In the second installment of our ‘Australian home of the future’ series, we explore two new ways in which very open plan living is on the top of the modern buyer’s checklist in Australia today. Indoor/outdoor flow is an attractive advantage especially to families who aim to achieve maximum practicality and safety in their homes. Here are a few reasons why:
Parental control
Parents have been the most passionate contenders for opening up their homes to the outdoors. Minding the little ones as they play outside has never been more simple; mothers and fathers can relax in the lounge or prepare a meal in the kitchen while maintaining a safe visual on their children. How? Simple. No more walls and a few glass doors.
The space between parent and child has gradually lost obstruction – at last the only thing dividing the space is (at most) a transparent expanse of glass sliding door.
The glass door divide has become a favorite feature of families with swimming pools on their properties. The reason being, of course, that monitoring pool play just got a whole lot simpler and safer with a crystal clear, uninterrupted view of the outdoor surrounds. Plus, with retractable glass doors, parents can fold the doors to one side while the little ones play in the pool to create a direct lane from the living room in case an emergency arises that requires mum or dad to become a lifeguard!
Opening the doors wide also invites kids to enter and exit with zero obstacles, thus encouraging outdoor play. Kids are free to wander into the garden at whim – but you can guarantee they’ll be back when they see someone setting up snacks!
Elderly Accessible
Later on in life is where the true investment of an indoor/outdoor open plan living space lies. More often than not we end up so caught up in the ‘now’ that we forget to consider the not-so-distant future. Smart home shoppers of Australia have one eye on the future when selecting the layout for their homes. Picture yourself navigating in and out of the house as an elderly individual, and see how many obstacles suddenly arise along the previously easy path.
Indoor/outdoor flow isn’t just for looks. When you struggle to move about as nimbly as you might once have, you’ll find that the vast surface area expanding from your kitchen to the edges of your deck ought to be as uncomplicated as possible. You’ll want smooth, seamless access into the house, and you’d probably prefer not to have to shuffle around walls and through mutlipe doors as you go! This home layout isn’t just for tomorrow’s future, it’s for the distant future too!
So how do you go ahead and get this super convenient situation happening in your home? Well, generally it starts with the entrance/exit itself – large glass doors that let in the light and tuck away out of sight when need be. Architects reccomend walls of bifold or stackable sliding doors to get the flow-ball rolling.