When designing your dream home, there is more to consider than just the appearance and aesthetic. While incorporating your personal design and style into your home may make it feel more like a home, you should also consider the safety and security of everyone who will be living there. Safety is a crucial part of establishing a welcoming and pleasant environment in which you can enjoy and relax.
You should especially consider children when planning the design of your home. It’s fair that you don’t want your home to seem like it was designed with your children in mind, but there are ways to make your preferences and style fit with their requirements.
Even if you don’t have kids, designing a home with safety and security in mind can generally make your life easier and more manageable. Utilizing things like smart technology, access control, open interior layouts, and exterior lighting makes it easier for you to access and move around your home, but these elements also make it harder for intruders to break in and find places to hide.
Follow the tips below to create a well-designed home that will allow you to unwind more, worry less, and spend more time with your loved ones.
Upgrade Your Doors and Other Access Points
You don’t need to make your home look like a fort to make it more secure. Upgrades to higher-quality windows and doors can easily and instantly provide you with more safety and security. Newer doors and windows may help improve the energy efficiency of your house by establishing a tighter seal and preventing air leakage in and out.
You don’t need to compromise style either when installing safer windows and doors. Most businesses nowadays provide items in a range of designs while maintaining high safety requirements. You can, for example, pick a door with typical wood on the exterior but steel reinforcement on the inside.
Opt For a Simplified and Open Floor Plan
Safety aside, open floor plans continue to stay popular year after year as homeowners desire spaces that feel more open, airy, and inviting. Often, when homeowners try to picture themselves in a home, they do so while imagining the entertaining they will do, and the time they will spend with loved ones. Most of the time, these things are easier to imagine doing in a home with an open floor plan. Open floor plans can also give the appearance that the space is bigger than it is.
Simplified and open plan designs are also safer for children as they allow you to keep a better eye on them. Individuals with limited mobility or other disabilities tend to have an easier time with simpler layouts. Furthermore, an open design makes it easier for you to move around and get out in case of an emergency, as well as makes it more difficult for an intruder to find places to hide.
Make it Bright
Lighting is an excellent way to bring character to a room while also making it brighter and safer. The lighting you choose for your home will help create an environment that is easy to see and move around in while also setting the ambiance and adding to the decor. Stairway lighting, for example, is a terrific design element that may enhance the appearance of a place while simultaneously serving as a safety feature by making it easier to see where you’re going at night.
Exterior lights are also a must if you plan to spend time outdoors around your home in the evenings and at night. In the warmer months, homeowners love to entertain outdoors, and the right lighting can help set the mood and keep everything well-lit for safety. Break-ins can also be deterred by using motion-activated lamps.
Build a Fence
Installing a fence around your property is an effective method to protect your home from burglars while maintaining privacy. If you live in a neighbourhood where your neighbours and others can easily see what you’re doing, a fence can simply fix this problem and allow you to enjoy time both inside and outside without being watched.
A fence is also a good way to keep young children and pets safe when playing outside. Just make sure to check with your local municipality first, as the requirements for installing a fence on your property differ from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.
Utilize Smart Technology
Smart technology has revolutionised home design. Smart home goods and systems not only make our lives easier and more controllable, but they also keep us safe. Consider which goods and features you can replace with smart ones when constructing your home to make it more secure and efficient.
Smart smoke alarms and air quality monitors, for example, can keep everyone safe and healthy within the house. Smart locks, doorbells, and surveillance systems can also assist you with managing deliveries and visits while also protecting you from intruders. Around 62% of homeowners in the U.S. claim that home security is one of the top benefits of smart technology.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to design a home that fits your aesthetic while also keeping safety in mind, you don’t need to jump through hoops to make it happen. These days, most designers and builders have experience working with homeowners who have the same desires. They can help you come up with a design and make choices that match your style while also providing the safety and security you need to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy.
There are countless ways to make your home safer. However, whatever features and designs you choose to incorporate, just make sure it feels right for you. This is your home, and you want it to be a space that you look forward to spending time in day after day. Coming home to your own haven that makes you feel wonderful, comfortable, and secure is the best feeling in the world.
Written by Ainsley Lawrence