A New Family Home in Lightwater

During our initial planning meetings we explored the family’s current home. We wanted to understand how they used their space and what changes they were hoping for in their new home. 

Their rental was a small, and cramped, space for four people, including two energetic children, so their biggest priority was being able to spread out. Beyond identifying which rooms would be which, they didn’t have many fixed ideas of how they wanted their home organised and were happy for us to take the lead. 

We weren’t able to visit the new house before the move, but the family shared pictures and floor plans so we could review the storage options and start to design the layout. New furniture would be coming during the few days and weeks after the move, but the house had lots of built-in storage which allowed us to plan out almost every element in advance. 

The move was, as is often the case, delayed by a few days at the last minute, so we kept in close contact with the family as the logistics were confirmed. Finally the date was set and we planned to be at the house as the moving boxes were being unloaded. 

As the vans arrived and the movers unloaded boxes and assembled furniture the THO team unpacked the kitchen and bedrooms so the first night in their new home could be comfortable for the family – beds and breakfast are always the top priority! 

The kitchen was much larger than their previous home, and the family now had a separate utility area, so we had lots of options when it came to unpacking and organising the space. Some of the furniture, including the table, would be arriving in a few days, so we focussed on setting up everything else in an intuitive way. Pots and pans, snacks and dinner ingredients, kids crockery tupperware as well as a breakfast station were put in place so the family could make themselves at home. But not before a good supply of beers and pizza for the first night!

The walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom posed a few challenges. Half-height hanging space left little room for long dresses and coats, and an extra thick rail meant none of their existing hangers could be used. Not a problem though! We utilised other wardrobes for those clothes that couldn’t work with half height hanging, but also used a few hanging tricks to shorten long dresses and keep as much as possible together. We also did some speedy googling and sourced new hangers which arrived by the second day.

The family had done a good edit before they moved, but had run out of time to work through everything. Once we’d organised the main rooms in the house, we focussed on a thorough edit of items from their old loft and storage. The movers had packed the new garage full of boxes that didn’t have a home to go to, so we worked with the family to sort through everything and see what was to be kept, and what could go. 

Finally, we booked a waste clearance to pick up the emptied boxes, and the furniture and other items they wanted to get rid of, and left the family to enjoy their lovely new home.