Two-storeys home offers more space for a busy household to run around without needing much larger land area. Just as long as they choose a design that will work for everyday activities such as mornings at school, family dinners, home offices, teens’s needs for a space to retreat to, and a family with children of different generations. However, a well-designed two-storey house that has more space should do something more than that, it should be more functional, better connected and adaptable, it should do more than just be bigger.
Separating Shared And Private Zones
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One of the strongest layout features of a 2 storey house is the ability to have different activity spaces as part of one house. None of these features commonly will be located on the main or ground level, the obvious place for everyday living, which is typically the kitchen, dining and main living room. Bedrooms may be located upstairs which will give kids/teenagers and adults more privacy away from the commotion of family and visitors.
However, the double storey display homes with contemporary layouts can give an insight into how this separation can be achieved in practice, such as bedroom layouts, the space of stairs, open plan living requirements and indoor/outdoor flow. A drawing is not always enough to see if a floor plan is right for your family; it’s best to examine this by walking through the home.
Positioning The Main Bedroom Wisely
Where the main bedroom is located can very well dictate the level of comfort that the home will have eventually. While some families want the main bedroom to be upstairs right next to the kids’ rooms, mostly when they have babies or younger children who still need to be closely watched at night, other families prefer the main bedroom to be separated from the secondary bedrooms so that it can be a quieter retreat.
Besides all that, it’s worth thinking about storage, bathroom access, sunlight, and noise from the other parts of the house when designing a good layout. After a long day, the last thing most parents want is a main bedroom that is not only quiet and uncluttered but also very convenient. Don’t make it a last-minute addition, a wrongly placed room might spoil the whole peace and rest vibe of the house.
Creating Flexible Family Living Areas
Being multi-generational, families are busy and need more than one living area. Extra media space, a second lounge or an upstairs retreat offers extra upgradeable flexibility and is ideal for spending more time together as a family in an open plan kitchen, dining and living room. For younger children, it could be for playing, for teenagers it could even be for studying, playing games and meeting with friends.
Flexibility becomes a significant requirement if you have more members to your family or live in a multigenerational household. A second living area will help members of the family both find their own den and ease some of the crowding that can occur, yet won’t completely isolate family members. With planned design, they can be used in a flexible manner over time as your family changes.
Keeping The Kitchen Central
In a family’s home, the kitchen is the primary location of activities. Hence the location is definitely important. It’s worth bearing in mind that a kitchen in the centre of a house so that the user doesn’t have to block his view of the dining or living room and the outdoors can instantly make a difference in facilitating everyday life. Kitchens are typically located adjacent to the storage space or laundry/entertaining space (outdoor) to minimise distance required to be traversed for carrying out tasks.
Having a clear sight line from the central kitchen to living, dining and outdoor areas allows for an easier, more convenient day-to-day existence, especially when it comes to children or cooking dinner or hosting relatives. Design ideas such as the kitchen work triangle can also help reduce unnecessary movement between key preparation, cooking and cleaning areas.
Planning Storage Around Daily Routines
Storage is definitely one of the most practical aspects of a family home layout, yet sadly, it is the most neglected one. A double-storey house plan should integrate storage areas near the major problem zones that usually generate mess, for instance, the entryway, garage kitchen, laundry, and upstairs bedrooms. Well-placed linen closet, walk-in pantry or under-stair storage are just some of the additions that go a long way towards making day-to-day living at home very simple.
Families with kids will find having drop zones close to the front doors handy, as these places will be perfect for keeping school bags, shoes, sports equipment, and prams away from the main living areas. While storage areas have to be functional, they don’t have to be the focal point of the whole design, but rather, they should be arranged according to the actual ways of households.
Designing For The Way Your Family Lives
Creating a double-storey house plan is far more than doubling the bedrooms and the square footage. An effective double storage design is likewise concerned with the setup of each location to make it simpler for your family to manoeuvre, gather, rest and change. Shared rooms, private bedrooms, storage and outdoor spaces make a homeowner’s life easier when they work together.
