I recently had the opportunity to design a multi functional lounge space and a family room for a growing family of four with two children (aged five and eight). In this blog post I am going to be looking at the lounge space which needed to be flexible as it had to serve a number of functions:
- Childrens play and toy storage
- Homework study stations
- Family games space
- Overnight guest room
It was also important for the room to have a cohesive look with the family room to allow key furniture pieces to move between rooms without looking like a mish mash of furniture.
Key Elements
As with all concept designs that I work on my first step is to always look at the goals for the room. I chat with the client about what they would like to achieve in the room, as well as how the family uses the space currently and, certainly with a growing family, how rooms can be future proofed.
It was very important in this space the flexiblity of furniture was going to be key. When talking the family through the concept design it was amazing to see how the simple idea of a cost effective bench from Ikea could work as both a bench wih cushion in a bay window, as well as a games table with floor cushion for board game fun.
Floor Plan
The second step is to then put together a 2D floor plan from measurements I take during a home visit, and start to place the large furniture items and joinery to show the flow of the room. As this room would also include a sofa bed by working to a scaled drawing the client has the confidence to know that the sofa can be opened up and guests be able to walk around the space.
Concept Images
The next step in the concept design process is to then start to pull together images to help the client visualise how colour, texture, and furniture would be used in the room.
As this room would have so many uses I grouped the images into sections to descibe the space.
The important elements were: bay window movable bench seating, comfy sofa bed, cubby nooks for the childrens books and toys, simple homework workstations for each of the children (it was important for these to be the same to reduce sibling squabbles), plus a gallery art display wall which could be updated and rotated with those masterpieces.
There were two original features of the room to build into the design; a dado rail and a ceiling rose which I wanted to feature using a modern light fitting.
Final Concept Design
Once the 2D plan and concept images are in place I then start to work in 3D using Sketchup. By 'pulling up' the walls I can then start to add in the main joinery elements which for this family was set of cubby nooks each side of the fireplace and storage. The family love colour so I incorporated orange and blue at the back of each nook (with an equal number of nooks for the children) as well as an orange and blue workstation chair to tie the space together.
Client Feedback
Once I have put together a concept design for a client I pull together a presentation document to take them through each of the stages to help them visualise the design. I also create a short fly through video of the space. You can see lots of examples of these over at my Youtube Channel.
I will leave you with the client feedback that was posted on Facebook:
We couldn’t recommend Vicky enough! She really listened to what we liked and needed to gain out of the rooms she designed for us and we were really happy with the results. She managed to come up with a stylish design the we both really loved but also took into account our growing family needs and made clever use of the space available.
Optional Extras
For this family I also put together a full shopping list of items to allow them to carefully look at their budget and where it was going to be spent on styling the room. It is so important to have clear visibility of all of the costs when renovating a room. If not you might end up with a beautilfully decorated room but no money left over to buy furniture or key styling pieces.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to renovate a space in our home and would like a concept design putting together please don't hesitate to get in touch. Remember I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation for all clients so all you have to loose is your time.