Form and function in any space is a win situation. It can mean a more comfortable, effortless environment that makes life and living easier.
It’s not always easy to attain. Plenty of beautiful furniture items would probably be at the top of your list — but you may have pets, or a rambunctious toddler. Space might be an issue. You might need storage. The list can be endless.
Just the same, put too much utility into an environment, and you lose the comfort and relaxation of look and feel.
But the right mix of purpose and style can be accomplished! Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you get to creating the room that is right for you and your needs:
- How will you use the space? Take a quick minute to assess the room and what you will be doing in it every day. Not just the main activities like watching TV in the living room, or cooking in the kitchen. But all the different uses that come to mind. Maybe you’ll be working in the kitchen when meals aren’t being prepared. Or, the living room might double as a playroom, etc. Consider this before you make any effort to infuse form and function to ensure it’s going to completely meet all of your needs.
- What type of function will it need? It can be easy to consider style over utility when it comes to decorating a home. But opt instead to suss out what kind of purpose a space will have first, and whatever might be needed to best serve those uses. For example, if the dining room is going to double as a craft table, or a place where kids do homework, you’ll want to have some type of storage furniture to serve as a catchall for items when the space is being used another way.
- What type of form do you want? Now that you’ve worked out how you’ll use the room, and what you might need to facilitate all the ways you’ll use it, you can move onto how you’d like to decorate and style it. You may already know you need a good storage ottoman to tuck things away in the living room, or baskets and shelves for stowing toys, etc. With it in mind, you can start to shop and purchase furniture, accessories and other items that can create a look while giving you the utility you need.
Originally published at medium.com