Dreaming of a Family Home
This post is by regular contributor Kate Fairlie of Picklebums.
When we moved to our little rural property we already had 18 month old twins and were planning on having more children, so we knew that we’d have to do a major renovation one day. Right then and there we started planning and dreaming and talking about how we’d turn our little two bedroom house into the perfect space for our family.
Now, finally, all our dreaming and planning is turning into reality as we begin the long process of construction.
During the planning process, and now during the building, responses to our vision have not always been positive. Some people think we are downright nuts, but we are pretty sure we’re getting it right…for us. These are our dreams for our family home…
Our family home will have spaces that are adult oriented but also welcoming to children when needed.
I’m dreaming of a chaise lounge or single sofa bed next to our bed so that a sick or scared child can sleep close by without hassles.
Our family home will have spaces that allow us to work and play side by side and that encourage us to spend time together.
We’ve planned a big kitchen bench over looking an even bigger dining table so that there is room for dinner to be made while homework is done or artwork created.
We’ve planned a study that adjoins the living space so that both adults and children have a space to work and study but are not shut away from the rest of the family while doing so.
We’ve planned bedrooms for our children to share, but they will also have their own private spaces within them.
I’m dreaming of a study desk with space for the preschooler to create art on paper next to me as I am creating art on the screen.
Our family home will have spaces that are set up for success, that encourage more do’s and less don’ts.
I’m dreaming of lots of storage so breakables and non-kid items can be put out of sight as well as out of reach.
I’m dreaming of living room storage that can hide the television away when we don’t want to use it.
We’ve planned living areas that adjoin each other and overlook the outdoor space so that supervision is easy and adults can be there to support kids when needed.
We’ve planned a large covered veranda so that there is always a space to be outside, no matter what the weather.
Our family home will have spaces that make daily tasks easier for everyone.
I’m dreaming of storage that makes it easy for everyone to put things away.
We’ve planned for a laundry chute directly from the bathroom to the laundry to make doing the right thing easy.
Our new spaces won’t be perfect, there will be changes to make and new ideas to implement, and they will grow and evolve as we grow and evolve, but our dream is a home where we can all share the space as we live and work together, now and as we all grow up.
Sometimes living in a house without a proper kitchen or laundry with four small children, while my husband and various friends and family do the majority of the building work seems just a little insane. Okay, it is totally insane! But once it’s done and we have a fabulous space for our family, it will be worth every crazy dream, plan and moment.
If you could plan your perfect family home what would you include?
So exciting, Kate!
Some of our plans in our renovation planning were – how many bedrooms to have (“How many children are you going to have?” our building designer asked us. “Ummmm… don’t know…” was our reply. How helpful.), to have a useable laundry rather than the tiny thing I was originally intending to have, a good outdoor space that can be used all year round, things like that.
Hope it’s all going well!
oh I can’t wait to have a laundry. Since we’ve been living here our ‘laundry’ has been a washing machine and sink half in front of the back door!
I love this.
We are busting at the seams in our small rental home. We have BIG dreams for our forever home, but have to patiently wait to “chase” that dream for another year or so. Your description of your dream family home almost fits our dream as well, but I’ve never thought about putting my thoughts into words. I am inspired to jot down all our dreams for our family home as we prepare to “chase” that dream.
Thank you for sharing this and congrats on the whole renovation process!
It can be hard to be patient when things are a little on the squishy side (we currently squish six people into two bedrooms!) but we decided it was worth the squishiness and the waiting to really get what we wanted… I hope it is worth the wait and your dreams come true soon!
I love the house we are living in now.
About the only thing I’d add is a big backyard with flat grassy spaces for a trampoline and trees for climbing.
oh we have a HUGE 14 foot trampoline and we love it… when the renos are done and the weather improves you’ll have to come over for a jump!
oh we would love that.
But where is my bedroom??
Sounds amazing-I’m excited about seeing it finished 🙂
Your dreams sound lovely and I’m sure this horrid and squashed part of the renovating will all be worth it when your home is finished. I particularly like the idea of a shoot from the bathroom to the laundry, might have to pinch that idea for our oneday dream home. We are still stuck in the rental trap, I dream of a home to call our own, with a little bit of land, so I can grow veggies and have some chooks and the kids have space to run wild. And a verandah, our last house had a verandah and I miss it so. And a playroom and built-in bookshelves everywhere. That is my ultimate dream, but I will happily settle for a place that is ours and not rented, hopefully in a year or two 🙂
Your plans sound wonderful! We have no hope for moving or renovating for many a year, but I am daily thinking of how I am going to rearrange things as my baby twins and toddler get older. I love how kid-oriented your plans are; it will be an even more inviting home for them.
Oh, we have our dream home. Full of laughter, reading, love. We’re all smooshed together in maybe a too-small for some space, but it’s close and warm and full of family. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Sounds unreal Kate, I love the idea of a house that promotes do’s rather than don’ts. My husband and I built our home before we had Max, I will do a lot of things differently next time around 🙂