Designing a Home - Key items you should think about

Building a new home is a very exciting time and one that usually comes with a lot of research. One of the first key steps in building a new home is choosing your dream home design. It’s important that the floorplan of your home reflects how you will live in it day to day, and that it meets both your current and more importantly your future lifestyle and requirements. This is to ensure that you do not grow out of your home too quickly, especially considering the costs you incur each time you move, for example stamp duty, agent fees and solicitor fees.

While a floorplan is perhaps the most important choice, it’s also important to start thinking about the style of home you would like to build. Will it be a modern home design or something more traditional?

Let us take you through some key tips and pointers when it comes to you finding your dream new home designs.

Living room layout tips and tricks

The living room is exactly that, the most lived in room of the house. When it comes to choosing your preferred home design it’s important to consider your living room layout. A feature of modern home design is the open plan living space which helps create a light, flowing and open home.

It’s important to consider whether you need additional living spaces in your home as this can make living a lot easier. This normally depends on the family structure. For example, a home design can feature multiple living areas, allowing for an area for the kids, an area to retreat and read a book in silence, a theatre room, or even a library/study.

When it comes to getting living room layout ideas there are some key things you can consider:

• How many spaces will you need? Do you need additional spaces so no one is fighting over the remote when the footy and the latest Pixar feature movie are both on Friday nights?
• A light filled living room will really help make your home feel bigger. If you want to maximise the volume of natural light to your living room, your need to read out blog about orientation.
• While light is important, it’s also key to consider window placement to reduce reflections on screens.
• A key component of your living room is electrical selection, especially when it comes to TV and power points. Forward plan to make sure you have allowed enough and that they are in the correct position.
• Be conscious of how you want to set up your TV. For example, if part of your interior home design involves mounting the TV on the wall, the room may not be set up to hold the weight of the TV. This will involve specifying a batten, that you can screw into when you install your TV.
• Be conscious of where your GPO’s (General Power Outlet) are positioned and how you plan to connect. Especially if you want to avoid unsightly cables ruining the look and appeal of your modern home design.

You can be flexible with the living room layout rules – just make sure that your chosen design will work with the way you live. Check out our home designs to explore the different layouts we have created. Alternatively, if you’re still not sure what sort of layout will work for you, visit one of our display homes to get a feel for the different layouts in person.

How to perfect your kitchen layout

When it comes to kitchen layout planning, they say the kitchen is the heart of the home! Interior designers have regularly referred to the kitchen triangle and the importance of using this theory in your kitchen design.

The kitchen triangle (also known as the working triangle) is a theory that was developed in the early twentieth century. It states that the kitchen holds three main working areas, and they should be located around the kitchen in, yes, a triangle. The areas are identified as storage (fridge), cooking (oven/stove) and chopping/peeling (bench/sink). An Island kitchen layout can still work to this theory if the chopping/peeling space is there. The good news is, in our plans this is an important consideration and we have design professionals who ensure they factor in such important details into our home designs.

Some other key kitchen layout ideas you can consider when designing your home:

• Ensure that there is plenty of storage. Think past your usual cutlery and pans, don’t forget your big bulky items like air fryers and blenders.
• A butler’s pantry is a great addition if you’re a regular entertainer. Just think of being able to hide any mess whilst you are entertaining in a hidden room!
• Consider how you prepare and cook food. Is a 600mm oven enough, would you prefer a wider 900mm oven? Or even two 600mm ovens?
• Lighting is important, make sure you have adequate light when you perform various tasks in your kitchen, including cooking, washing and cocktail making.

Our Belmore floorplans are some of our most popular designs ticking all the boxes for a triangle design. Check out the virtual tour here or visit one of our Belmore display homes located in Shepparton and Mount Duneed.

Key Factors in bedroom positioning

A bedroom often becomes your own personal oasis. When you’re considering your ideal home design it pays off to consider both the positioning and the overall layout of the room. When it comes to bedroom positioning ideas you really need to take into account you and your family’s lifestyle. A few key things to consider:

• Couples with young children often prefer to have the master bedroom close to the front door, and kids bedrooms separated at the back of the house. This ensures security and can provide peace of mind for parents. We ensure we have several home designs that fulfil this requirement.

• Do you love entertaining? A double storey home design may prove to be a great option for you. Sleeping spaces are normally upstairs, leaving plenty of space for dinner parties to continue throughout the night, while early birds rest away from the noise. You might also want to consider a downstairs guest suite so both you and visiting friends/family have privacy and a comfortable stay. This can be particularly beneficial if you have any family members that struggle to navigate stairs. If this is the case you may also want to consider in your home design a downstairs shower, so they never have to go upstairs

Once you have decided where you would like your bedrooms to be located, getting the internal layout of the room is key to promoting harmony and relaxation. Bedroom position feng shui can be achieved multiple ways all surrounding the bed.

Here are our top 5 tips:

1. Position your bed centrally
2. Allow the door to be seen from the bed
3. Avoid putting your bed along a wall with a door
4. Ensure there are no features like beams or sloped ceilings above the bed
5. Create symmetry around the bed with two matching side tables and lamps

Some bedroom tips that comply with Vastu Shastra principles comprise:

1. Selecting a blissful bedroom colour in your home interior design
2. Wardrobes/cupboards in the South, South West or West directions
3. Mirror placement – 4 to 5 feet above the ground, and avoid reflecting the body whilst sleeping
4. Avoiding televisions and appliances in bedrooms to prevent disturbed sleep

We find that a lot of clients love to do their own research on the layout and style of their home and most people have an idea of what they do and don’t want before they come to visit us. If you’re a bit ensure, you can feel confident that our team of Home Advisor experts will help you find a new home design that suits how you want to live within your new JG King Home.