Design Post | Guest Suite Space Plan 1
Would you like to come along on a design journey with me? Here and there in my content over the next few weeks, I’ll show you how, with thoughtful planning and masterful execution, a space can become a much better version of its former self. There’s something that stirs my soul when I get to take the inherent potential in raw space and bring out its untapped beauty and function, giving it the opportunity to shelter well those who live there.
The design process is complex and multi-faceted, often with multiple things happening at once, but the space plan is one of the first things I begin with. Here, also, is where the expertise of an interior designer compliments the work already invested by the architect up to that point - the drafting stage on new builds, and the as-built drawings stage on renovations.
Where the architect generally brings his or her strengths and skill to the structure itself, the interior designer brings expertise to the livability of the three dimensional interior, focusing on function, flow, finishes, and feeling. When I’m assessing an architect’s plan, doing what’s known as the redlining, I’m looking for situations that may cause disruption or unease in the finished space, areas where an opportunity might have been missed, or simply how I can ensure that every cubed foot is functioning to the best of its ability as part of the whole. I also ensure that the lighting and electrical plan support the best lived experience. Building, renovating, and furnishing a home require large investments and I want to help steward the full potential out of every square foot the client is paying for.
The full-service project I’ll be walking you through is in the lower walk-out level of a beautiful mountain home. It formerly housed a woodworking shop and is now a serene, private guest suite.
When the client contacted me, she had in hand a proposed floor plan from an architect she’d contacted about finishing the space. The plan, however, left her uninspired and she wondered if I could help. I was delighted to add my skillset to the project and enhance and compliment the architect’s work. (And I’m happy to say the client and her family have become good friends in the process!)
As I began my initial analysis, I kept in mind the items on the client’s wish list, which included the following:
A minimalist, yet warm and natural aesthetic, and functional design
The ability to accommodate a single person or couple living in the space full time, if needed
Full laundry and kitchen capabilities (although the client didn’t want a dishwasher and was fine with a smaller fridge)
A dining table that could seat a minimum of six
Beds to sleep both couple and non-couple guests
A full bathroom
A mudroom
Sufficient storage
A writing desk
I got to work identifying what wasn’t working in the proposed plan, where the missed opportunities were, and any problem areas that needed to be resolved. I’ve numbered them on the architect’s plan so you can read along with my thoughts about each one.
Here you enter through a set of French doors, directly into the main living area. There’s no designated “entry” or mudroom. This is typical in small spaces, but I still like to create some kind of accommodation for the entering sequence (e.g removing and storing coats, boots, and shoes, a place to set an armload of shopping bags). Also, from the moment you step in the door, you’re hit with the reality of one large open room that feels somewhat cluttered with little to no designation of space. This tends to make you feel hesitant and unsettled, as your eye doesn’t know where to land first. I also like to consider the sight lines in all directions. Here, there are missed opportunities in every one.
This cased opening with a narrow door leads into a proposed laundry room. It’s a missed opportunity for a sight line into that space. Long sight lines are key in helping a small space seem larger.
This is an exterior wall with no window, making this laundry room and following bathroom hallway very dark, indeed!
Here, the run of base cabinets is unnecessarily close to the doorway, creating visual clutter and a crowded feeling upon entering the room.
I prioritize giving every bathroom natural light, if at all possible. This interior bathroom has none.
Here is the end of the sight line from the entry door. This visually jumbled back wall is a missed opportunity for a pleasing focal point.
I often see too much cabinetry in proposed kitchen designs for small spaces. (Interestingly, more cabinetry does not necessarily equal best use of space). The kitchen size has to stay in context with the rest of the space, especially if it’s an open room concept. This includes using properly scaled appliances, as well. The layout of the proposed kitchen could also be much improved with a proper work triangle.
Floating the dining table and chairs isn’t the best use of space, in this case. It’s also a missed opportunity to create a specific dining area moment.
With the door swing indicated as it is, I think this was intended to be a closet and not a pantry. If its purpose is a closet, it’s too small; if a pantry, it wastes too much space.
Here in the bed area, there’s a missed opportunity to use the available space. There’s not enough storage, and the bed takes up too much permanent space.
In a living area this long and narrow, the right size furniture is key. This sofa is too small, the bookcase is too big, and the load-bearing support post in the middle of it all is a quandary. Also, there needs to be more seating, tables, lamps, and the client wanted a desk, as well.
The three separate windows on this wall were too narrow and too short, not maximizing the opportunity to capture the available breathtaking valley and mountain view.
The plan shows the floor of this area as being on the same plane as the floor in the rest of the space, which is incorrect. This area is actually an elevated crawl space with a floor that is about 4’ above the main room floor, therefore giving this space only about 4’ clearance from floor to ceiling. Conventional bed frames as shown would not fit in this space.
Base cabinetry is indicated the full length of the back wall between the head of the beds and the wall. This is a missed opportunity to maximize the use of available space.
Having properly sized beds for this small of a space is crucial, and the wasted space shown at the foot of the beds was a missed opportunity to use every square inch.
The plan didn’t indicate how to access this bedroom nook over this 4’ concrete wall.
UPDATE: Find my solutions in the finished floor plan here.
Design Post is a series that simplifies the complex world of interior design. Because we all want to live well in our homes. More posts here.
