Good friends moved from Berlin to the Bay Area for work and family. They acclimated to many things American. For them, the most notable and amusing adjustment was to their children's playground culture: parents telling their toddlers to share sand toys, to get off swings and give others a turn, to move quicker down the slide so the next in line have space….
I hadn't thought it should be otherwise.
In their home, a small apartment at the time, their children shared a room along with their nanny. The entire clan all shared a single bathroom. They generously hosted many guests, moving furniture around as needed to accommodate a crowd. In those conditions, maybe you don't need to teach how to share; you live it.
 |
Credit: Houzz.com
 |
Credit: Houzz.com
|
|
All too often, I see the opposite. We oversize and underutilize space. We specialize and limit space to a single function. We risk being wasteful and developing unreasonable expectations of the space we need and what a space can provide.
I find space. I look for ways to Share Space and Blend Space. When a client asks to expand and build out their home, my first instinct is to find areas to reuse or multi-use. We talk about actual space needs and perceived needs. When adding on to a home is necessary, it comes after an honest assessment of the functionality of the existing space. There are always solutions hiding inside the square footage.
 |
| Credit: Houzz.com |
 |
| Credit: Houzz.com |
 |
| Credit: Houzz.com |
I encourage sharing space by sharing functions. Living and dining rooms can share space with home offices. Children can share bedrooms. Or, share play space with adjoining sleeping nooks. Kitchens can be family rooms with soft furnishings and places to relax. A guest room, only rarely used, can share spaces with a family room or office. In our home, after a good attempt at sharing a room for seven years, our sons needed a break. The compromise: our family room/guest room became bedroom/guest room. Occupying this larger space comes with some conditions, including giving it up to guests on an as needed basis.
 |
| Credit: Houzz.com |
 |
| Credit: Houzz.com |
Always, share luxury with economy. Ask yourself honestly how many sinks you need in your Master Bathroom? Kitchen?
Blending space is a more dynamic tool to make the most of what you have. And, it requires less of a commitment. Be playful and experiment with how you use your space. Reorient and rearrange as the need arises, or on a whim. Swap a large formal living room with the dining room if your hosting needs require more space for sit down entertaining. Or, just do this for a party. Change with the seasons. Relocate furnishings and accessories from one room to another. Redecorate. Remix. Repaint. Refinish. Swap stuff with friends for short or long term use. Let your space age with you
 |
| Credit: Houzz.com |
|
Credit: Apartment Therapy
|
Sharing Space and Blending Space creates vibrancy through redesign and experimentation.
P.S. This article in the NY Times points out some unexpected perks of sharing:
 |
Source: www.nytimes.com
|
No comments:
Post a Comment