What is Space Planning Design?
Imagine you are building a new home. You get the building plans from the architect or builder and it looks great to you, so you have the builder start construction. After construction is well under way you go out to look at the progress, and you notice something you didn’t notice before. The refrigerator is going to go on the opposite side of the kitchen from the food prep counter. You realize that in a kitchen that size you will be forever walking across your entire kitchen every time you need to grab something.
While the layout of the kitchen might seem like a minor inconvenience, over a long period of time even a minor inconvenience can become a constant nuisance. And what if the design doesn’t have just one impractical aspect, but multiple? Multiple poorly designed aspects of a kitchen can stack up to a space that is frustrating and feels difficult to use.
You ask the builder if it’s possible to change where the refrigerator will be in your kitchen, and he tells you the utility lines have already been set, the concrete poured, so it would be difficult to change at this point. His solution is, “You’ll get used to it.” It’s easy for the builder to say you’ll get used to it, but it may be difficult for you to get used to (much less enjoy) working every day in an impractically designed kitchen.
In this imagined scenario, what was missing? Space planning. The original design did not take into consideration the functionality of the space and how it would be used. Many designers and architects design with the big picture in mind and do not dig into what it will be like to live or work in your space. But a space planner takes functionality and convenience into consideration—not just how it looks on paper.
Space planning is an approach to building design that looks to maximize usable space while taking into consideration how the spaces will be used and who will be using them. Especially in homes, where people spend much of their time, space planning is crucial. The process of space planning includes multiple stages, including assessing the client’s needs and preferences, assessing the potential of the space, and finding solutions for both short-term and long-term needs.
Space planning is important for more than just kitchens. Whether it is a remodel or a new build, a bathroom, bedroom, or storage space, space planning maximizes a space’s usability and takes into consideration often-overlooked variables that can make spaces smaller or less functional. For a new home, where will the HVAC be stored? What are the wall thicknesses and how will that affect room sizes? Where are utility connections? How do things like the swing radius of doors affect the usability of space? Good space planning takes all this and more into consideration.
On paper a design may look great but fail to take into consideration important aspects of space planning. Many designs poorly utilize the available space, making the space smaller or less usable than necessary. Karen Childress asks questions to understand your core needs so she can design your space to meet each of your needs.
Do you want to make sure your space is expertly planned to maximize usability and convenience? Whether you have a design plan or don’t yet have a plan, Karen will listen to your needs and vision for your project and help you find what’s right for you. Contact Karen for a complimentary consultation!