As you may know, I'm a lover of design simulation games, ALSO an Architectural Graduate in the IRL professional world.
Which simply means I have a different approach and thought process than some, if not most of the gaming YouTubers.
I was recently binge-watching Welsknight's House Flipper playlist when I stumbled across his flip of the Cozy Haven property.
While I love his overall flip, I believe his living room holds a lot more potential than he recorded.
With this, the challenge for the day is to improve Welsknight's Cozy Haven!
This blog post is organised as below:
There's no fun and improvement if there are no limitations!
You read it right. Some rules need to be set if I were to fairly flip Wel's flip. Here's what I'll do:
1. Use the exact same furniture as per his video. No cheating by using smaller furniture; no altering anything that will give more space to the living room.
This rule does not apply to elements that do not dictate the spatial use e.g. doors, windows and decorations. I'm free to relocate and use different kinds of glazing, as they won't make sense after the redesign anyway.
2. Use all the furniture used by Wels. No cheating by reducing the number of furniture!
Note: This blog post's only focus is the layout configuration. The aesthetics, material choices etc are personal and therefore will not be commented on.
Now that we're done with the housekeeping (pun intended)... let's dive into the process!
Let's understand Wels' Design to formulate our Critique.
Note: This writing is by no means an act of supplanting Welsknight. Design critique is the crux of creative field. I often use these to practice design thinking more effectively.
The following images are my re-creation of Wels' design using my own account. For ease of explanation, Wels' furniture is colour-coded in darker timber tones, whereas new furniture is in lighter wood colours.
In terms of spatial relationships, Wels nailed them just right.
The living room close to the entry? Check.
Dining room next to the kitchen because it's just common sense? Check!
A transition space between the public and private zones i.e. living room and bath/bedrooms? Uh... kinda? Could have more privacy though!
Moving on to the spatial quality...
My main pet peeve is the sheer amount of area dedicated to circulation. Being generous with movement is one, accidentally creating a leftover area is another.
This is a very common problem when the layout is large and deep. Even Wels himself admitted this difficulty due to limited walls!
"You wouldn't want to put bookshelves in the middle of the room..." -Welsknight, House Flipper Cozy Haven
It feels like the living area could benefit from more efficient use of space...
To double the trouble? This real estate has odd, protruding forms! Pocket spaces are easily wasted areas if not designed properly.
Perhaps these pocket spaces need to serve a purpose?
To conclude, here are the three objectives I'll be tackling in this design challenge:
Why is Transition Space Important in Architecture?
A transition space is a region that links two or more rooms.
This buffer area subconsciously informs users they're moving into another territory, even though they were still in the same interior.
Looking at Wels' design, the bedrooms (private zones) are directly next to the living and dining area (public zone).
Imagine you just woke up. Still in your pyjamas, and still haven't fixed your morning hair. You walked out of your bedroom and realised there were guests in the living room.
Would be nice if you can discreetly sneak elsewhere, right????
For Wels' design, this is an easy fix. Just draw the line of separation!
Instead of enclosing this small region via solid walls, I deployed the same technique of full-height walls and lintels (in the Boutique Studio).
A linking space isn't strictly for circulation, so let's transform this into a home library!
Proceeding to Design Exercise #2:
Reconfiguring the Living Area for more Efficient Use of Space
As commented previously, there is a significant unused territory within this deep floor plan.
However, I like the direct pathway from the entry to the kitchen.
My proposal is to narrow down the passageway
By narrowing the pathway from the entry to the kitchen and grouping all the furniture to face the TV... Now this living hall looked more inviting for a larger group of occupants!
You must be wondering... why do I shrink the main passageway? What do I do with the gained leeway?
It leads us to Design Exercise #3...
Repurposing the pocket spaces of Cozy Haven!
There's a pocket space at the entry. Wondering what I do with it?
Easy: apply Design Exercise #1 above! A transition from outdoors to indoors, where you take off and put on your shoes:
Drawing inspiration from the breathtaking views and cabin vibes, I envisioned this project as a summer retreat house. A residence where multiple extended families will gather for celebrations... Or just for the weekends!
During the initial walkthrough, I realised the existing deck is a bit tight to have furniture. So...
Let's use the remaining pocket spaces as part of the outdoor deck!
Now that the concept presentation is done... it's time to fine-tune by adopting Wels' materials and rustic aesthetics!
Behold... the revamped Cozy Haven Design!
As per the rules, I retained all of Wels' original furniture. The new furniture that I chose, however... well... let's just say I changed some of them because it doesn't fit the overall rustic vibes.
Regardless... Mission improve Welsknight's Cozy Haven, completed successfully! Yay!!
Enjoy the rest of the screenshots! Click on the individual pictures below for larger resolution:
What's Next?
Like usual, watch my playthrough on YouTube! Thank you for reading and enjoy!
Disclaimer:
All published media are either sketches or in-game screenshots belonging to mypassion.mythoughts. Kindly contact me should you wish to use them.