THE IMPORTANCE OF SPATIAL PLANNING IN INTERIOR DESIGN: BRISTOL TERRACE CASE STUDY

Space planning is one of the most crucial elements of any interior design project. It’s not just about increasing the square meterage, but about making the space work better. A well-thought-out layout can completely transform a home, improving functionality, flow, and even its long-term value.

One of our ongoing projects in Bristol is the renovation of the Victorian terrace, owned by a young couple. The aim was to update thee home in a way that made sense for the owners both financially and practically.

As the house has two bedrooms, the clients have been using the second bedroom as both a spare bedroom and home office. With plans to start a family in the future, they realised that creating another room was essential.

Initially, we explored the idea of a loft conversion. A detailed space planning exercise revealed that the bathroom would need to be relocated in order to accommodate the stairs. After analysing costs, it became clear that the financial return of the loft conversion would only make sense as a long-term investment, and given that this will not be their forever home, we decided to take a different approach.

Instead, we focused on being clever with the existing available space, looking at less invasive ways to add value and future-proofing their home. We decided to keep the bathroom in its current location but modernise the finishes and fittings to give it a new lease of life, and to reconfigure the rear bedroom, splitting it into two rooms: a home office and a spare bedroom.

The home office was designed to be flexible, opting for free-standing furniture instead of fitted joinery, allowing it to easily convert into a nursery when needed. Similarly, the spare bedroom was planned with future adaptability in mind, so it could either serve as a guest room or be combined with the home office as the family grows.

So often, when considering a renovation, the instinct is to go bigger — to add square metres, extend, or build up. But here, by optimising the space, we delivered a solution that works for the owners now and in the future — proving that sometimes, less is more.