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Do Not
Underestimate Importance of Flow
If
the home won't sell, the owners may be dealing with a problem in design
flow.
Lee
Golanoski, an architect and director of design for Toll Brothers Inc., one
of the country’s largest luxury- home- builders, says flow is a crucial
element for anyone building, remodeling, or buying a home. To ensure a great
flow, follow his tips:
-
Separate public from
private. A
good floor plan divides public spaces (dining room, living room, entry and
office) from private spaces (kitchen, family room, bedrooms.) People want
to feel they can bring someone into their living room without having them
see a messy kitchen or an unmade bed.
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Keep resale in mind.
Do not design a space so unique no one else wants it. That means no sunken
hot tubs in the living room.
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Consider the path through
the house.
What you have to go through to get somewhere else matters. One common flow
flaw is having the stairway to the basement start in the utility room.
People who turn the basement into a recreation room do not want to walk
through the laundry to get there.
-
Figure in furniture.
Locate windowsill-heights, fireplaces, closets, and how the doors will
swing and draw your furniture into the floor plan. This kind of planning
protects you from having a bedroom with no place for a bed.
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Know what must go where.
Today, kitchens must open onto breakfast nooks and family rooms. Living
rooms and dining rooms should adjoin. Although a small powder room off the
mudroom is OK, do not put a bathroom directly off the kitchen. That is
funky.
Source: The News & Observer, Marni Jameson |
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