Housing units are getting smaller and smaller writes for reasons that people are heading towards shrunk spaces in exchange of vast opulence for the little luxuries of life writes Robert YAWE.
Would you be one among the many millions who have down-sized your space in recent years? If not, might you have noticed that the sizes of houses being developed are getting smaller and smaller with time. Well, what made you decide to move into a smaller home? Was it financial motives that prompted your ultimate decision or just the fact that you no longer required a home full of rooms that collect dust?
Chances are that many will disagree and raise the issue of the exponential rise in the price of land and cost of construction, but unlike me, they will not take the time or effort to defend their positions.
Traditionally we had small dwelling spaces which were separated by function, the young men had a little hut near the gate, the “Mzee” (old man aka father) had his own hut somewhere in the compound and the wives had their own huts strategically laid out around the man’s hut.
It is definitely clear that design is not foreign to African cultures only that we got misled to believe that this were primitive but time has proven them superior.
Monstrous structures
Most of us spend less than four (4) hours of our waking time within our houses two (2) of which are in rapid motion to get out of the house. Three or more hours are spent in commuting from and to home with ten (10) hours at our places of work the rest is spent asleep.
This makes no sense why we struggle to acquire/build huge monstrous structures in which we spend less than 20% of our waking time, why not separate the various activities we are involved in and then plan our spaces around them.
When the children get home from school they need to do their homework which means they need a workstation to work from, for many of us we would end up having larger bedrooms so as to accommodate a bed and a table yet at no time will both be in use at the same time.
What might be more practical is to have a bed that converts seamlessly into a reading table and vis-a-versa.
Alternatively, you could have a bunk bed with the bottom half being a study desk with a wardrobe thus creating a triple function for the same floor space.
I can hear mothers raising the issue about the dangers of the child falling off as they climb to bed, I dare you to go and watch the same child on the monkey bars in school.
You ask about where they should play, last I checked the most dangerous place for children to play is in the house. It is safer to segregate the function and either use the sitting room where they can play under supervision.
What this also allows the you time to play with the children when you get home for the short time before you slump into a chair to watch a Mexican soap or the political circus on the 60” wall mounted TV and listen over the inbuilt 5D surround system.
Build in a space where the toys can disappear into on those rare occasions when you have someone visiting who you want to impress, even though it would be easier achieved in a flashy restaurant.
Remember that the home is more a place for the children and the grownups are nothing but an accessional inconvenience.
It is actually possible to let them out into that lovely backyard you so fell in love with when you first saw the house.
Put in a little sandpit as well as a gazebo for a covered play area which you can turn into an adult sitting area once a year when you actually have the time to sit in the backyard and sip a glass of ice tea. It is highly recommended that you use folding chairs due to the occasion use of the space by the adults, except maybe the house help.
With the smaller spaces there will be less need for resident domestic staff a situation that is rapidly becoming the main stay of most homes had to that smokeless cooking appliances thus the need to close off the kitchen is not essential meaning that open plan is more feasible.
With size of families also getting smaller this would be ideal for the cosy breakfast and dinner, I have seen many homes for lavishly designed dining rooms that are used very rarely with most family members preferring to eat while seated on the sofa set.
If you already have the dining room why not make it dual function by getting an adjustable or convertible dining table.
Not to leave the single person who lives in a studio apartment or a guest wing in the leafy suburbs of South C or Karen. There is furniture that will allow you to give your space multiple functions ranging from Futons, to accommodate that regular sleep over friend, to convertible coffee tables all of which allow you to maximise on your space. In between is the convertible desk bed mentioned earlier.
There, I hope you are convinced that what you need is more creative furniture and not more space.
