Managing space at home

A well-designed room feels spacious, while a room of the same size that is badly arranged looks cramped and cluttered. Space management means planning the space, organising it according to the plan, using it, and evaluating it for both function (it works well) and aesthetic appeal (it looks pleasant).

Homes need space for sitting, sleeping, studying, cooking, bathing, washing and recreation. Most urban middle-income homes have a sitting room, bedrooms, kitchen, store, bathroom and toilet, and perhaps a verandah or courtyard. Some also have a dining room, study, puja room, guest or children's room, garage, terrace or garden.

Principles of space planning:

• Aspect: placing doors and windows in the outer walls so that occupants enjoy sunshine, breeze and pleasant views.
• Prospect: the impression a house makes from outside: a pleasing look, well-placed openings, and undesirable views screened off.
• Privacy: internal privacy between rooms, through careful grouping, positioning of doors, a small lobby or corridor, screens and curtains; and external privacy from neighbours and the street, through fences, hedges, trees or creepers, and a carefully planned entrance.
• Grouping: placing related rooms together: the dining area close to the kitchen, and the kitchen away from the toilet.
• Roominess: using space fully so a room feels spacious: built-in cupboards and shelves keep the floor free; light colours make a room look larger than dark ones; and a well-proportioned rectangular room looks roomier than a square one of similar size.
• Furniture requirements: only the furniture that is needed, arranged so that there is free circulation space.

More principles:

• Sanitation: ample light (natural and artificial; light also helps hygiene); good ventilation, best achieved with windows placed opposite each other, since stale air causes headaches, drowsiness and poor concentration; easy cleaning; and sanitary conveniences (bathrooms and toilets). In rural homes, toilets are often built as a separate unit away from living rooms for hygiene.
• Circulation: air should move from room to room, and each room should be reachable from a common space without passing through another, which also protects privacy.
• Practical considerations: strength and stability, convenience and comfort, simplicity, and room for future expansion. Never save money by building a weak structure.
• Elegance: the overall layout should be aesthetically pleasing, without being wasteful.

Example: a study corner in a small shared bedroom. Placing the desk beside the window (aspect and light), fitting shelves on the wall above it (roominess), using a curtain or a bookshelf as a light divider (internal privacy) and keeping the path to the door clear (circulation) turns a cramped corner into a pleasant, useful space.