Family homes, such as the one we purchased this fall for that very purpose, often require evolving notions of function and use of space. Our previous salt box was an adult space that allowed two young, working professionals to relax, cook together and hold the occasional party in our generously-sized living room. The house wasn't set up to function as a home for hosting family dinners (with a pint-sized dining room) or house guests (with only 1 bathroom and two bedrooms located right next to each other). When we realized we wanted to do more of both, we started our hunt for our second home.Each of the three stories in our second row house now has a distinct purpose. The main floor has been dubbed the public space. We have a formal (but cozy) living room and spacious dining room, and a kitchen with a walk out to a generous deck and view of the city. We look forward to hosting dinner parties and BBQs and sharing laughs with family and friends. I picture celebrating milestone birthdays here, breaking bread on Sundays and battling it out over games of Monopoly at the dining room table.
Our lower level is our guest apartment. With its own entrance and powder room, it is perfect for accommodating our family when they're in town.The soft pot lights and wall mounted tv give it a bit of a hotel vibe (at least that's what I am going for).
Finally, our third floor functions as our private space. With a master bedroom, tv den, office and bath, Greg and I typically retreat there after dinner to relax. While we don't envision hosting friends in that space, it is our comfortable retreat. We are truly enjoying having a relaxing tv room that isn't the same room we host guests in.
While none of this might seem notable, the configuration of our 2000 sq foot home (which looks shockingly smaller from the outside) on the lower and top floor is a rapid departure from the previous owner's layout. She used the upstairs as two bedrooms and a library and the basement as a gym/tv room. Minor switches perhaps, but in moving in we truly wanted the space to match how we live. It's been fun giving those old rooms new purposes.
How do you live in your space? I'm so curious!
Above is the previous owner's library, which is now our tv den (and yes, I note the absence of a house tour on this blog yet... soon... I hope!).
Finally, our third floor functions as our private space. With a master bedroom, tv den, office and bath, Greg and I typically retreat there after dinner to relax. While we don't envision hosting friends in that space, it is our comfortable retreat. We are truly enjoying having a relaxing tv room that isn't the same room we host guests in.
While none of this might seem notable, the configuration of our 2000 sq foot home (which looks shockingly smaller from the outside) on the lower and top floor is a rapid departure from the previous owner's layout. She used the upstairs as two bedrooms and a library and the basement as a gym/tv room. Minor switches perhaps, but in moving in we truly wanted the space to match how we live. It's been fun giving those old rooms new purposes.
How do you live in your space? I'm so curious!
Above is the previous owner's library, which is now our tv den (and yes, I note the absence of a house tour on this blog yet... soon... I hope!).
No comments:
Post a Comment