I am a practical person who can be extremely lazy and I want to do as little cleaning as possible. I also cherish private moments and I want to thoroughly enjoy every moment at home – be it my precious me-times, time to focus on work, or time spent with family and friends.
Here are 8 steps I took to ensure that I have a practical home that suits all of my needs mentioned above.
1. Think thoroughly about whether you should have an open or closed kitchen
I love how an open kitchen looks. However, it is not practical for someone like me who values my privacy. Therefore, I decided to have an open kitchen that I can close anytime I want. To add on to my need for practicality, I covered the glass windows with this frosted glass sticker with bamboo patterns on it. I get rather annoyed by finger print marks on the glass window hence having this bamboo patterned frosted glass sticker up is indeed a life saviour.
2. Cater space for privacy
I am someone who has a huge need for privacy and me-time. This means that I sometimes do not feel like talking to anyone for a period of time. This also means that it is a huge need for my home’s layout to have as much privacy as possible. Therefore, I did not hack down any walls, faced the sofa at the wall instead of towards the passageway.
3. Ensure that there are no hidden corners
I do not enjoy getting surprised from behind. Due to the layout of my home, there are some furniture placements that are placed at positions that can be prone to such sudden surprises. I have reflective objects that allow me to see who is coming from behind, and this has definitely helped me feel much more secure and comfortable in my own home.
4. Have ample space to focus on work
As working from home becomes more of the norm, you will want to make your home as work friendly as possible. Personally, when I work from home, I like to work at different zones in the house, depending on my mood. I am grateful that I am able to do this at my place. If you are able to, I will highly recommend you to have different work zones in your home too!
Most of the time I will start the day working at my shared study table. Throughout the day I will switch it around by sometimes working at my bedroom’s desk, sometimes at the dining table, and sometimes even at the desk at my service yard area.
5. Having Ample Storage
I am a naturally messy person who took years to create a system for myself to ensure that my space is always neat and tidy. The core of my being is still a naturally messy person and hence, I needed to take the necessary measures to ensure that my tidy habit is always in check. Having ample amount of storage definitely helps to ensure that the home looks spick and span at all times. It also helps to declutter my mind. If you are a messy prone person like me, it definitely helps to have ample storage so you can ensure that your home always looks neat and tidy, which will in turn also impact your personal well-being.
6. Minimise the need to do any form of heavy cleaning
As a lazy person, I really do not enjoy doing extra chores like changing curtains, cleaning up rugs, cleaning up open shelves etc. Swapping curtains for blinds and having carpets ONLY for practical purposes have definitely saved alot of my time, so I can focus more on what I enjoy. I also try to keep open shelving at a minimum because open shelving is such a hassle to clean, especially in a dust prone place like my home (which is currently near a construction site). Find out more about how you can simplify and minimise your household chores.
7. Taking note of your hobbies
You can say that I am someone who really enjoys setting aside time for my hobbies. My hobbies include reading, writing (for this blog!), photo/video editing, cooking and so on. I also enjoy working out at home. I took into account all these factors when designing for my home and ensured that I set aside enough space for each of my hobbies.
8. Understanding the lifestyle of your family members
As much as I want to design the space just for myself, the fact of the matter is that my husband and in-laws also stay with us and we occasionally have guests over. Therefore, my space needs to be catered to the needs of my family members as well.
As an owner of your own home, it is important to set the tone that you are the owner of your house. However, empowering your family members by letting them enjoy their hobbies (Be it playing music, drawing, cooking) will make your home a happier place. If a bunch of you like to cook or bake, perhaps you can have a scheduler where all of you can book when to use the kitchen. This helps to prevent clashes and tension that may arise if more than one person wants to cook at the same time. If any of your family members likes to play music, allocate a time for that person to have the freedom to play all he/she wants.
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I hope that this article has been useful in helping you plan for your very own practical, yet stylish and cosy home. Good luck!