There are trends in the housing market that make sharing living spaces more common than ever. Basically it comes down to more people living in smaller accommodations. You might have heard the reference to the “Boomerang Sandwich”. This is the phenomenon where elder parents need to move in with their adult children who already have children living at home. Everyone needs to share the space. This trend is more prevalent than ever. So, whether you need to create living areas that will contain toddlers and teens or grandma and adult children, here are some thoughts…
My two teenage girls share a room. Enough said? (I will give you more details anyway.) As only teenage girls know how to do, they have been complaining about their room and the style—or lack-of-style. In their view they have outgrown the Lily Pulitzer bedding and window treatments and want something more sophisticated and put-together. I don’t blame them. We’ve decided to embark on the redesign. My goal is to create a space that will support each individual, their uniqueness and allow both of them to simultaneously love their nest. This might be one of my most challenging endeavors as a designer! But, if I can do it, so can you! Here are some quick tip ideas to help you create shared spaces be it for siblings, couples, friends or extended family.
1. Uncover & Examine the Functional Needs
It is important to determine the various activities that will occur in a space. Maybe one area has to meet dual functions of homework station, the game table and Grandpa’s love of puzzles. Thinking about these things ahead of time will create a welcome environment where everyone’s needs are met. Does the youngest member of the house need storage for toys that might make a mom crazy if they are left out all over the floor? Do siblings sharing a bedroom have different ideas for what would be great in the space? Does one sibling enjoy displaying pictures of a boy band and the other wants only motivational pictures of her favorite athlete? These are all questions to uncover and examine before designing a shared space that will make everyone feel great.
2. Color is Key
Whether we are aware of it or not, color plays an important role in everyone’s life. It effects you emotional and physically. It either supports you or drains your energy. If, when designing, you don’t take into consideration the color needs of everyone involved, you could be setting someone up for overwhelm, feelings of depletion and a low level of overall domestic satisfaction. When your home is supposed to be the place that rejuvenates you, it is imperative to look at the color consequence for all those that will be in the environment for extended periods of time. Create color contentment for all-inclusive home harmony.
3. Pictures Speak Volumes
Sometimes it is hard to get started when designing a space that will nurture more than one person and their unique likes and dislikes. When designing a space for my girls I told them each to find 10 pictures of bedrooms that they just loved. I explained that not only did I want to see the cool pictures I knew they would find but I also wanted to know what they loved about the design. They were excited to embark on this “homework” assignment. I also told them to find 5 pictures of rooms that they agreed on and thought were cool. I limited this number figuring that with the divergent tastes, asking for more than that might be hard. They came back with some fabulous visuals! I was able to get a sense of direction for what would work for both of them. The commonalities were more evident when comparing the opposing pictures they had chosen. Sometimes pictures are an easier language to understand because they are able to articulate things and ideas that words cannot express, especially when trying to convey visual concepts that touch your mind, body and spirit.
Thankfully we are well on our way to creating a chic and revitalized shared bedroom space that will soothe the senses and rejuvenate both of my girls as they meet the challenges of life as a teenager. You can use these simple solutions to help you create an inspired and supportive home for all those that are part of your circle of love under your roof.
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Happy Soaring!
XOXO
