Downsize and Maximize – Part II

Moving to a new home is a chance to define your style and what is important in your life.  The organization and planning involved in a  move is an emotional process, however, people that downsize often find the process to be quite freeing.  There is often a feeling of relief and cleansing when paring down to the most essential furniture and accessories. 

A designer can help you make the most out of the space by establishing a  floor plan, utilizing your existing furniture and selecting new multitasking pieces. The smaller the space, the more important a role function plays in furniture selection. It also becomes important to define spaces for multiple uses.  For example, your bedroom might double as a home office with a built in desk and storage area for files.

The best pieces of furniture will often be multifunctional.  The example above was a design I created for a guest bedroom.  All the furniture was on casters so it could be easily moved to change the floor plan.  The two beds could accommodate overnight guests that did not care to share a bed or, the night stands could be moved to the outside and the beds pushed together to form a king.  The upholstered wall and sconces worked for both scenarios.

The drawing below shows how a small area can be big on storage.  Taking inventory of everything you need to store will help you plan a design that will suit your needs. 

Downsize and Maximize – A Recap

Frann Bilus, Bob Ernst and I recently presented to a group of people looking to make the switch from suburban living to city living.  The group primarily consisted of adventurous empty nesters looking to eagerly jump into the next phase of their life.   Our goal was to help jump-start the process by giving them an overview of their options and advise them on what to look for when previewing city homes.

Frann Bilus from Otis and Ahearn spoke about the mindset needed when looking for living space in the city.  Frann has extensive experience in the Boston real estate market and has worked with many people relocating to Boston.  Her first words of advice?  Approach the move as you would any major business decision.  Research, planning and careful analysis will make your move a success.

Frann also suggests that you think outside the suburban box.  Apartments and condominiums are not sprawling suburban homes so you can’t expect to have the same amenities.  While walk in closets, en-suite baths and storage space are a given to many suburban dwellers those things can be rare in the city.  Are you willing to make the trade offs that city living require? 

When looking for a new home you first must do a needs assessment.  What do you really need?  What are you willing to give up?  For example, you may be willing to live without the en-suite bath, but a building without an assigned parking space could be a deal breaker.  What are your entertaining needs?  How about the children – are they going to be heading back home for extended stays?  Are the grand kids coming too?  Is easy access to public transportation a must?  The list goes on…

Frann’s final advice for those looking to move to the city is to look at your living space in a whole new way.  Don’t look at the space in terms of distinct spheres, instead look at distinct uses.  That’s where I came in and I’ll be posting more about that tomorrow.

Here are a few photos from one of Frann’s current listings - could you see yourself living there? I’m ready to decorate!

Waterzones

I’m intrigued by Dornbracht’s Waterzone concept.  The Waterzones are work spaces specifically designed with fittings and features to complement certain kitchen tasks.  This concept has long been used in commercial kitchens and now the concept can be stylishly executed at home.

Here are different zone examples:

Preparation Zone

This zone unit has all you need for food preparation such as washing, cleaning, chopping and draining. The special spray has a soft jet to gently rinse produce and the double sink has one deep side to fill with water while the other is shallow so that water can flow freely over it.

 

 

Cooking Zone

This unit has a large faucet designed for pot filling with a sink sized for rinsing food and dumping cooking liquids.  This concept makes great sense for pot filling since you can run the water prior to filling pots.  When you have the pot filler behind the cooktop, you’re not able to run water through the pipes before you use it for cooking.

 

 

Cleaning Zone

 You might not mind doing the dishes with this gorgeous sink!  The cleaning zone has a large tower sprayer with an extra strong  jet spray to remove baked on cooking messes.   The large basin is extra deep and wide to accommodate large pots and baking trays. There is also a liquid dispenser for dish soap.

 

What do you think of the zone concept?  I think it’s clever, and certainly the concept can be incorporated using various  faucet and sink combinations.  The key is to focus on function.

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