husband’s pants and jackets, as well as my work clothes and overalls, would clog that chute. It might work for underwear, but I would have hygienic concerns.

I prefer a utility room on the upper floor; that way, you don’t need such a feature and have direct space to store cleaning supplies.
We have platforms for the washing machine and dryer, and thanks to those mats, nothing falls off.

I would like to suggest considering switched sockets where a small lamp is planned. Also, install two-way switches by the bed and a main switch for the TV and related devices.

And I only recently discovered that these exist: sockets with integrated USB hubs... Definitely a handy feature where you charge your phone.