Home design for baby boomers
And here we are - the kids have left the nest and you feel lost in that big house which was full of life just until recently. You are wondering if you should swap it for something smaller but then you fear you’ll only see the kids for an occasional lunch as they would not have a room to sleep in. Or, maybe things will happen quick and soon there will be grandchildren in the house! Or you may not be able to make it to the third floor en-suite sooner than you would hope for…
Photo by Christian Bowen on Unsplash
No one can predict the future, but right now you have the space and time for yourself - two things you have been missing badly at times. Let’s look at what you could do with that space and time:
Organise your memories
Every family home is full of memories which can be found pretty much everywhere: photographs, books, small decoration, vinyls, tapes and CDs, letters, any many more.
Now that you have more time on your hands, go through all of those and organise them in a nice, neat way. Say goodbye to those that no longer mean much to you – and keep those that do! You may decide to digitalise old photographs and letters – or give some of the books to the local charity shop. Choose what memories you’d like to keep, and what you want to have around and visible.
Everything else can go into boxes, organised by years and topics, labelled and stored in the loft or the basement. That first step will help you get some clarity around what is in the house. The next step is to take care of all the other stuff:
Declutter
Get rid of clothes, shoes, books, even maybe some furniture pieces which don’t suit your lifestyle anymore. You can do that yourself or you can get the help of a declutter - which can be a really supportive and fun experience. You will have a fresh pair of eyes on your side, and they will help you to make up your mind and get rid of what doesn’t serve you anymore.
Warwick Sq
Give rooms more than one function
With less things around, you will feel at first as if there is even more empty space - and this is true… But it is not empty: it is free space for new things to come.
It can be a studio for your painting, or a quiet reading and writing cabinet, maybe a home gym, or even a music room. What are the things you always wanted to do and never had time for? The children’s rooms can be repurposed into a space for your hobbies, which in turn work as a guest room when someone comes to visit.
Adapt the layout and allow for future adjustments
You may find that some of the current arrangements are not working anymore. A guest room on the ground floor with a well sized bathroom close to it might be quite practical, now but also in the future.
Consider where you spend most of your time and what would work well for your routine. This could be a good opportunity to refresh and update some of the functions in your house and make them more suitable for you.
Even changing the colours of the wall or getting some new furniture and lighting can bring a fresh and inspiring look to your lovely home.
Loft for a family
Downsize and share
This is the most radical suggestion - you can downsize. You can swap your existing home for a smaller one.
Another option is to reconfigure your house and rent a part of it.
Or you could even consider multigenerational living. Usually this happens with other members of your family, but there is no reason why you couldn’t live with friends or even people who you have never met before.
It is not the most straightforward approach, but it is possible. And I believe that in a society suffering from inequality and housing crisis, thinking outside of the box can bring some inspiring new ideas and help us all.
