Benefits of Reverse Living
Reverse living is a way of designing a home with the kitchen, living, and dining areas upstairs, and the bedrooms downstairs. Essentially, the ground floor of a traditional home design is swapped with the upstairs so the layout is reversed. This trend originated in Scandinavia, but more Australians are embracing the trend as it’s perfectly suited to many aspects of Aussie family lifestyles and environments.
Environment and Surrounds
The biggest benefit of reverse living is having a home that takes full advantage of the surrounding views and environment. Suited to many different locations, such as coastal living, open country spaces, and even bushland, having your main living space upstairs means your family gets beautiful views throughout the day, seeing the landscape from the best possible vantage point.
Natural Light and Sustainability
Reverse living allows for your kitchen, living, and dining spaces to be bathed in as much natural light as possible. With unobstructed first floor windows, your home will be filled with natural light during the daytime when your family is most likely to be in these spaces for longer amounts of time, reducing the need for lights and reducing electricity consumption. You can also incorporate floor to ceiling slider doors and larger windows that let the breeze in when they’re open. This will provide welcome respite in the warmer months, and reduce the need for air conditioners to be used all day long.
Kids’ Retreat
Many reverse living designs position children’s bedrooms downstairs with a main bathroom, while the master suite is upstairs off the living area. For families with older children this will provide a bit of a buffer between noisy teens and their parents, giving each person a little more space to relax in! Locating the bedrooms downstairs will also keep them shaded and cooler in the Summer months, again reducing the need to air condition each space all day long. Many people also opt to include an additional rumpus room or media room downstairs so the kids have another area to chill out in, particularly as they get older.
Holiday Home Solution
Reverse living is a great solution for families wanting to build their own holiday home. Coastal or county getaways are perfect for a reverse living home as they maximise the panoramic views and serenity of quieter locations, creating the perfect escape. You may also want to include a small kitchenette downstairs near the bedrooms to make your guests feel right at home and create an additional level of privacy by giving them their own space to retreat to.
If you’re looking for a home design solution that helps you take advantage of a beautiful location, incorporates sustainability into its design, and provides a family home to suit a range of lifestyles, reverse living is well worth considering. Head over to the Hotondo Homes website to see a range of design options, like our stunning Catalina 282 which is perfect reverse living inspiration!
