——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

The relative placement of rooms can play a major role in how a home lives. Do you really want your children’s bedrooms directly over the master bedroom? We all love our children but there are times when even the closest of families need their privacy. The master shouldn’t be too close to the family room, either. With the popularity of surround sound, TVs have become louder and more pervasive. The best plans keep the master at a comfortable distance from other activities in the home, ideally in its own wing with nothing above or below and no common walls.

Not all room adjacency issues deal with privacy. Sometimes it’s about togetherness. As an example you should not be confined to seclusion while preparing a meal in the kitchen. An eat-in kitchen can be a great place to bring friends and family together. Dining and food preparation can be a marvelous opportunity for closeness and conversation.

The game room concept is changing, too. Instead of just converting an extra bedroom, families are finding children’s retreats to be far more useful. A childrens retreat is surrounded by their bedrooms and is a common study or recreation area that provides the kids with their own part of the home. This area of the home becomes a special place just for the kids, where they can do their homework, play games or watch TV while mom and dad enjoy some quiet time with a movie or reading by the family room fire.