The Living Area

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Chapter 8

• The Living Area

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Objectives

• Identify the rooms and areas that comprise the
  living area
• Apply design principles to planning a living
  room.
• Integrate the furniture in a living room plan.
• Analyze a dining room using good design
  principles.
• Design a functional entry and foyer.
• Integrate patios, porches, and courts into the
  total floor plan of a dwelling.

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The Living Area

• The living area is the part of the house that
  most friends and guests see.
• The living area comprises of about 1/3 of the
  house.
• The living area is designed for all activities
  that do not take place in the sleeping and
  service areas.

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Living Area, cont.

• Many rooms are considered living area
• Living room
• Dining room
• Foyer
• Recreation room
• Patio
• Deck
• The trend in design is to move away from many
  rooms toward a more open plan with fewer walls
  and doors.
• This creates a more inviting and open atmosphere.

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The Living Room

• The living room is the center of activity in the
  home
• It is a place for leisure, recreation, and
  conversation
• Sizes range from 150 ft2 at the smallest, to an
  average size of 250 ft2, to over 400 ft2 on the
  larger end.

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The Living Room, cont.

• Important questions to ask regarding size and
  design of a living room
• What furniture is planned for this room?
• How often will the room be used?
• How many people are expected to use the room at
  any one time?
• How many functions are combined in this room?
• Is the living room size in proportion to the
  remainder of the house?

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The Living Room, cont.

• Common furniture sizes are shown on page 153.
• Location
• The living room should not be located such that
  natural traffic patterns to other parts of the
  house pass through it (compare figures 8-8 and
  8-9 on pages 155-6).
• Windows and Doors
• Large windows or sliding doors further encourage
  the feeling of spaciousness and increases the
  enjoyment of the room.

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The Dining Room

• The main function of a dining room is to provide
  a special place for eating.
• When planning the dining room you should decide
  whether to make it an open plan or a closed plan.
• An open plan provides a feeling of openness
• A closed plan secludes the room to reduce
  traffic, but appears smaller and less roomy

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Dining Room Size

• Small Dining Room
• 120 ft2, seats 4 people
• Medium Dining Room
• 180 ft2, seats 6 8 people
• Large Dining Room
• 250 ft2, seats 8 people and has plenty of space
  for cabinets and buffet furniture
• Size is determined by the number of people who
  will used the room, furniture that will be
  included in the room, and clearance allowed for
  traffic through the room (ADA clearance between
  furniture and walls 32)

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Dining Room Location

• For efficient use, the dining room should be
  adjacent to the kitchen and living room.
• Ideally, you want to place the dining room
  between the kitchen and the living room
• This provides natural movement of guests from
  living room to dining with minimum confusion.

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Entryways and Foyers

• Every house has at least one entryway
• Most houses have two or three entryways
• Many, but not all houses have a foyer

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Entryways

• 3 basic types of entryways
• Main entry
• Service entry
• Special-purpose entry
• Main Entry
• Designed to be impressive because its the first
  part of the house that guests see.
• Should be centrally located.

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Entryways, cont.

• Service Entry
• Usually connected to the kitchen.
• The overall design may be improved by placing a
  mudroom or utility room between the kitchen and
  service entry.
• Special-purpose Entry
• Provides access to patios, decks, and courts.
• Sliding doors are often used for this type of
  entry.
• Service and Special-purpose entries are not
  intended to be as striking as the main entry.

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Foyer

• The purpose of a foyer is to be a place to greet
  guests and, in colder climates, remove overcoats
  and boots.
• Thus, the flooring in the foyer must be
  water-resistant.
• Foyers always have a coat closet
• Minimum 2 x 3 inside dimensions

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More Rooms

• Chapter 8 also talks about
• Family Rec Rooms
• Special-purpose Rooms
• Patios
• Porches
• Courts
• Gazebos
• Read the chapter to find more info on these rooms!

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Questions?

• Work on Chapter 8 Workbook assignment.
• This assignment will be turned in
• Friday