Stockland Residential Guides: Family Design

Family Design

How to design a home for your growing family

LIVING SPACES Living spaces are the most important rooms for a family to grow. Lounge rooms, play rooms, theatre rooms, outdoor rooms etc., will be the most utilised areas in the house, so it’s crucial to create an inviting space for your family.

• Open your inside living rooms onto a deck or patio to double the space and bring the outdoors in.

• Provide adequate, comfortable seating that is easy to clean for sticky little fingers or pet hair.

• Provide suitable storage for toys and clutter.

• A surface for household items (like keys, iPad, pens and reading glasses) is important but should have compartments for specific items to avoid piles of junk.

McDonald Jones, QLD

Family homes depend on good design and smart décor to benefit everyone, from infants to grandparents.

• Make sure the home office is in a separate room to avoid distractions and make living spaces solely for family time.

Metricon Homes, National

KITCHEN/DINING Cooking for your family and sharing meals together is all the more enjoyable in a clean, spacious, practical environment.

• Think about small placement details – Where will you put the bags of groceries when you return from the supermarket?

• Consider a breakfast bar for casual dining.

• Choose appliances that can be easily cleaned and stowed away.

Or even consider integrating appliances into the kitchen fit out (coffee machines, steamers).

• Island benches encourage interaction i.e.

– cooking while the kids do homework.

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• The Triangle Rule – a design rule addressed on many design blogs. The fridge, oven and sink should be the same distance from each other (generally 3m).

• Butler’s pantries are a must for large families.

• Corner cupboards have plenty of space.

LAUNDRY Washing for a family of any size is a massive task, especially if you have infants. A large laundry with efficient appliances and plenty of space for linen, towels and products is essential.

• Consider how much space you need for the appliances that suit your family (sewing machines, second fridges, pet supplies).

• A laundry floor should be nonslip and easy to clean.

• Bench space is extremely important for families to avoid doing your folding on the dining room table.

• If you’re limited for space, wall mounting is a great option for cupboards and appliances like dryers.

• Consider different cupboard options like pull out drawers rather than doors on a hinge.

• Energy efficient washing machines will save you money on power bills in the long run.

Metricon Homes, National

Learn more

Read our top tips to designing the ideal floorplan for you, your family, and your lifestyle.

BATHROOMS The family will spend a lot of time in the bathroom so it’s important to create an inviting, warm space that is relaxing yet practical.

• Have a separate bathroom for children and an en suite for Mum and Dad. • Ideally toilets should be separate to the bathroom to avoid arguments and hold ups.

• Consider heated tiles and towel racks for cold Winter mornings.

• Large basins will make it easier for little people learning to clean their teeth.

• Design the bathroom so it’s adjacent to the laundry. Create hidden doors in cupboards so you can throw dirty clothes/ towels straight into the laundry.

• Choose a beautiful bath that is easy to lean into to bathe the littlies.

• Install easy to clean surfaces.

McDonald Jones, QLD

Family Design

• An internal drying rack is great when the weather is poor.

• Exposed shelves are perfect for displaying products that you use regularly.

STORAGE

MASTER BEDROOMS

You don’t want clutter in your bedroom so have storage boxes under your bed for seasonal clothes or slippers.

The main bedroom should be a sanctuary for parents, a place to relax and unwind. There are a lot of luxurious possibilities for master bedrooms.

• This is the room to really show your personal style. Choose a beautiful wallpaper or a personalised colour scheme.

• Keep this area in its own section of the home.

• Consider the size of your en suite in relation to the room and walk in robe.

• Let as much natural light in the room as possible. Sheer curtains are a great choice for a relaxed yet luxurious feel.

Metricon Homes, National

• Tall mirrors will make a small space look larger and will make getting ready simpler.

• Cushions are a great way to decorate a master bedroom, but avoid crowding your bed with too many pillows.

STORAGE Children accumulate a lot more ‘stuff’ than you might think, so make sure you have adequate storage space for all those toys and clothes. There are plenty of clever storage options for children’s shelves and beds.

Metricon Homes, National

NURSERIES & CHILDREN’S ROOMS When building a family home consider nurseries as interchangeable spaces. They will eventually become studies, or a teen’s bedroom, so be practical with the space.

flooring you want. If you or your partner have histories of allergies, choose a hypoallergenic carpet.

• Decide if the nursery needs built-in cupboards and desks, as these can limit your options for furniture placement in the future.

• Avoid going crazy with wall paint in children’s rooms. It will either mean more work for yourself in the future (repainting) or difficulties when trying to resell.

• Think about the type of carpet and

• Decals are a great way to decorate

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a child’s room without committing to a definite colour scheme.

• Install lighting with a low wattage for story time.

• Leave space for beautiful artworks and photo frames.

• If you have enough space consider a workspace for homework time.

Read more Watch one of our residents share her experience designing designing a family friendly home.

1. MAKE A PLAN

It’s certainly a lot of fun to go out and buy a perfectly colour-coordinated room, but starting with a layout sketch will save you a lot of time and money.

2. consider storage

As play is the primary use for the room, you need to be smart with storage. Be sure to install plenty of cabinets around the edge of the room to minimise the mania, along with extra shelves and drawers in the closet. Build upwards (i.e. shelves on the walls) to utilise the vertical space and maximise on room for activities.

3. be creative but practical

w o r g o Room t

A FEW SIMPLE WAYS TO CREATE A SMART SPACE FOR YOUR KIDS, WHILE STILL ALLOWING YOURSELF TO GET CREATIVE. Your child’s bedroom should inspire their imagination with lively colours and magical images. But it also needs to be multi-functional. So before you get carried away with a pinterest-worthy design, here are a few ground rules to give yourself...

Family Design

There’s no need to go for stock standard storage, there are plenty of cheap options that will be useful and design savvy. For example ladders or boxes in cute shapes attached to the wall are very practical but will add an interesting element to your design.

Bunk beds and loft beds are also an excellent vertical space-saver (and let’s be honest, what child doesn’t want to grow up with fun beds?).

4. the fun stuff

Once the tedious planning is out of the way, have some fun adding exciting extras to the room. Attach a chalkboard to the wall, pick up a foldaway tent and dress-ups for playing make-believe, a desk for colouring and homework, and vibrant decorations like lights, throws, wall decals and posters, which are easy to change as they grow.

The indoor playground

CREATIVE NOOK Consider how you can add built-in furniture to maximise the use of awkwardly shaped or small spaces in your home. Add temporary dĂŠcor and storage so the purpose of the space can be changed if desired.

IDEAS TO TURN EXTRA SPACE AND ROOMS IN YOUR HOME INTO SHARED FAMILY FUN ROOMS.

PLAYROOM With favourite activities ranging from painting to fort making, ample storage and easy to shift furniture is essential in the indoor play zone. Try to go for items that will still be loved as they age.

MEDIA ROOM If you want avoid the big television in your family movie room, consider installing a projector instead. This will need to be thought of during the build so you can plan to have enough space on the right wall for the images. A projector will also help you re-purpose the room as a sitting room or playroom, easily adapting it to changing family needs.

Get Inspired Click here to find your nearest Stockland Display Village for more design ideas and inspiration.

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