Expert: Richard Taylor, AIA - 2/24/2005

Question
Hi--
I am moving into what is a kind of planned community called cohousing.  In this type of development, homeowners choose from the architect's three home designs and can modify/change their homes to fit their needs.

The home is a sort of contemporary farmhouse look.  Without physically walking in the space and letting my three children bounce off the walls, it is difficult for me to know if the first floor/open floor plan is too small and going to work.

The entire footprint of our home is 26 X 34.  We have carved out a den with a large window seat but the room looks tiny.  Its dimensions are 11 X 12.  Is that an ok room for a den for a family of five?  The large window seat is 11 X 3.  I need to find room to put a couch.

What do you think?  I could knock down the wall and open the den up to the rest of the first floor if it is too tiny.

Thanks for any help.

Shelly DeMeo

Answer
Shelly - thanks for your question - and my apologies for not answering sooner!  I've just now received your question, four days after you sent it.  Ain't technology great?

Small spaces always look and act smaller when they're chopped up into rooms.  You can fit five people in an 11 x 12 room, but you'll need a shoehorn!  Kids especially need room to stretch out and Mom and Dad need space, too.

Without knowing anything about the floor plan, I'd suggest removing as many walls as possible.  Open the space up and let the functions of the "rooms" be defined by the placement of the furniture.

In a living unit this size, you just don't have the luxury of being able to assign a room to each use.  Everyone's private space will be their own bedroom; the rest of the house is "public" space.  With the rooms opened up to each other, the family will be able to spread out as much as the unit allows and still be "in touch" with each other.

You have to think in terms of multiple uses - the kitchen table is also the homework/craft area; the floor in front of the TV is also the game area.  Instead of carving out a "den" space, create solitude in a "virtual den" with headphones - it takes less space and much less money.

I'd also suggest that you take the kids in there and let them bounce around a bit.  Seeing the whole family in the space will give you a much better idea of how big or how small the unit really is.  Also be sure to look at furnished units whenever possible - unfurnished spaces can't give you a true feeling for what the space can really hold.

Hope this helps - and sorry for the delay!

Richard Taylor, AIA
Richard Taylor Architects, LLC
www.rtastudio.com