By Michael Jardine
“We’re always interested in the point where a house or flat, made of bricks and mortar, timber and plaster, paint and tiles, becomes a “home”, and very often that’s a question of providing accommodation for a family and so we are considering spaces for children.
From the “Old lady who lived in a shoe” to “The house that Jack built”, the language of nursery rhymes is rich with reference to domestic space, and as adults some of our most vivid memories are of the houses we grew up in, which seemed like whole worlds in themselves.
As anyone who has been part of the life of a growing child will know, they generally don’t stay the same for very long and a rewarding part of the architect’s role in planning a project is the conversations about how rooms and spaces will adapt through the many phases of looking after children.
In the very first weeks of the life of a new baby, the way in which they are looked after by their parents in terms of spaces in a home is very personal to the parents, but their outlook and their world expand so fast, and the rooms of a house can be laid out to allow visibility of play in safety, indoors and out.
The scale of rooms, either specifically children’s rooms or those for everyone can be tailored to take account of children, whether providing storage to keep some things out of the reach of little hands or to help them learn to use a bathroom with fittings that are very much in reach.
The design of children’s bedrooms can be a fascinating exercise, perhaps negotiating choices of colours and finishes which might be at odds with adult tastes but could feel very positive for the child.
Closets and wardrobes can encourage children to learn to organise themselves and their toys and clothes and simple surface-mounted handles and knobs can be changed easily enough within the lifespan of the fittings for a ‘new look’ if young tastes have progressed beyond the old one.
And so on to teenagers (and those of all ages who wish to identify as teenagers) for whom we can design with high standards of sound insulation…”
