Even if you don’t have kids or they won’t be in school when you live in the house, set aside some space in your custom home for a homework and study area. It won’t be wasted on the kids and even without them; it will be usable for everyone else too.
In today’s high tech environment, it’s easier to call anywhere in your home a good study place, but when you design a private space just for study, you broaden the experience of learning for everybody who uses the room.
Design Basics
Think about designating a separate space as a homework area. Many children associate their bedrooms as a play area, and the presence of toys may make it more difficult for them to focus on their homework instead of playtime. Bedrooms are also normally removed from the flow of traffic in the livable areas of the home.
As you go through the rudiments of custom home design, consider placing the homework area near the family room or kitchen, the two spaces where most people spend their time. If there’s no available space near these spaces, ask your architect if you can set aside a loft space to use as a study area.
Design and Features
Wherever you put the study area, consider installing these features for your custom home:
- Under cabinet lighting. Make lighting in the room a priority. If it’s possible, install task lights under the cabinets and overhead. Poor lighting strains eyesight, which hampers learning, especially in children.
- A whiteboard mounted on a wall for self-expression or solving homework problems.
- Desk surrounded by built-in cabinets. Rather than lounging on the bed with the smartphone in hand, your child may retain more by sitting in a chair. Having shelves and drawers within an arm’s reach also helps keep the area neater.
- Room for a table. A roundtable makes the ideal kind of seating for your children and their study companions since it promotes equality around the table. Tables promote lively discussions that enhance learning and the exploration of ideas.
- Variety of seating styles. Besides desk and table seating, include some lounge-style seating areas as well. Window seats make attractive additions in a custom home study area for comfortable seating, as do freestanding pieces of furniture like couches and love seats.
- Wi-Fi access. Be sure that there is good Wi-Fi access in and near the homework space.
- Room for peripherals. Laptops and smartphones take up little space and are fully functional tools for homework. As you build your custom home, set aside a place where you can plug them into a printer and scanner. Most use Wi-Fi, but for the most dependable data transfer, be sure that the two can connect via cables.
- Media availability. Make room for a TV, whether it’s mounted on the wall or it sits on a tabletop. There are plenty of educational programs online that are easier to watch on comfortable seating.
Bottom Line
When you’re designing your custom home with Alair Homes, create a space where your kids or future families will be able to use as a study or learning space. Designing it to nurture the learning experience will make it an enjoyable space inside your home.