There are few worse feelings than trying to navigate your space and failing miserably. You’re tripping over each other; stubbed toes may even be in the books, and you’re just generally stressed out. Most of us are familiar with Marie Kondo’s philosophy about only holding on to things that bring you joy, but sometimes there are just too many of those.
While the Australian Heritage Homes team’s success has been built on our prolific history of constructing your dream homes on just that, we’ve spent enough time around a variety of styles of homes to know exactly what works and what may not. We’ve seen it all – just try and stump us. We find immense value in learning more and more about why successful homes work and then passing along the intel to you. In fact, it’s become a sincere passion for each of our teammates and this blog has become a honing zone to share, educate and hopefully sometimes even entertain.
So, let’s get down to it. How should you be maximizing your living space right now?
The first step is easy, but it’s often the step that we dread the most. It’s time to clean and declutter. Easier said than done, based on the size of your home, but you’ll be astounded how much space opens up when you take time regularly to clean up the everyday items that are lying around. We like to make it easy by always having a regular home for these items. Don’t just shove it in the closest cabinet – chances are good that you’ll forget that it’s there and then the whole process was for nought. Instead, always know where you can find the items that you use most and make sure that you can access them – and then put them away – easily.
Especially if you’re in a newer home or you’re redesigning, look for furniture with multiple purposes. A daybed can have an entire drawer under it for items that would otherwise be strewn about; credenzas and wardrobes that maximize the number, size and types of drawers are great in your social spaces for things like books and blankets. Out of sight, but not out of mind.
Think strategically about the flow of your space. How do you want your household and visitors to move about it? This is especially important in your social spaces like your kitchen and your living room so that you don’t run into the aforementioned tripping over each other. Take into account things like windows and lighting; you don’t want to have the sun shining in your eyes at all hours of the day when you’re trying to watch your favourite television program. Once you have an idea of what activities you want to take place where, you can then place your furniture accordingly. You’ll be surprised just how much this tends to open space.
We could wax lyrical on this topic all day, but we have a better idea. Give us a call. The AHH team would love to help you with your dream home.