Original article featured in Cambridgeshire Agenda May 2009. Photography courtesy of The White Company, Manhatten Closets and Poliform.

Cool, Calm and Collected

Whether you live in a small flat or a large family house, planning and utilising your space properly will make your home a better place to be. Cate Burren of Angel + Blume interior design shows us how to look at your own home with fresh eyes.

When thinking about the design of your home, it is incredibly tempting to start by looking at paint colours, furnishings, fabrics and all the lovely products we see in magazines and on the high street. However, the design of every home should be individual to the people that live there, and every household is different so good planning of the space that you have is crucial.

Being very honest about how you actually live can be hard but if you have a big house and only really live in a few rooms, or if you have useable space that is filled with clutter, this will be a really valuable exercise.

How do you live?

Start by listing all the space that you have – don’t just list the rooms but look closely at all the space and include different areas of larger rooms and also areas like landings and hallways if they are large enough to be more than just walkways – and then do the same with all the different activities that take place at home. For all of us, this will involve obvious activities such as sleeping, eating, washing, watching TV, household chores, cooking and so on but it may also include a study area; space for computers; children’s play areas; places for reading, playing musical instruments and sewing; spaces for pets; spaces for guests; hobby or exercise equipment – the list is endless. Even this first piece of work will probably make you look at your home in a different way and if you also manage to look at the amount of time you spend on each activity then that too will probably be an eye-opener.

Using your space

Once you have gathered your information, you should have an initial idea of what works in your home and what is lacking. If you know for example that you need to find a better place for using a computer or that your guest room is rarely used you are ready to start planning your space properly. An invaluable tool is a plan (aerial overview of the layout) of the rooms in question, or better still, the whole house. You may have one of these from your estate agent when you moved, or from an architect if your house is new or you have had work done to the house. If not, it is possible to measure up yourself and draw the layout on paper. It is worth taking time on this as it will save you effort when you come to start moving furniture if you get it right at the start.

Mark radiators, windows, doorways and even power sockets on the plan so you have as complete a picture as possible. Take a few copies and start drawing different options for the layout of the room – you will be surprised at the variations you can think up if you let your imagine run riot. Keep referring to your list of requirements and remember to look at movement of people within spaces and access requirements to other rooms.

Lighting and storage

As an interior designer, I have found that there are two things that will change the perceived and actual space available within every house. Firstly whether you have really good light, both natural and artificial, and secondly whether you have enough well planned storage. Light can make a room seem bigger and can also divide it up into areas of usage. For example, if you have a dining room that you also use for a study desk, having pendant lights above the table will make it the main focus of the room when you are eating. Once these are off and a task focused light on the desk is in use, the room will seem more like a study or office. This may allow for a room to more comfortably accommodate two very different usages. Good storage is just as important. If you have children who play in the main living room, having storage that all their toys can be piled into in the evening will allow you to also enjoy the room once they are in bed, rather than feeling like you are unwinding in the playroom. Clutter is not only a waste of space, it will change the perception of the room but it is impossible to avoid clutter if you don’t have a place to put things. Once again, planning is everything so work out what you need space for, what could be thrown out, given away or sold, and where the best place for everything to be stored would be.

Bathrooms and kitchens

Planning your bathroom or kitchen is always tricky and these are the two rooms above all others that I would recommend seeking professional help. However, any professional will go through the same process of looking at what you need, how you live and what you have already so it is worth doing your homework first. You will also find that you become much less overwhelmed with the choices available if you know how you live and what your requirements are for these rooms before looking at the options available.

Getting professional help

If you feel overwhelmed with the task of planning your home, don’t be afraid to seek help. Architects, interior designers and many high street home furnishing shops will design layouts for you as a stand-alone service and will provide different options for you to consider. Make sure you understand what fee will be charged before you commission the work and then provide as much information about the household as you can so that the end design will really meet your needs.