What’s the best way to design with sociability in mind? Natasha Brinsmead talks to the experts for tips and advice on incorporating features that make quality time and entertaining a pleasure rather than a chore
Creating a sociable home is usually something most people strive for — after all, what could be nicer than being able to bring friends and family together into a space that feels welcoming, comfortable, restful and encourages fun and relaxation? Just as when designing a home for a young family, there are several points to consider if you want your home to work as a flexible space suitable for all kinds of activities.
“One of the huge pleasures of designing and building your own home is creating happy, sociable and sharing spaces — the kind of home that often doesn’t exist if you buy from the market,” says Merry Albright of Border Oak.
As well as being somewhere suitable for welcoming guests, the home also needs to be a space that works well for day-to-day living; a place to hole up and enjoy a little peace and quiet when it is needed.
While much of the success of a sociable home lies in the layout, consider the finishes you use as well as focusing on creating somewhere calm and tranquil that guests and family will equally love.
WHAT MAKES A SOCIABLE HOME?
Humankind is a naturally sociable species — we tend to like company and inviting those we love into our homes should be a pleasure rather than a chore, which means we need spaces that allow us to entertain and congregate with a sense of ease. But creating a sociable home is about far more than designing in one big open-plan living space that’s big enough to fit lots of people in — although this obviously has its benefits. To work well, a home should first and foremost meet all the needs of its dayto-day occupants, giving everyone their own spaces as and when required. At the same time, it should be a place you feel comfortable in and which feels well-equipped for visiting guests.
This means you need to provide private spaces as well as open areas that encourage not only daily interaction between the inhabitants of the house, but which can also happily be filled with house guests. “We are often asked to create designs that flex and change, so that they work equally well day-to-day but come into their own for gatherings and parties,” says Merry Albright of Border Oak. “The trick is to have dual-purpose spaces. For example, a large hallway that works primarily as an architectural circulation space can also be transformed into a generous occasional dining room or party area.”
CREATE A WELCOMING ENTRANCE
It’s where visitors first enter your home so the entrance hallway should
