As we are all adapting to the new norm of isolation, we are spending a lot more time at home with our families. Your home has become office, playground, school, gym, pub while, most importantly, remaining a loving family home.
Homes with an open-plan layout present difficulties, as families are now forced to share the same space for numerous activities. Read our guide below for ideas on how to maximise the spaces in your home for different family members, activities and moods.
A simple zero-cost option is to re-arrange your furniture, by facing your sofa away from your dining table for example, thus giving a sense of separation.
Open Shelving
Freestanding open bookcases or shelving with no back can be great room dividers allowing light and sightlines to flow easily around the room. There are many off the shelf options or try a cabinet maker like HUX to design a bespoke piece.
Partitions / Sliding Doors
Curtains, partitions and sliding or folding doors are a great solution as they give great flexibility, allowing you to open up when you want to spend time with your family. One clever way to create temporary walls is to use room dividers or a fabric. They are affordable and easy to install. Put hooks on opposite walls and with the help of a wire or a rope you can create a fabric partition using a curtain fabric. If the zone is in the middle of the room, choose a double-sided design that looks good from both sides.
Once lockdown allows reconfigure your open-plan space with internal crittal windows or doors to create quiet zones that retain an open feel, or simply include a snug or a partition wall to create intimate spaces within the larger area.
Storage
Keeping an open-plan space tidy can be a challenge, especially if you have a family. By having a place for everything it will help you stay organised, so investing in a mix of hidden storage and display areas for those more attractive items is a great idea.
An entrance way through to a room can create the perfect opportunity to design a library wall, to house books and ornaments. Removing clutter and into a well organised wall can often be the first step to reorganising and re-zoning a space.
Facing In A Different Direction
Place a table in a corner nook ideally in front of window, facing away from everyone else and use this as your workspace.
Bedroom / Office
Turn a bedroom into an office to avoid the chaos of the kitchen and living room. This empty wall in a bedroom was turned into an ergonomic double desk space by just varying widths of shelves. Full height joinery was also built to keep printers, filing and clutter at bay, so a calm working environment could be achieved.
If you don’t have a desk, you could reuse a dressing table, or a garden table or simply add a desk ‘shelf’ in an alcove next to a chimney breast. It’s important to separate work from home life so consider hiding the desk at the end of the day to zone out your mind from work.
Kids Room for Home Schooling
Integrate a desk into a shelving unit to create a great study area to home school. Integrate storage or shelving up either side can keep books and school supplies tidy and organised.
Mark Your Zones
Create a quite area for breaks to relax using an armchair & a side table for a well-earned quarantini!
