Design thread

[akafred]

Help me design my new house! I need someone to bounce ideas off of, but most of my designy friends are also planning moves and shockingly aren't focused on me lol. So help me out if you are inclined.

First question: Office. We need a place to put a desk and chair to house a laptop, printer, and a few things like pencils and paper. I like the idea of a very simple Swedish kind of thing. Just a desk. But would it be weird to mix black and white? Like this desk: www.amazon.com/dp/B004CVKVKM/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1V3CEQQTTLLHF&colid=HIYXITJ34D27
with this chair:
www.amazon.com/dp/B00QGY0PQS/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I33AGFNNUBE86C&colid=HIYXITJ34D27
Most of the rooms are light gray. The main floor has dark brown wood floors.

Which brings up the next question: Where to put the office? Here are the choices: Dining room (open to living room but LR has vaulted ceilings and DR is tucked under a loft -- I do not really want to use it as a DR because it is also next to and open via large cutout to the ear in kitchen and I hate the idea of 2 dining rooms literally next to each other -- DR is painted navy but we could repaint), the loft over the DR (pale gray), a portion of the large bonus room (darker gray), or the guest room (currently spring green but may be painted, not sure)?

Also, money is super tight right now just getting through the purchase of the house and sale of our old house.

[akafred]

We don't host large gatherings. Ever. So not an issue on 2 eating spaces.

Bonus room is already in my mind going to serve 3 purposes: Tv space, play gym for DD, and play area for less active toys. I think putting the office in there will disrupt that idea.

Loft has no other purpose but DH is against it and it's "his" office. I think he is going to end up taking the guest room for a music room slash office and I am going to be annoyed. But he won't actually talk to me about it, just says we'll figure it out.

[RedLine]

Jun 17, 2017 8:38:01 GMT -5 akafred said:

We don't host large gatherings. Ever. So not an issue on 2 eating spaces.

Bonus room is already in my mind going to serve 3 purposes: Tv space, play gym for DD, and play area for less active toys. I think putting the office in there will disrupt that idea.

Loft has no other purpose but DH is against it and it's "his" office. I think he is going to end up taking the guest room for a music room slash office and I am going to be annoyed. But he won't actually talk to me about it, just says we'll figure it out.

From the sounds of it the dining room seems like it would be the best fit for your family's needs then. And if it's something you use frequently it would be nice to have it right there on the main floor, centralized to everything.

[BurritosAtEveryMeal]

Would DH hear noise from the first floor if his office is in the dining room? I think I would put it there if noise isn't an issue.

It also drives me nuts to have two eating spaces next to each other. No one else feels my rage LOL glad you can relate!

I love black and white with dark floors. We just built a house last year and have been slowly decorating and remodeling. Keep these threads going!

[akafred]

I should probably explain more the purpose of the office. Currently the office is in the guest room. DH works 1pm to 10pm, and often I am asleep when he gets home. He doesn't go to bed immediately most nights, instead he goes to the office. Activities performed there include: Watching tv, playing X box, writing or editing (videos, music, text), playing music. It is rarely used during normal daylight hours. He never (literally cannot) work from home. I do occasionally but just sit on the couch with my laptop when I do. The only time anyone is in the office in the daytime is to print something important.

I don't know why he doesn't want to use the loft or dining room, but he doesn't. Also we have a lot of books and there are no builtins in the new house so we need somewhere to put some bookcases. Seems like an office would work. Idk

I just want to clarify that I am 100% in agreement to having an office and I have no complaints about his activities there. I reread above and it sounds like I think they are silly or something and I don't at all. He deserves time to chill and do whatever he wants and he is extremely helpful with housework etc. I just wanted to clarify because it's an "office" but not really used as an "office" if that makes sense, or not entirely.

[RedLine]

Jun 17, 2017 10:25:08 GMT -5 akafred said:

I should probably explain more the purpose of the office. Currently the office is in the guest room. DH works 1pm to 10pm, and often I am asleep when he gets home. He doesn't go to bed immediately most nights, instead he goes to the office. Activities performed there include: Watching tv, playing X box, writing or editing (videos, music, text), playing music. It is rarely used during normal daylight hours. He never (literally cannot) work from home. I do occasionally but just sit on the couch with my laptop when I do. The only time anyone is in the office in the daytime is to print something important.

I don't know why he doesn't want to use the loft or dining room, but he doesn't. Also we have a lot of books and there are no builtins in the new house so we need somewhere to put some bookcases. Seems like an office would work. Idk

I just want to clarify that I am 100% in agreement to having an office and I have no complaints about his activities there. I reread above and it sounds like I think they are silly or something and I don't at all. He deserves time to chill and do whatever he wants and he is extremely helpful with housework etc. I just wanted to clarify because it's an "office" but not really used as an "office" if that makes sense, or not entirely.

Oh you know what, I totally misread your previous posts. I thought you were saying you guys needed a separate spot from the music room guest room or something. I mixed it all up.

