Your second living space: Do you really need it, and how to get it right - Episode 3 (Season 2)

Mar 20, 2017

A lively take on whether a second living space is worth the cost and space. Practical tips on placement, flexibility and keeping the room from feeling closed off. Discussion of orientation and seasonal light planning. Quick warnings about three common design mistakes and budget-friendly alternatives to a full extra room.

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INSIGHT

Big Homes Don’t Always Mean You Need Extra Rooms

Australian homes are among the largest globally, so the desire for two living rooms is often a cultural default rather than a strict need.
Many homeowners expect budgets to be far lower than reality, creating a mismatch between desires and what money will actually buy.

ADVICE

Start With The Feel Before The Floorplan

Define how you want the second living space to feel before designing it; write feeling words as a reference point.
Use that feeling to guide decisions so the room truly differs from your main living area.

INSIGHT

Separation And Choice Are The Core Functions

The primary function of a second living room is providing separation and choice, not a single activity.
Secondary functions (playroom, media, library) should be layered onto that core purpose.

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This episode is about the second living space in our homes. It goes by lots of different names, but most homeowners planning a renovation or new home want to create one. So, let’s learn more about how to get it right.

This episode may also be a little controversial, as Amelia challenges you to consider whether you really need a second living space in your home. As you stretch your budget and your space to accommodate all the dreams you have for your new or renovated home, you may end up compromising everything.

She's not here to crush your dream. If you want a second living room, can afford one and want to know how to create one that works, then this episode is for you. There are also some suggestions for alternatives if you’ve been weighing up whether you can create this space in your home.

Australian homes are among the biggest in the world.

And, in Amelia's experience with renovating and building, there’s a great mismatch between homeowner expectations and actual costs and timeframes. They say it always costs twice as much to renovate and build, and takes twice as long. Instead, Amelia suggest's that homeowners begin their project thinking it will take half as long, and cost half as much, as it actually will. And the readjustment as they find this out can be super challenging on their journey.

So, how to do you get this second living room working in your home? We dive into the four “F’s” to understand how they apply to this space.

Amelia also shares 3 key mistakes she sees many homeowners make when designing their second living room. She’ll go through these in detail so you can avoid them in your design. What are they? Here’s a summary:

Mistake #1: not being strategic about where you locate this room in your floor plan

Mistake #2: creating a design that is too fixed in how the room needs to be used

Mistake #3: closing the room up too much

She also provides 3 design tips to help you get it right in your second living room. Here’s those 3 tips briefly:

Design tip #1: using it to zone the home, and improve the functionality overall by creating seasonal spaces with how its oriented and what it's connected to

Design tip #2: designing for flexibility in how you fit out the room so it serves lots of different functions

Design tip #3: use the room to provide breathing space to open the home up where needed - for spaciousness and light

This room is usually created to provide separation and choice in a home. But what other functions does yours need to perform? And how can you create it so it suits your family now, and always?

Listen to the podcast now. You’ll be on the way to getting it right in your design for your second living room.

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