With the lockdown in place over here in London for the third time due to Covid, I’ve been feeling the need for change more and more. I think that this may be because although we are forced to stay in one place aka in our homes, it still feels quite frantic and frenetic.
Our homes have never been so filled with people for so long. We are usually out to work or the kids are at school. On the weekends, we might go out to a restaurant or have a long day trip out to the country. Never in our lifetimes have we had to spend hours upon hours over long extended periods in our homes.
If I’m honest, I feel a sense of relief that my home is a restful place and it meets all of our needs at present, but we are in the very early stages of getting a loft extension built so that we can have an extra room (our toddler is still in our room). Although this is an exciting thing, it is also very scary and it got me thinking, what is it that I am trying to achieve in building the loft? So I thought I’d share with you some questions I often ask my clients when they engage our studio that helps them understand what it is they are trying to achieve before embarking on a renovation.
These questions will get you thinking about what is really important to you when starting your renovation process.
Who lives in the home and what are their ages?
Think about who is living in your home and what ages they are. Do you have young children? If so, they might need space to play in. Do you have elderly parents living with you? Perhaps you will need to accommodate some safety in the bathroom for them.
Do you have any regular visitors?
Think about how you can accommodate these visitors. Do they stay overnight? Ask yourself how you will accommodate this. Do you regularly have friends over to dinner? Then perhaps an extendable table might be useful and think about how you will store the extra seating required?
How long do you intend to stay in this home?
This really is a budget focused question. If you are living in your dream home, then you might want to slowly renovate and wait for the right furniture but if you are only intending to stay in the home for 5 years, then perhaps you might want to think about how much value you want to add to the renovation.
What are your families regular activities?
This question gets you thinking about how you intend to use your home. What are your favourite activities? This question needs to be answered for 2 reasons, firstly you will need a space to do the activity and secondly, you will need space to store the items you use for the activities. For example, if like me you are an avid reader and you just love hard covered books with pretty pictures, then you need to think about a space to store these. Bookshelves can look amazing when filled with books. Or if you love to play board games with your kids, then think of a place where you can play them, and storage close by to house the games. Once you list all the activities then think of the rooms you will likely be doing those activities and the appropriate storage you need for them and where they will be located.
Does everyone in the house have the same design taste?
If not, are the tastes similar or polar opposites? If they are different, have you figured out how you are going to reconcile the difference? This is a very interesting question because it will help you to identify if your home is mismatched because of a clash in styles. You need to think long and hard about what your style loves are and whether they clash. My husband has a love of contemporary interiors. He is very focused on clean straight lines whereas I love Modern Rustic and industrial. Our home is a combination of both and we compromise with each other when it comes to the decor in our home.
These questions will help you start to understand the fundamentals of how you intend to use your home and bring clarity on what you need as a starting bases for your renovation.
Till next time, xD
P.S. Have you joined our Facebook Group yet? If you would like to get some help with design ideas and inspiration with a community of supportive home loving people, please feel free to join us- Interior Advice & Home Decorating Tips – The Laidback Home. In this group, we will provide you with support, inspiration and idea’s for how you can create your own Laidback Home.
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