Everyone leads a busy life. Spending time with your family and dear ones can sometimes be challenging. But quality time with important family members such as your elderly parents or grandparents should be more than just an option. That’s one good reason many people are interested in houses with granny flats.
So, having more time to spend with relatives is one of many reasons you may be interested in granny flat designs in Sydney options. Therefore, it would be interesting to take a closer look at what makes this type of dwelling so popular in Australia and many other parts of the world and how to design the floor plan to make it worthwhile for you and your family for many years.
Granny Flat Designs in Sydney– How to Plan Your Space
Before analyzing some granny flat designs in Sydney, the first thing to consider is why you want this type of annex in the first place. You may need it to allow other family members to live in it. If that is the case, you must clearly talk to those family members about their needs and expectations. Moreover, you need to be aware that houses with granny flats must comply with local building codes and requirements to avoid unpleasant surprises in the future.
You can receive guidance and support from professionals in this field. Also, with the help of the expert team from Brickwoodhomes, you can build a granny flat tailored to your unique needs and preferences so that you and your family can enjoy your available time together, which can be of great help for both sides. For example, you may need to be close to your parents so that they can stay with your grandchildren. Or they can use the space to work from home, meaning a home office would be more than welcome. At any rate, consulting with your pros is helpful.
Organizing the Living Areas in Houses with Granny Flats
With experts’ help, you can adequately establish the living areas in houses with granny flats. Also, you can create a greater sense of space by making your granny flat’s ceiling height bigger. And in case the people who will live in that flat love cooking, then a kitchen island can be a great addition to this type of dwelling.
Granny flat designs’ options can include many interior design solutions. But it can be tricky to find just the right layout, particularly if your granny flat has a less common shape and you still want to use all your available space. For instance, you can combine your bathroom and laundry area into a single unit. It’s a top-rated solution that many homeowners go for.
When deciding the main items to include in your bathroom and laundry area, consider how often you use various features or appliances. Thus, if you don’t use the bathtub too often and spend more time cleaning it than enjoying a nice, hot bath, you could benefit from a shower-only bathroom. But it’s not just about the bathroom; there are many other tricks for saving space in houses with granny flats.
Some Tricks to Save Space with Your Granny Flat Designs Options
With the help of some clever ideas, you can save more space in your granny flat. That means you can make this living environment more peaceful for you and the people who will actually stay there. For instance, a great idea is to build your granny flat with more oversized windows and to use every space you have for storage.
Choose Your Focal Points
But to avoid cramming your rooms with stored items, the first thing you should do is to decide on your focal points. A focal point could be virtually any interior design element, such as a fireplace, a window that opens to a gorgeous landscape, etc. In case the room is larger, several different focal points can exist.
Even though there is a common belief that all the furniture pieces should face the focal points, this isn’t set in stone. But it would be best if you always started designing the interior of your flat by discovering its focal points because this lets you better organize the areas around them. And the result will be better from all points of view.
It often happens for a room not to have a natural focal point. But that’s not a problem. You can create focal points yourself with the help of furniture such as sofas, dining tables, or beds or with unique accents such as window finishing, bookshelves, artwork, etc. Strategically placed lighting fixtures can also do the trick.
Larger Items Should Come First
While organizing your furniture, you should follow some basic interior design rules to ensure your granny flat looks and feels airy and welcoming. And the golden rule here is that larger furniture pieces should always come first. The good news is there is special design software with which you can try different furniture arrangement options, so you can better decide on the ones that work best for you.
Because beds, dining tables, and sofas are usually the most essential furniture items in a room, placing them first is the wise thing to do. They are also the most costly ones to change if you decide they aren’t suitable for your needs or don’t fit into your flat’s floor plan. Also, remember that some areas should be left unoccupied because items such as cupboards, wardrobes, or doors have to be opened easily.
Functionality Is Everything
When choosing your furniture, functionality means a lot. So, before deciding on the layout of your furniture, it’s essential to consider the exact purpose of a room. You may need areas for sleeping, having meals, working, lounging, or sometimes playing with kids –for example, in case the granny flat will be occupied by grandparents who will also look after their grandchildren. Although this is usually the case for larger rooms, even smaller rooms may sometimes have to fulfill multiple functions, so carefully planning them is the way to go.