SPACE PLANNING

Module 4

The existing floor plan is here. It has a central hallway, a stairway to the upper storey, arches that lead to the dining room on the west wall and the living room on the east wall.

Behind the dining room and to the north is the kitchen and laundry room. Behind the living room in the same direction is the study. There is also an old toilet under the stairs.

Your client has a young family and wants to modernise the house. She loves to cook but doesn’t want to feel isolated in the kitchen. She rarely entertains in a formal setting and she prefers family oriented occasions.

She wants to renovate the house starting from the ground floor and hasn’t decided what style of furniture she wants. The existing furniture is traditional in style. She also wants to technologically update the kitchen and the entertainment systems.

Please start by re-creating the entire ground floor plan. Keep in mind that you will be using this newly designed plan in your future assignments.

Develop a layout which has less emphasis on formal dining, a more functional kitchen and increased space for casual entertaining and family activities.

You can change the rooms around but leave the stairs and exterior walls where they are. You can knock down walls, however please be sure to note that you would always seek the advice of a licensed builder or engineer.

• "Your client has a young family and wants to modernise the house."

Modern interior design are often more spacious as compared to traditional designs, so I have incorporated that idea into this renovation. To create more space, I took away the corridor in the middle of the room, and created an open living room and kitchen/dining area on the east side of the house. The open space allows her children to run around, and there is enough room for her extended family when they visit. 

• "She loves to cook but doesn’t want to feel isolated in the kitchen."

To save space, I chose an L-shape unit, placing it against the wall. Not only does this save space, but it also creates a more open kitchen/dining area, so when the client is preparing meals, she is not isolated. Because of the way the layout is done and because of the window placement, all storage units are in the counters. Additionally, for extra storage for food and/or spices, I have placed a pantry next to the fridge, making it easily accessible to anybody using the kitchen.

The dining room consists of a dining table and six chairs, each with enough space behind for people to manoeuvre around.  

Living Area

A corner sofa was used to separate the dining area from the living area. In the middle of the living area, there is a coffee table with a bouquet of flowers, creating a welcoming ambience to the room. To create more space, the television is a flat screen mounted on the wall, with a shelf below it for any and all entertainment systems.

Study

The study is placed directly across the hall from the living room, and acts as both a study room and a second living area. The study contains a desk (with a computer), another sofa (with a coffee table and another bouquet of flowers), and a bookshelf. The study also has an ensuite, complete with a bath, toilet, sink, vanity cabinet and a window to prevent moulding. 

Laundry

I replaced where the kitchen used to be with the laundry room, equipped with a dryer, washing machine, a sink, and a place for ironing. The laundry also has a sliding door that allows easy access to the outdoors to hang up washing.

Storage

Instead of a toilet under the stairs, I converted it into a storage space for towels, sheets, etc.