Compact and Comfortable
I am designing a new home and one, I hope will prove both to me and others that “size matters” but this time I don’t mean “bigger is better”. My goals are 1000sqft footprint - that means it includes all interior walls, furnishings etc and thus the traditional definition of living space will be some value smaller. I also want to leverage green construction techniques. The challenge has been the 1000sqft.
When I designed my first house, I absorbed all of the conventional (American) wisdom of sizes, shapes, and layouts for bedrooms, baths, kitchen, dinning & living rooms. I even went so far as to know that I didn’t want a TV in the living room so I had to add a den. I ended up with 1600-1800sqft before the “media room” went in over the garage. There was also a full basement that contained the laundry and equipment (furnace, water heater, electric panel, etc.)
Now, let’s dissect the usage of that house. The house had three bed rooms and three baths. The den also qualified as a bedroom so there would be a first floor bedroom if needed. For most of the time, I had the house to myself. I did change which bed room I used from time to time. The same goes for the bath. But, at any given time, I primarily used the kitchen (a lot as I love to cook), the den, one bath, one bedroom for sleeping and one for a home office. I couple probably count the number of times I used the dining room (mostly just for parties) or the living room (only when no other space would work).
That leaves me with a kitchen, a bedroom, a guest room / office, a bath room, a multi-function room, and a service/equipment room. I would like to have a washroom if it fits.
I am getting ideas from anywhere I can find them. What is interesting is that, when it comes to efficient space designs, all of the initiatives are in Europe with many in the UK. If you are curious, try Google-ing “compact bathroom” or “wet room” and choose “images”. You will see some good industrial design in action.
Each room in the “compact and comfortable” home will need its own research. The bedroom may be the most inefficient room of the house. This is a factor of “furniture” more than anything. I have a nice bedroom set. I am considering repurposing some of the pieces and moving them out of the bedroom. The bathrooms will turn out to be easier than I thought because, in Europe, they have been focusing on bathroom design for many years. The kitchen and home office will be exercises in “layout”.
Over the next few months, I will add a post-per-room as I figure out details. Stay tuned …
