Life moves fast and now you are already thinking of designing and building a home for you and your family. How exciting! Here at Lofty, we believe that building your dream home doesn’t need to be difficult. A home should move with you and evolve with your family as they grow. Here we are going to break down some important concepts to consider when you are designing your future family home.

The Floor Plan and Layout

A home should ooze practicality and peaceful living. One way to do this is to keep flexibility and alternative options top of mind when you are designing spaces for families. Will you have stairs? Where will the sun come through? Could this playroom be changed to suit a teen bedroom? Can you envision yourself living in that space 5-20 years from now? How can you incorporate flex space? Do you need a mudroom?

Homes should include at least one large sharable living area for gathering and entertaining, as well as a separate living space that can be closed for study, living or a guest bedroom if need be. Having an additional living space down the line will also allow you to be able to separate from your children as well. Space for the whole family is important.

Other orientation factors to particularly focus on are the entrance space, bathrooms, location, as well as privacy. The layout is important to nail as it can impact the overall practicalities and function of everyday life with kids and enable families to grow and flourish.

Kitchen Space

The kitchen is the heart and soul of every home. Many lifelong memories and creations are made in the kitchen space. A good layout – fridge, cooktop, sink – and a large countertop is vital to a good kitchen design. It is also worth considering the type of pantry you want – walk in, butlers, cupboards only? The more members of the family the more space you may require – plus its a bonus if you can hideaway those dishes!

Storage

From toddlers crawling around to moody teens, a lot of clutter can build up. This can be assisted with strategic storage space. You can free up valuable wall space by installing floor-to-ceiling shelving. If you use a top-to-bottom unit, the ceilings will appear higher because it draws the eyes up. These shelves make great use for books and games as well! While built in storage can be tempting, it can also limit the flexibility of a room/space down the line, so carefully consider your options in this regard.

Style and Design

A home should help you feel more at ease, productive and connected as a family. One way to achieve this is through timeless, functional interior design and style. A family home should have an open concept and spacious feel, combining both functionality and beauty. Use white and warm tones as well as large windows that are draped in sheers to brighten and open a room up. This also allows natural light to bounce around the room.

Durable materials and fabrics should be used to withstand grubby dirty fingers and pets! For example, white linen-upholstered dining chairs might not last as long as a more durable fabric. It can be hard to consider your potential future family when building a home, but trust us when we tell you, it will pay off, not only for you but also for potential resale value too.

Backyard Space

A backyard might be an important value that the house brings to your family, especially if you want to host guests, BBQ, and play outside. If you do decide to have a pool and garden area, make sure these zones can be seen from the kitchen and living area so you can keep an eye out on your little ones and extend your usable space.

Sustainable Living

Being energy efficient such as maximising the use of sunlight (orientation), shade and ventilation, installing solar panels, and choosing energy efficient light bulbs, will add to future savings. Investing in outdoor blinds or a verandah can create more opportunities for entertainment and space for gatherings whilst also protecting your outdoor furniture. Believe it or not, the future is green so if you can afford to add/upgrade things such as double glazing and increased insulation, it will do more than just help with your electricity bill.

With Lofty, choosing and/or designing your perfect forever home is an enjoyable process. What’s more – we can assist you at any stage of your project. Let us help you design and build a home that will grow with your family and cater for every member of the family, now and into the future. You’ll be in safe hands with a highly experienced team who have built thousands of custom homes for South Australian families. It all starts with a conversation. Get in touch with us today.