[RedLine]

I also thought the "office" consisted of little more than just the desk and was going to be used by both of you for simple things like printing, etc. This all makes more sense now.

[RedLine]

So now that I think I understand what you're saying, I would go with either the loft or the guest bedroom. Since it will have it's own tv, desk, game system, etc I would want it in its own separate space. I wouldn't want it in the dining room open to everything.

Personally I would push for the loft if the loft is it's own, non-shared space. Especially if you don't like the idea of dedicating the entire guest room to it. It might be his space but it will be in the house you share so there should be a conversation where your input is taken into account along with his.

[akafred]

If it were in the dining room I think it would be desk, chair, and bookcases and he could put the video games in LR. If in the bonus there would already be a tv in there. If in the loft or guest room it would have to have a tv also. I don't think it would all fit with a queen bed and dresser though. The room isn't that big.

[RedLine]

Jun 17, 2017 12:08:29 GMT -5 akafred said:

If it were in the dining room I think it would be desk, chair, and bookcases and he could put the video games in LR. If in the bonus there would already be a tv in there. If in the loft or guest room it would have to have a tv also. I don't think it would all fit with a queen bed and dresser though. The room isn't that big.

Gotcha. So he wants the guest room, right? Where is your preference?

[akafred]

IDK that he *wants* the guest room. But he has ixnayed all my other suggestions so that is what is left.

My preference is to put the office and music equipment in the loft. I think it would be exciting for DD to feel like she's "on stage". His thinking is that the music stuff in the loft would be annoying to people in the rest of the house because no walls. I am thinking we have a family of 3 and chances are strong at least 2 people (him and her) would be playing togeth r. I can listen, or go in the bedroom or bonus room with the door shut. NBD to me but I do see his point.

I do not want DD's gym stuff in the loft. For one it would be very visible to guests. For another I would be afraid she would fall over the rail if she got too rambunctious. There is climbing equipment, swinging equipment, and just no. So it pretty much must go in the bonus room unless we make the guest room her gym but then no guest room. We could put her toys in the loft but I know they will end up in the gym because she plays that way and it would just take over both spaces, so I would rather put the toys and gym together in the bonus room. We COULD put her bedroom stuff in the bonus room along with the toys and gym and just give her no closet or one of the bedroom closets, and use her room as the office/music room, but I don't really love that idea for whatever reason. I think because the rooms just aren't big enough for all that (music plus office plus tv with sofa etc). And I would feel a bit claustrophobic if all 3 of us tried to enjoy the space together.

I feel like this house has enough space for all our needs, but we have to be kind of smart about doubling up certain spaces. We don't have 3 bedrooms plus 5 more rooms for living room, play gym, toy room, office, and music room. We have 3 bedrooms plus 4 more spaces (dining room, loft, bonus room, other bedroom). So it should be enough.

[RedLine]

Jun 17, 2017 13:24:36 GMT -5 akafred said:

IDK that he *wants* the guest room. But he has ixnayed all my other suggestions so that is what is left.

My preference is to put the office and music equipment in the loft. I think it would be exciting for DD to feel like she's "on stage". His thinking is that the music stuff in the loft would be annoying to people in the rest of the house because no walls. I am thinking we have a family of 3 and chances are strong at least 2 people (him and her) would be playing togeth r. I can listen, or go in the bedroom or bonus room with the door shut. NBD to me but I do see his point.

I do not want DD's gym stuff in the loft. For one it would be very visible to guests. For another I would be afraid she would fall over the rail if she got too rambunctious. There is climbing equipment, swinging equipment, and just no. So it pretty much must go in the bonus room unless we make the guest room her gym but then no guest room. We could put her toys in the loft but I know they will end up in the gym because she plays that way and it would just take over both spaces, so I would rather put the toys and gym together in the bonus room. We COULD put her bedroom stuff in the bonus room along with the toys and gym and just give her no closet or one of the bedroom closets, and use her room as the office/music room, but I don't really love that idea for whatever reason. I think because the rooms just aren't big enough for all that (music plus office plus tv with sofa etc). And I would feel a bit claustrophobic if all 3 of us tried to enjoy the space together.

I feel like this house has enough space for all our needs, but we have to be kind of smart about doubling up certain spaces. We don't have 3 bedrooms plus 5 more rooms for living room, play gym, toy room, office, and music room. We have 3 bedrooms plus 4 more spaces (dining room, loft, bonus room, other bedroom). So it should be enough.

I think this is way over complicating the situation.

For me, I agree with you that the loft is the obvious choice to make his office. That's exactly the type of thing a loft is useful for.

The only other thing I would consider is dedicating the entire guest room to the office/music room and totally forgoing the bed and everything. But that's only if you don't really need or desire a guest space.

I definitely would not be moving her bedroom or separating her toys and gym toys into 2 separate rooms or any of that. The bonus room is the best choice for that stuff.

It all seems like it could be solved pretty simply. If he's being difficult about it I'd tell him to grow up and do what works best for the house, the rooms, and the family.