Whilst living in my first “grown-up” home, I became a mother. I watched my baby son sprout into a gangly boy and added one fierce little girl to the mix. These tiny forces of nature rip through a once serene and pristine home, getting into everything. Two small additions have brought about truly massive changes. Within this metamorphosis, I’ve come to realise that my original checklist for a perfect home has completely reshaped too. Top of that list? An open plan family room…
House Hunting & Practicality
When I set my eyes on lucky home number 50 (yes, my home was exactly the 50th house I viewed… that probably tells you a lot about me), I instantly knew it was the one because it ticked all of those wish list boxes I’d created 11 years ago from a child-free position. Don’t get me wrong, I did think ahead, I wanted 3 bedrooms and a couple of reception rooms so there’d be plenty of room for a potential family. I even squeezed in an extra loo under the stairs, which was the best decision ever for both pregnancy and toilet training. If you have the space, install one. You can thank me later.
The thing I didn’t bank on was that the stretched hallway and tall staircase of this terrace house, which were initially so appealing, would become an absolute pain in my bum. Ushering two hyper kids up and down its three split levels, usually with a massive basket of laundry on one hip, isn’t a whole barrel of laughs. After completing several laps of this indoor marathon to get us dressed, fed, packed, and out, I now hit the school run with an unhinged glint in my eye under the sweaty glow of desperation.
It feels nothing short of a mad miracle when we all manage to spill out of the front door red-faced and untucked. Weekends leave me wondering if it’s even worth the battle at all.
Open Plan Family Room Layout
This is why I’m now hankering for a home with an open plan family room, where the kitchen overlooks a lounge or play space. This combo would mean that I get to be part of family fun, aka kid referee, whilst being a domestic goddess. Well, maybe not a goddess. Right now, hearing that intoxicating laughter way, wayyy down the hallway whilst I’m on dish duty just makes me want to chuck in the towel.
Certainly, tick-box number one for the next home on the horizon would be a small open plan family space. A combined kitchen-lounge area with a dinky dining nook, or maybe just a complete knock through to connect lounge, dining room, and kitchen. As long as I can see the kids set up with crafts/action figures on the dining room table, or chilling on the sofa I’ll be set.
Room Proportions for an Open Plan Family Room
A huge space wouldn’t scratch the itch at all – what we’re hankering for are practical proportions to house the family areas that we need, whilst holding everything connected and cosy.
I imagine myself frisbeeing the breakfast dishes from a mini kitchen island or peninsula onto a farmhouse style dining table. The table would be tucked in between casual dining benches or some comfy banquette seating. Nearby, the kids might be building cushion dens on the couch to their own chaotic soundtrack, whilst I yell at them to put it all back. Ahh, bliss.
Garden Room
The last piece of the open plan family room puzzle would be a set of glass doors that open out onto a modest garden. A garden is something that we’ve sadly lacked in our mid-terraced home. A sans-garden house was a conscious choice made whilst child-free, with a social life and no time or inclination to mow a lawn. Boy, do I regret that choice now. To see my children run wild around their grandparents garden, then return to nothing more than a narrow grey slab of concrete is crushing.
In my vision of our ideal family home, the interior and exterior spaces go hand in hand; one would not hit the dream mark without the other. More on my vision for a family-friendly garden in a future article.
Moving House
I appreciate the stretched layout of separate rooms in a typically “traditional” house but I can’t help imagining life in spaces that flow into each other. A place where family activities meet and mingle rather than segregate and stop. The grass is always greener in someone else’s garden.
I know, undoubtedly, there will be times when I’ll be desperate to have some bloomin’ peace in the kitchen when the kids are screaming at full pitch. When they’re clinging onto my legs or trying to climb into the dishwasher. I also know that seeing our belongings all packed up and this first home of ours standing empty will move me to tears. I know, I’ll think of how I brought both of my children home from the hospital and safely set them down in the living room. I’ll think of how they tasted their first food in the kitchen and made their surprised little faces.
Yet, I also know that life will be enriched by the home I see for us in my daydreams.
So, there it is. An open plan family room. Tick-box number one is all set. I’ll explore my other wishlist bits soon, and there are quite a few. If I ever do find my new dream house it’s got a good chance of being lucky number 500…