As we all reflect on the challenges 2020 has brought us, it’s a good opportunity to take some time over the festive period to review how your house works for you and your family, especially if members of your family will continue to work from home into the new year.
Sometimes, to be able to do that, you’ll need to stand back, take stock, anticipate and prioritise to really evaluate what you have, and understand what you need.
We have asked our team at KTA for some simple ways you can reset your home, so you are ready to make bigger home improvement decisions!
Cut the clutter
This was the most popular piece of advice and something we could all probably benefit from. If you look around your home, you probably have a lot of stuff. And that stuff, especially in lockdown can spread into different rooms and onto surfaces like dining room tables! This may mean you have less room to eat dinner as a family, or to play board games (it is Christmas!). A good decluttering session will immediately give you more living space. Then, you can really look at how you utilise that space, and if an extension could transform the area. Another huge benefit of decluttering is that you will feel less stressed in your home. There is research that links less clutter to less of the stress causing hormone, cortisol. After the year we’ve had, the less stress the better!
Let the light in
Dark rooms can feel confining, especially if there’s dark furniture or flooring, or it is a smaller space. However, light can have a dramatic effect on how a room feels. Natural light immediately opens up the interior of a room and makes it look bigger, so if you have heavy curtains or blinds, take them down and see how the light falls into the room. Remove any heavy furniture and review the space again. You may find that a room doesn’t have much access to natural light but if a wall was taken down it would open up the space and flood that dark corner with light. Another way to brighten a dark space is to experiment with plants, mirrors, artificial lights, and light and dark interior design tricks to create depth. If the area is single storey, you also have the option of opening up the roof with some roof lights or an atrium to let more natural light in. If you are considering an extension, roof lights or an atrium would also flood the existing areas with light.
Measure outside
If you need more living space indoors and have space in the garden that is underutilised, there are lots of ways you can create that space without having the upheaval of moving to a new house. The first thing to do is to go stand in the outdoor space, remove any big outdoor furniture and prune any overgrown plants in that area. Get the tape measure out and see how much space you actually have going spare. You may be shocked at how much living space this can equate to, especially if you decide to build up and out. Have you ever seen footings being laid and think it looks small, but then the walls are put in and there’s suddenly a bigger space than you thought? The KTA team can help you work out the options as sometimes it can be difficult to visualise!
Hidden in plain sight
Over the years, we have had many customers say to us: “I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that”. If your home is too small or the layout isn’t working for you, get in touch with our team at KTA as sometimes it just takes a trained eye to find the right design solution for you. They will then create detailed drawings and written specifications. This means you can visualise it and obtain accurate quotes from builders in order to budget effectively.
Give Kevin a call on 07973 227925 or email: kt@kevintoddarchitectural.co.uk
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