When you think of your dream home, or of what you would love your forever home to look like, what do you tend to focus on the most? Some people will love the exterior, and only ever see the style or size of the house. Others will think about the intricate details that they want, and focus on aspects like the style of decor. But then there are those of us that go straight to the heart and home in on the area that makes the house a home in the first place - the living space. Because when you think about it, what is a dream home or forever house with the perfect living area?
It’s nice to be able to buy a big house, or apply the decor of your dreams, but really, the structure and set up of your living space beats out both. With the perfect living area, you can relax, spend time with your love ones, have a lot of fun, and just generally feel at home. And this has got to be the definition of brining your dream home to life.
So when you do start to conjure up imagery of said end goal home, you’re going to want to get your brain in gear and start thinking about everything that could make the living space as perfect as possible. In fact, this is something that you can do to your current living space, just to make sure that it too is as on-point as it can be. So let’s delve into how you can achieve your ultimate living space in just fifteen steps!
Decide On The Space
First of all, you need to make some very key decisions on the space that you’re going to use. This is going to require vision. Instead of seeing the small living room, dining area, and kitchen that you’re looking at, see the potential. The aim here is to be able to maximize the space that you have. This means you’re going to want to work out exactly what rooms to focus on, and try to see what they can come, rather than working on each room as it is now.
To Extend Or Not To Extend?
As a step on from that, another key decision to make before you get to work is whether you want to extend the living space that you have or not. While not every home will qualify for an extension for space reasons, if you really want to transform the space, moving out into the yard, both backwards and sideways may be all it takes to give you that little bit of extra room that you need. These days, there are so many builders and companies like Action Builders out there that can give you the insight you need to make sure that the space works with your needs. Extensions are an amazing way to get the room you need, but it’s always worth remembering that extensions take some time to get right, so you need to remember if you are happy with the upheaval in the short-term.
Convert Where You Can
At the same time, you may also want to bring other options into the area. If you have an unused garage that is next to your living space, then why not thinking about converting it? Adding it onto the living space may be able to allow you to work with much more square footage and get your dream living space together.
Let The Light In
Now that you know exactly what room you have to work with, you want to make sure that the work you do will create your perfect finished look. So before you pick out paint colors and call the contractors in, you need to think about. Maximizing natural light in your living space can make it feel lighter, brighter, and full of spirit. So as part of the process, consider whether or not you’d like to bring in new windows or doors to do that, particularly across the width of the house or your largest wall-space area.
Look Up
If you really want to go to town with the lighting, see if you can install a skylight. You’ll find this DIY Network post has some good thought around that. If you have the option, this could allow the space to get as much light as it needs.
Consider Open Plan
One last thing before you get to work - do you want to go open plan or not? Some will say that the open plan moment has passed, but if you really want to go for a wow-factor finish, a vast open planning living space really does feel like the dream. When you go open plan, you also have more potential for working in all of the different bits and pieces you want to show off in the space.
Find A Focal Point
Whether you do decide to go open plan or not, you’re going to want to choose your focal point to the living space(s). Every well-balanced room should have a focal point. This is where your attention will immediately go to in the space, and the area that people will focus on when they go into the room. Whether that’s a fire place, a piece of artwork, or your TV, you need to know this before you start building and rearranging.
Rearrange The Necessities
Now, you can really get to work. The start will always be to rearrange what you need to. When your extension or conversion is underway, you may also want to take out walls or put them up elsewhere. You’re also going to need to find a good plumber, such as Maplewood Plumbing & Sewer, LLC, and electrician to help you rearrange your pipework and electrics. You may be moving or extending your kitchen, and you’ll need both trades to come in and make it happen.
Choose Your Counters & Cupboards
At the same time, you’re going to want to pick out your kitchen counters and cupboards. This is often the most exciting part of all. Because we all visualize that dream kitchen when we think of the perfect home, right? So go to town on the style that you want.
Decide On Washroom Space
But that’s not all, you should also consider your washroom space. Will you include several? Or just one restroom? You may want to go with a few if you’re working with a significant amount of square footage.
Map Out The Dining Area
Next, you’re going to need to know exactly where you plan to work in your dining space. Whether you want it to be closer to the kitchen or lounging area, or in it’s own room, you’ll want to map this out well in advance. If you just create an area and then to try and plan in the dining equipment and furniture, you may find it's a little off. So work it into the original plans for everything to flow better.
Bring In A Bar
For a bit of fun, you may also want to think about working in a bar area. After all, this is your dream home, so it’s kind of nice to do something special and luxury like this. For inspiration, Home Wet Bar have some really great ideas on what you can do.
Style Out The Interiors
With the bulk of the main components planned out, you can not get thinking about the decor. And yes, this is what most of us will get super excited about. But you really do have to get the practical planning parts worked out first, because otherwise this section just won’t work. Be sure to consider the kind of living space decor you want to go with. Find as much inspiration as you can so that the finished look really works well.
Get Comfortable
Then it’s onto choosing your furniture. You’ve planned out the kitchen and dining space, so now you get to have a lot of fun with your lounging area. Here, you’re also going to want to find some inspiration so that you can create the perfect space. Whether it’s comfortable or modern, you should really go to town on the elements that will bring the space alive, because it is your dream living space after all.
Dress To Impress
Finally, you’ve then got the finishing touches to think about. Your main living space items are in, and so is your dining space, your kitchen is complete and your washrooms are ready, but at this stage, you may realize that something is missing. So now it’s time to dress the space to impress. When you’re 80% finished, you’ll know what kind of decorative touches you need to make this the space of your dreams. So start shopping and get to adding them in.
Now that you’ve got the tools and ideas to make this happen, or even selected the ones that are most relevant to you or that will make the most difference, you can start to create the living space of your dreams. You got all the inspiration that you need, so now it’s time to work out a budget, make a plan of action, and get to work. Whether you want to do this in your current home, or save the steps for when you do get closer to having your dream house or forever home, it’s great to know that you can have the living space of your dreams.
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