Get in the zones when laying out your home

Open-concept floor plans may not be ideal when work, isolation enter the equation

The pandemic has had me thinking a lot about our changing needs as homeowners. As work shifts to full-time or hybrid remote models, for many of us, our living space has been forced to pull double duty as our work space, and our kid's classrooms are spilling into our living rooms.

Most pressingly, multi-generational family homes need to figure out how to navigate our current world without putting their more vulnerable family member's health at risk.

To put it bluntly — it's a lot to consider.

But it's an obstacle we can overcome with a little bit of planning and forethought when we design our future homes. These ideas can be retrofitted into a lot of current homes, too, so even if you're not planning to build a new home — read on.

GETTING INTO THE ZONE

For a long time, the idea of open concept has reigned — and for good reason. Parents love it because it gives them the ability

to keep an eye on kids in the living room while preparing dinner in the kitchen. It can provide more light to your space, and create a flexible layout that you can change to accommodate your needs.

But me, I'm a zone guy. I like having separate space in my home geared for specific usage. This makes it easier for residents within the home to physically distance, should the need ever arise.

Now that many of us are shifting to working from home, either full-time or as a hybrid model, we need space to do that. Had you asked me a year ago if every home needed a home office, I would have said no. But boy, is my answer different now. If you don't have a full room to dedicate to an office, look around for an underutilized space, like a landing at the top of a staircase or unused corner of the living room to designate as a work zone.

Depending on the nature of your job, you may need to take a lot of meetings. If they can't be done online, you'll need to figure out a way to make that work in

your home without risking the health of your clients or your family. So what's the solution? Zones. Setting up a small work space in your garage, or if weather allows, the back deck, will keep work going smoothly without interrupting the interior of the home.

Do you need extra storage space in case you need to do some bulk buying? Think about the random nooks and crannies in your home that could be zoned for extra storage. Installing shelving units under staircases can create a new home for your extra toilet paper, hand sanitizer and wipes. Some new floating shelves and corner shelves in the bathroom can create a home for your new extra bathroom products.

HAVING ADAPTABLE SPACE

Ultimately, the perfect home is one that can adapt to the homeowner's needs as they change through their lifespan.

Take my son's home as an example. It's a two-storey, three bedroom home with a finished basement. When he renovated, he created an office space on the

main floor of the home. This is great for him and his wife to get some work done. The office is connected to an ensuite washroom. This means, in the future should they become unable to easily navigate stairs, the office can be converted into a bedroom without losing access to any of the amenities needed in the home.

In a scenario where one of the residents fell ill and needed to physically distance within the home, having a separate bedroom and bathroom can keep the rest of the family healthy. These are contingencies we may have to plan for in the future, so it's a good idea to have a solution in place now.

A smart, adaptable layout has to be the name of the game when we talk about designing the homes of our future. To me, a home that can create a clear divide between “living space” and “working space” and provide us enough space to care for a sick loved one without compromising the health of the other residents is a good one.