The biggest trend to hit home design in the last decade is the rise in popularity of one large living/dining/kitchen/family space. This is the central hub of the home and where family and friends come together to relax, socialise, cook, plan, pay bills, watch television and any number of other activities.

The combination of all these rooms into one large space provides many advantages for the modern family – members can spend time together while engaged in a variety of tasks, communication is made easy, and people can be within close proximity to each other without encroaching on their space. But, managing a large space from a design perspective takes time and care to ensure the room isn’t so large it becomes cavernous, or that so many zones are included it becomes crowded.

To help find a balance, clever home designers look for complementary surfaces and textures to both define separate zones as well as create a cohesive design finish throughout the large space. Matching cabinetry can flow from the kitchen to the living room and can even extend to the dining room. Flooring can remain standard throughout to create visual cohesion, or can change to designate different areas such as “soft” surfaces (rugs or carpet) for the relaxing zones and “hard” surfaces (tiles or floorboards) for work zones such as the kitchen.

Your home’s design should consider the different traffic flows through each zone and look at ways the layout can contribute to a well-functioning space. Consideration should be given to the location of regularly used items such as the refrigerator and the television to ensure ease of access for all.

Another area to be considered is the alfresco zone. Often sitting adjacent to the large kitchen/dining/living room, the alfresco area is an integral part of the entertaining capacity of the home. The layout of your home should allow for access from inside to out whether entertaining a crowd or a few – and think about what functions you may wish to take care of outside, for example, cooking on a barbecue or washing up at a small outdoor sink.

The end result of fantastic design will be a home you’ll love and your family will enjoy spending time in. At Natura Homes, our specialist designers know exactly how to incorporate all your wish list ‘must have’ items to create the perfect entertaining zone or relaxing haven. Talk to us today about how we can bring your ideas to life.