Space Planning Principles to Live By

Let's talk about space planning, which leads to the basic layout of a room. But first, it starts with an in-depth analysis of how the space is to be used, taking into account all who live in the home and even some visitors to the home. Rooms and spaces within rooms are zoned to account for different activities that take place in a space. For example, a large open-concept great room may have a zone for living (watching TV, reading a book, holding a casual conversation, etc) and a zone for dining (both day to day eating as well as dinner parties). Circulation zones that show how people will move through the space are defined in the space planning process; you don't want furniture to get in the way of people's expected movements. The space plan is finished by adding the furniture, decor, accessory, and artwork details.

Some times, there are conflicts that need to be resolved during the space planning process. For example, perhaps a quiet area to read a book would be nice but there may also be a need for a place for the kids to do homework. As another example, perhaps adding a focal point to a room would not fit within the overall redesign and redecorating budget. For the last example, there may not be enough room for both circulation and the intended functional use of the room. These are all items that must be reconciled in the final space plan.

Over the next few posts, there will be some space planning principles shared here on this blog. These principles apply to living spaces, dining space, entry ways, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and more. Check back for detailed space planning design principles for each of these rooms.

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Modern Remodeled Bathroom

The only full bathroom in a Sunnyvale, CA condo was brought from the 70's with it's linoleum floors to the present with modern touches, a high end marble look with low budget porcelain tile, and some glam. Inspiration The homeowner wanted her remodeled bathroom to look modern and luxurious as well as feel more open than the current bathroom. She liked clean lines and soothing earth tones. The remodel would also have to fit within her small budget. Existing Bathroom Conditions The bathroom was original to the condo built in the 1970's. It had linoleum floors, standard cabinets, off-white walls, a fluorescent bar vanity light, and a solid surface counter and sink combo. A large, frameless mirror above the sink also had two sliding mirrored doors which the homeowner did not like. Looking in at the old bathroom from the hallway. The solid surface counter and sink combo was made to look like marble but didn't actually look like marble in

How is Your Zoom Background?

There was an article on NPR that discussed a Twitter account that has been rating celebrity and politician room backgrounds on Zoom and other videoconferencing services. So what does it take to be highly rated? See if you can spot some common themes in these highly rated rooms below (and the one above) which scored at least 7 out of 10 points. Did you spot some common themes? Here are our thoughts on those themes for a great background: Good forward facing lighting so the person isn't in shadow. Artwork on the walls Greenery such as plants, flowers, etc Relative simplicity without too many distractions Cabinetry and/or bookshelves Some of these rooms could still be improved by turning on the accent lighting in the backgrounds of the rooms but overall, these are very pleasant backgrounds and great looking rooms. Well done! Now it's your turn: how is your Zoom background and is there anything you can do to make it a 10/10?

Space Planning Principles for your Entryway

Photo by Douglas Sheppard on Unsplash See these principles in action on our Houzz ideabook. Planning a new entryway or planning to redecorate/redesign your existing entryway? Below are some space planning principles to keep in mind for the entryways. In terms of rooms, the entryway, or foyer, gets easily overlooked, but it should be one of your first considerations. It’s needs to be both functional and fashionable: a place to enter the home from the outside on a day to day basis, a place to direct people to other areas of the home, and a place to give a first impression to guests. The front entry is where your front door is located and the back entry could be directly from a garage or could open onto a driveway (this entry could be the primary day to day entry of the home, depending upon it’s use). The back entry does not usually include sliding doors or french doors from a bedroom, living room, dining room, or kitchen; however, it may typically be included within a laun

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