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Original poster

How would you arrange the rooms in this house, under these circumstances?

28 replies

ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 16:03

If...

  • you had 1 child (toddler), but planned on having another one in the next year or so, and eventually 3 children (all being well)
  • one person worked from home 4 days a week (and so needed an office space)
  • you have guests to stay fairly often
... how would you arrange the rooms in this house?

The kitchen diner is big enough to use the diner end as a permanent dining room, so potentially the dining room could be an office for working from home.
Or, we could use the left side of the Master bedroom as an office. Or one of the bedrooms...

Not sure whether to have a permanent guest room, and eventually have 2 of the 3 (hypothetical) children share, or to have one room double up as an office-guest room so all the children have their own room.

Just curious as to how other people would arrange the rooms in this house, to give me ideas!

How would you arrange the rooms in this house, under these circumstances?
OP posts:
Oldermum84 · 27/09/2023 16:08

All the bedrooms as bedrooms and then the dining room as an office with a sofa bed in for guests...?

Greenhamcommon · 27/09/2023 16:11

Immediately
master bedroom = you & DH
bed 2 = guests
bed 3 = toddler
bed 4 = office
all other rooms as currently laid out

after next child might swap office into dining room

MrsElsa · 27/09/2023 16:11

Seems way overthinking...!

Dining room is obvious wfh choice. But depends how hot/cold the room is and your preferences. Upstairs might suit better since you have no need of 3 kids rooms right now. You can move furniture..

Original poster
ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 16:11

That's what we currently do. Thing is, we have guests often, and they have to get out their room early in the morning so WFH can home begin, which is a bit annoying.

OP posts:
Original poster
ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 16:12

ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 16:11

That's what we currently do. Thing is, we have guests often, and they have to get out their room early in the morning so WFH can home begin, which is a bit annoying.

(this was in response to the first comment)

OP posts:
WhatAPalaverer · 27/09/2023 16:13

Guest room upstairs for now, dining room as office. If and when you have the third child have a rethink.

18daychallenge · 27/09/2023 16:13

Totally depends on budget - are you gutting all rooms or just redecorating?

The problem with having guests to stay often is you need a permanent place really, which would eliminate a child’s bedroom.

My plan if budget limited or not planning on moving again in next 10 years:

  • keep upstairs as is
  • Get rid of dining room (never used and enough room in kitchen diner) - turn into home office/guest bedroom. There are some incredible options. Gorgeous comfy sofa bed that will lift the home office feel, big lamps etc, that can then be transformed into cost guest room 😃
  • kitchen/diner you could have inbuilt bench seat (along wall with window) extending round both corners, and table which wouldn’t encroach on access too much but would allow more seats.
  • Would also give you room for a nice console table or sideboard in kitchen for storage etc

xx

PinkRoses1245 · 27/09/2023 16:13

Just sort it how you need it now, but keep it flexible for the future.

Oliotya · 27/09/2023 16:15

For now I'd do 4th bedroom as office, guests in dining room. You can move bedrooms around as and when kids arrive.

4th bedroom looks very small. Is it big enough for a bed?

Allthegoodnamesarechosen · 27/09/2023 16:15

Kindly, OP, you seem to be making plans without basis in facts! You might, for example, not have any more children. you might not work from home any more…

Just don’t do anything structural, and try to get furniture which is relatively easy to move about . Then enjoy your house, it will fall into place as you get used to it, and find out how you fit.

Original poster
ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 16:16

Oliotya · 27/09/2023 16:15

For now I'd do 4th bedroom as office, guests in dining room. You can move bedrooms around as and when kids arrive.

4th bedroom looks very small. Is it big enough for a bed?

4th bedroom is 7' 11" (2.41m) x 7' 11" (2.41m)

OP posts:
WinterDeWinter · 27/09/2023 16:16

the third dc is a way off so I'd behave as if there were two children for now.

How messy is the WFH? Does is require files and stuff or is it really just a laptop?

If so I'd put WFH person in bedroom 4 with a really good sofabed if you can squeeze it in and you only have visitors for a weekend at a time. If can't squeeze it in, do the same thing in bedroom 2. WFH person can use dining room if necessary when visitors come.

Everything will change as your kids get older and you can't really know what will be best till then, so don't think too far ahead! It's part of the joy of having a big house. Good luck!

