Being cooped up inside for over a year has led to a boom in indoor/outdoor living. It’s not difficult to see why. When your home offers you the flexibility to live as you like, with room to entertain and space to come together as a family – your quality of life improves immeasurably.
In fact, we’ve seen a massive rise in interest in this type of living, with more than 70% of all extensions carried out by us including a link between indoor and outdoor spaces. As we spend more time at home than ever, finding more creative ways to make the most of your living space is a must.
However, any architectural trend can quickly morph away from the original brilliance of the idea. To avoid that and help you make the best of indoor/outdoor living, we’ve put together our top tips.
Don’t forget about having a utility room
Don’t forget that the purpose of great architecture is to make your life easier – not harder. if your kitchen is now an entertainment space, you’ll want to factor somewhere in your plans to put your washing machine. A utility room doesn’t require a lot of square footage or even a lot of natural light – so you’d be surprised where you can squeeze one into your plan.
Even if you think you can sacrifice the utility room, trust us and factor one into your plans. Thankfully, we offer unlimited design revisions at the planning stage – so get in touch and we can sort you out.
Remember to create a clear path to get outside
Our next tip seems too obvious to state – but you’d be surprised at how small considerations can get in the way of the functionality of your new space.
In order to reap the benefits of true indoor/outdoor living, you have to be able to access the outdoors easily. This means leaving a clear pathway to get outside. Awkward bits of furniture or large dining tables in the wrong position can get in the way.
This doesn’t mean you can’t splurge on that big family dining table you’ve been dreaming of – just that you should think about the flow of your space. Luckily, we’ve created HOKO shop – an interior design service to help you get the flow of your space just right, at the right price.
Don’t have too many points of entry
While it might seem practical to load up on entry points to a room, you might be creating a corridor rather than connecting your spaces. Ultimately, you want the space to be usable. If there are four ways into a room, most of the room becomes circulation, which is the death of any room.
Trying to do too much with a space is a common mistake. Your home is everything, and it needs to serve a lot of purposes – but less is more. If you’re trying to do everything, you’re doing nothing.
Speak to us about the perfect layout and the dreams for your space before committing to any structural work.
Don’t sell flat roofs short
Building or extending to bring the garden in? Have you ever thought about a flat roof? Flat roofs have a bad reputation – but we’re here to tell you that times have changed. Technology has improved and so flat roofs are a viable option that solve a lot of problems, especially with awkward shaped plans.
Often, people turn up their nose about flat roofs, believing that there will be leaks. In fact, flat roofs are a game changer for planning as they keep the level low and you get more internal head heights. Green and blue roofs are also a great option – and can even offset some of the environmental impact of building and other materials.
Still not convinced? We forgive you. Why not contact us to learn more?
You don’t need as much glazing as you think you need
From bi-folding doors to skylights and everything in between, glazing is having more of a moment than ever before. Being able to see your children play from the kitchen, getting more light, and feeling connected to the outside – there are so many reasons why glazing is great. However, you don’t need as much as you think.
When it comes to light, it’s all about quality over quantity. Working with your project Architect, you’ll be able to come up with a cost-saving solution which will flood you with gorgeous light and bring the outdoors in without breaking the bank. Meet your project Architect here.
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