A gorgeous home layout can be appealing at first glance, but the real value lies in how well it supports your family’s routines, comfort and daily life.
A functional space means something different for every household, and personalizing your home to support your household’s daily routines without adding stress or interfering with it can be a challenge.
“It’s looking at what’s not working for you. I think that’s the best way to begin your approach to functionality,” says Tiffany Chandler, residential design director at Steller Construction. “Once you figure out what’s not working for you, then someone can help you figure out the best function and know whether it’s a redesign or just adding to your existing (space) to make it function better for you.”
Mudrooms
Every household’s problem area can be different, but Chandler says common areas, usually laundry and mudrooms, tend to be problematic, especially for households with children.
As families grow and accumulate new routines and items, curating a space for long-term function can be difficult. With spaces such as laundry and mudrooms, features to consider include creating a designated spot to put book bags, additional storage and bench for shoes, and a place to put clothes during and after laundry.
Many homeowners choose to install cubbies or locker-style cabinets with multiple shelves, creating designated spaces for each person or item. Some built-in cubbies include bench seating with additional storage underneath.
Designers also consider how wet gear affects the home’s airflow. Mudrooms lacking proper ventilation often develop odors or moisture buildup. Adding a dedicated vent or radiant floor heat can extend the lifespan of the flooring.
Kitchens
Farid Nava
The kitchen is another area that serves multiple functions within a limited space, from prepping meals to afterschool activities and family gatherings.
With confined space for people – and supplies – square footage and storage are two factors to consider in making the most of your space.
One project involved helping homeowners who wanted extra pantry storage in their kitchen. Originally, there were two small closets, one in the kitchen and one in the adjacent office. Steller Construction combined the two closets to create one large pantry, and instead of using a traditional door, they installed cabinet-looking panels for the pantry door to create a continuous aesthetic with the surrounding cabinetry.
Farid Nava
Adjusting cabinetry that homeowners already have is another effective way to enhance a space for functionality. Adding roll-out shelves is a simple adjustment that can help homeowners be more organized and create additional space for storage.
Another aspect to consider is appliance zoning. As kitchen layouts become more advanced, kitchen work triangles – layouts connecting a sink, stove and fridge for efficient cooking – have become less common. Instead, many designers craft kitchens with efficiency in mind, organizing the room so that appliances and tasks are placed in functional areas, such as a cooking zone, a prep zone and a cleaning zone.
Bathrooms
Marshall Skinner
Bathrooms are a big part of many people’s daily routines. Maximizing the space for functionality can ease daily stress.
Storage in the bathroom is just as important as in any other part of the house. Wall storage around the sink or floating shelves above a toilet can help eliminate clutter and keep bathroom essentials organized.
One project involved redoing a couple’s bathroom vanities to provide them with more storage. This couple’s original vanities and bathroom space were not working for their morning and night routines, so they decided they wanted a way to store their electric toiletries with easy access.
To help, the Steller Construction team installed cabinets that pull out to reveal outlets inside, creating storage for accessories such as a hair dryer, electric razor and electric toothbrushes.
The layout of a bathroom can also make a big difference in both its functionality and privacy. Creating separate spaces for the toilet, shower and the vanity area allows for more than one person to utilize the bathroom without feeling crowded. These separate spaces can be achieved with half walls, creating nooks in the space or adding a sliding door.
The doors in a bathroom can take up more room than you realize. Replacing a traditional swinging door with a sliding door can free space while also making the bathroom feel more open.
Another project involved redoing a bathroom’s layout. The homeowners originally had an oddly shaped, two-room bathroom. One room had a small shower, toilet and vanity. The other room had a platform tub and another vanity. The homeowners wanted to upgrade their space to have a spa-like feeling with a steam shower and more storage. Steller Construction redesigned the layout by moving the toilet around to create space for the steam shower and adding a wall of cabinet storage.
For enclosed showers, many older fans are not equipped to provide proper ventilation. Designers must evaluate the home’s existing venting capacity, especially for steam showers, in order to prevent mold behind walls. If you’re considering adding a glitzy new shower, consider that a new ventilation system may be in order as well.
Farid Nava
Miscellaneous Spaces
Sometimes a space just needs minor adjustments, such as moving a side table or lamp over a couple of inches, picking slightly more shallow cabinets, adding floating shelves or installing rollout shelves.
Adding storage between two studs is one example Steller Construction has found for utilizing space for functionality.
“It’s all about those little nooks and crannies that maybe you didn’t even realize were there that we were able to utilize for storage,” says Chandler.
Korrigan Craddock is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
