When I was a student, I could get a mortgage to buy a flat for just over £30,000. But the truth is that, nowadays, owning a property when you are young is really only for a privileged few. We have been hearing for several years now about the boomerang generation of children, who are moving back home so they can save up for a deposit, and that’s just one reason why we are seeing an increase in multi-generational living. The pandemic played a role, as many families gathered together during the lockdowns. Now clients often express a need for spaces that can perform multiple functions for members of the extended family, each of whom have their own different needs.
The countryside has obvious advantages of space. Some of our clients have been looking at rural properties with outbuildings – wood sheds, lean-tos, barns – that could be converted into self-contained living quarters for family members. We’ve created separate accommodation for elderly parents and also living space for carers. We have also been asked to create space for the younger generation so they can live independently but nearby.
There are also effective ways to live with grown-up children or ageing parents in a town – even in a terrace house. I’ve long been an advocate of compartmentalised living, which goes against the trend for open-plan. If you think about a typical terrace house, there is generally a front room, a back room and something sticking out at the back – usually the kitchen. Often, the internal walls have been removed and bigger spaces have been created. However, if lots of people need to use the space to do different things at the same time, it doesn’t work. Life isn’t a drinks party.
We have found that the key is to maintain or create a degree of separation. So instead of turning two equal-sized rooms into one big space, why not use three quarters of it for an entertaining room – a hub where people can gather – and the other quarter as a small study? It’s best to be flexible, so we often use screens or sliding doors to allow areas to be closed off as required.
It is time to ask if we need to be bound by the idea of drawing rooms and dining rooms, when they might not be appropriate for 21st-century living. What is the function of a dining room if, in so many cases, a dining table is rarely used? What if the dining room is moved to a shielded and covered terrace with lighting and heaters? This can free up an area in the house itself to create a space that might be used more often – a cinema, gym, games room.
A sense of privacy – both visual and acoustic – is essential in a house that is shared with crying babies and new partners. A separate entrance is ideal, but won’t always be possible. Perhaps not everyone should have to go to the kitchen if they want to make a coffee, or warm a baby’s bottle. In many recent projects, we’ve added these facilities into underused nooks. A half landing can be turned into a kitchenette, where someone in the house can prepare a snack without having to join the rest of the household downstairs.
Another thing we think about is a change of level. If you look at a two- or three-storey house, you can usually find a way of incorporating a mezzanine. You can easily create an area where someone can sit happily on a Zoom call or reading a book. Although you aren’t creating any extra room, it gives the feeling of separation.
I think we’re going to see more briefs for this type of living and I think it is healthy for society. It is not just a matter of a wealthier generation being generous to the generation below. Look at the high cost of childcare and then consider the sense of loneliness and isolation felt by many elderly people. Grandparents can be good childcarers. But you don’t want to be constantly irritated by being in the same space with everyone all the time. I’m confident it is the way forward, but it requires a bit of thinking to get it right.
