Building your home for the holidays
Home automation and organization are huge trends that we have seen over the past several years. No matter what time of year you are building a home, don’t forget to keep the holidays in mind as you plan and design your new space! There are several ways to automate and organize that will make your life easier during the holiday season.
Designer: Marie Flanigan Interiors
Architect: Cusimano Architect
Special storage spaces: The items that you access only once a year shouldn’t take up prime storage space within your home, but they should be easily accessible when you need them. It can be inconvenient to house Christmas lights in the attic or a fake tree in your garage. Creative solutions like a hidden closet near the family room for that artificial Christmas tree or a space under the stairs for ornaments can give easy access to once-a-year items just when you need them.
Convenient and hidden exterior outlets: Find a flat surface below the roof line to hide otherwise conspicuous electrical outlets (with the architect’s blessing, of course). Include Christmas light timers in your home automation system and control the settings from your smart phone for instant joy during the holidays!
Wrapping station: We know Santa does most of the work, but it’s nice to have a designated spot to store paper and wrap gifts. Instead of sitting on the bedroom floor wrapping presents, consider adding a cute wrapping station to your utility room which can also provide other uses year-round.
Hanging wreaths: There is a wreath for every season and no one likes large nails hanging out of doors or holes above windows. Install small cylinders into the brick masonry to receive discreet wreath inserts.
When you’re designing your forever home, think through important holiday necessities and coordinate with your architect and designer to help build the perfect home for the holidays!
Have other ideas on how to holiday-proof your home? We would love to hear them below!
Architect: Stern and Bucek Architects