Terrifyingface · 27/09/2023 16:16

Master bedroom - you
Bedroom 2 - toddler
Bedroom 3 - guest room
Bedroom 4 - study
Dining room set up as a playroom

If baby 2 comes along - they move into Bedroom 3 and you get a sofa bed in the dining room / playroom for guests.

If baby 3 comes along - study will have to shift somewhere else or two of the children share either Bedroom 2 or 3.

We have a four bed - two doubles, 1 single and an attic conversion. Currently have DC on the same floor as us and the attic room is set up as a spare room, but generally guests prefer staying on our sofa bed in the playroom. It means they don't worry about waking our two (young) children when going to and from their room, they can do whatever they like in the morning (get a tea etc) and it also means they have the downstairs bathroom so don't have to work around all the kids' crap in the family bathroom!

Terrifyingface · 27/09/2023 16:18

Sorry - I mixed up Bed 2 and 3 in the above. Current child in the room nearest you and room at the back to be guest room in the first instance.

Bleepbloopbluurp · 27/09/2023 16:21

You have plenty of rooms at the moment assuming only one room for guests. Is the issue that you sometimes have multiple rooms of guests? Otherwise I don't understand why they are sleeping in your home office.

Anyway, I'd take the master, toddler in the smallest room. Dining room can be used also as office (I always work from my DR, it's good as there is already a decent table and so can shove my stuff into a cupboard if we need the table for eating).

If you have more children and they are close together in age they share the master and you move rooms. Arguably you'll want another bathroom if there end up being 5 of you plus guests so the. I imagine you'd do the loft if practicable. Not least because you may find dining room becomes play room / general child crap dumping ground and you will need a new home office.

TheFlis · 27/09/2023 16:24

It’s worth considering where the kids will be during the day and how much quiet the person working from home requires. If you put the office in the dining room you might struggle to keep the kids (and the noise) away from them during the day (assuming they spend most of the day playing downstairs). Much easier of the person working is upstairs.

rhino12345 · 27/09/2023 16:30

We are similar situation!
Could a garden office work? Having someone working "in" the house is a bloody nightmare with kids 😂

JanesPantsOfWideLeg · 27/09/2023 16:31

Dining room as playroom, bank an entire wall with storage floor to ceiling, use the doors as chalk/drawing and a way to display children's art work. Great space to stash all their toys, it is downstairs so easy to move toys back to if they play whilst dinner is being made and bring their toys through to the dining kitchen at the back. Put a sofa bed in there for guests, they are next to the loo and toys can be left out for early morning play and returned to play room once guests vacate room.

Office upstairs. But is the person working from home likely to make noise and need to be away from a potential baby/toddler who needs to have day time naps? Out of the way of children playing downstairs. We had this set up.

Dining room - playroom/guest room
Bedroom 2 - toddler
Bedroom 3 - office
Bedroom 4 - new baby

rhino12345 · 27/09/2023 16:36

Ps office in the dining room is horrendous (speaking from experience). Completely dominates the entire downstairs during the daytime

Blingstar · 27/09/2023 16:40

I'd have bedroom 4 as the office. It's good to feel like you are getting away by going upstairs and a bit of exercise going down for lunch and coffees.

The dining room would be the guest bedroom, perhaps invest in a decent sofa bed so that it can be used as a TV room at other times. I think it's good to keep guests downstairs.

Other bedrooms as they are. Three children needing their own rooms would be a while away. And at that point I'd probably merge the guest room and office. Or another option could be to have a cupboard style desk in the main lounge that could be hidden away.

TravellingT · 27/09/2023 16:49

Office/snug in dining room with chic sofa bed. Clever storage for toys/to stow away office stuff when in use as guest room.

Or bedroom 4 as office, 2 children in one room, 1 in the other. Dining room as guest room/snug.

Original poster
ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 16:56

So many brilliant ideas! Thank you!

OP posts:
Octavia64 · 27/09/2023 16:58

I was originally thinking dining room as office but then I remembered lockdowns and how much noise travels between rooms.

Put office upstairs. Makes a big difference to the noise levels and thus ability to work.

Original poster
ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 17:00

I really like the idea of office upstairs for now, and the dining room as a guest room/play room

OP posts:
Original poster
ElephantsHaveWrinkles4 · 27/09/2023 17:04

The person working from home (DH) needs 3 monitors and so a big desk. He has a lot of zoom meetings, so probably needs to be away from the noise. Also, the toddler is often sitting outside his office door, banging on the door and crying to see him, so I think office upstairs make sense.

OP posts:
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