Rethinking the Typical Home

Life in the modern world has expanded into one very big driving circle- home, work, kids, grocery store, friends, home (or something like that).

We've expanded our circles and modified our houses because we've built our lives around roads and cars. Home is now far away from work, far away from stores, and far away from friends.

What if we brought everything back home? Humans have incredible power over creating the environments we want to be in. We can make environments that support our life, our work, and our friends and family. We can choose where and how we live and, in that choice, how and when we need to use our cars.

Buildings can reshape the way we live. In-town live/work homes are versatile spaces that can be perfect for many more people than one might think, with the additional benefit of being good for the environment. By being in town, these urban in-fill developments, benefit residents by allowing them to walk to shops, and access transit conveniences that further enable them to live free of a heavy reliance on automobiles.

It is possible to design live/work lofts that incorporate sustainable features like solar panels to provide energy, graywater systems to nourish the landscape, and permeable pavements so storm water can replenish the local water table. Homes can be well insulated so they stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Non-toxic materials are available for interiors to help keep everyone healthy, and window orientation can maximize natural light so that daylight fills all the spaces during the day, making life seem better and brighter.

Live/work lofts can also be designed with flexibility in mind: open floor plans add ease and comfort to the lives of residents, especially as life changes. These spaces can be more than houses; they're warm, versatile, inviting spaces one can truly call home.

For instance, creating a large open space downstairs can be perfect for a home business, home office, or artist's studio. Designing that open space with a separate entrance from a main upstairs living area allows people to separate work and home life; two levels, two functions. That downstairs open space can change as one's life evolves. Additional bedrooms or even a separate granny unit can reshape that area when the time becomes right.

When designing a home, attention should be paid to creating bright and airy spaces, perfect for entertaining and adaptable enough to feel comfortable when no one else is around. Kitchens serve as the heart of the home, and special amenities, like carefully detailed custom cabinets made of sustainably harvested wood and ENERGY STARŪ certified appliances, can make you feel like a gourmet chef. And other smart features like including a dual soaking tub in the master bath, can make residents feel like they're living in luxury.

Well-designed versatile live/work spaces provide a quality of life that is hard to find in a typical modern house.

Incorporating central courtyards within a project can foster a sense of the development as a community. Courtyards bring nature back into the urban environment and facilitate a sense of well-being. A landscaped courtyard can be a middle ground that connects individual live/work lofts via pathways, promoting community interaction.

Moving parking to the exterior perimeter of the community allows communal elements like flowering vines or water fountains to integrate rather than separate neighbors.

In-town live/work homes can simply help bring you back home. The driving circle shrinks as walking and biking to stores becomes easy, neighbors become good friends, and the office becomes just a flight of stairs away. Life becomes more about quality and driving everyday becomes a memory.

With the possibility of living comfortably, surrounded by lush landscaping, in environmentally-friendly homes, close to good friends, why would anyone ever want to leave? That question now becomes a choice rather than a necessity.

The | Author
Steven Sheldon, architect and co-founder of IBIS Builds, has been making a "green" impact for 30 years. His sustainable and environmentally sound principals went into the design of Florence Lofts, a LEED Gold Certified 12-unit live/work townhome project in Sebastopol, CA that showcases his regard for energy efficiency, conservation, spacious interiors, and use of natural light. For more about Florence Lofts please visit IBISBuilds.com or call 707-824-1514.