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How To Create A Flexible Home For Living, Working and Playing

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2020 was the year we spent more time than ever before in our homes. For many of us, living, working and playing in the same space shone a light on the inadequacies of our homes, highlighting the need for more flexible spaces that can adapt to our changing demands. In this article, we will show you the ins and outs of flexible design, giving insight into the life changing nature of multipurpose spaces that can grow with you and your family.

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10.12.2020

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Designated Workspaces

This year has resulted in many family conflicts stemmed from lack of space, and spaces being used beyond their intended purposes. Getting frustrated over laptops in the bedroom, school books on the kitchen bench and toys in every nook and cranny of the home is an experience many can identify with, so there is no denying that allocating purposeful, designated spaces for working and playing can be life changing. Where possible, integrating a home office is a great way to keep work and home life separate, so you can shut the door on your working day and return to family life. Creating a space in the home office for kids to do homework is another way to ensure a space can be used by the whole family, whilst ensuring that the rest of the home remains a sanctuary.

Multipurpose Spaces

Of course, with space at a premium, it’s not possible for everyone to create a designated home office. Multipurpose rooms are ideal for small homes, providing the means to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of your family. For studio apartments, flexible room dividers allow you to transform one space into two, so you can create a private bedroom separate from the living space, or an office space separate from your bedroom. With many people’s living rooms turning into offices during lockdown, separating the two is important to ensure balance between work and life is still maintained. By dividing space with doors or curtains this allows a family to co-exist, giving them the opportunity to focus solely on the task in front of them. Sliding screens are another great way to open rooms onto other rooms, giving you the flexibility to create larger spaces for entertaining. For those with living spaces that can open out onto a deck, garden or courtyard, sliding screens allow you to bring the outside in, welcoming sun and fresh air into your home.

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Adaptable Spaces

When designing a home, a key consideration for many is ensuring the home will be just as functional 10 years down the track. When designing kids bedrooms or rumpus rooms in particular, it can be tempting to remodel the space to suit the needs of young kids, however to ensure the room can grow with the child, it’s important to choose wisely. Accessorising kids spaces instead of remodelling ensures that the décor and furniture can be easily swapped out as their interests inevitably change, without requiring the cost and time consuming nature of a renovation. Opting for neutral coloured paint or wallpaper allows you to seamlessly change out the furnishings, and minimises the chance that the kids will get tired of the colour. You could always use chalkboard paint to allow the kids to get creative and personalise their own space. For a rumpus room, selecting a neutral coloured sofa instead of coloured bean bags gives you the opportunity to add colour in the form of cushions which can be easily swapped out, without requiring a big investment.

“Where possible, integrating a home office is a great way to keep work and home life separate, so you can shut the door on your working day and return to family life.”