I had plenty of space – so why did my home still feel chaotic? How I found the perfect solution when our rooms were trying to do too much
Why a properly-planned summerhouse was the key to creating a space that worked for our lives
Strategist and content creator Francesca Swan is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on the concept of 'Everything' and what makes a home special to you. See the rest of her articles here.
Do you ever find yourself walking into a room, staring blankly at a wall and asking yourself, “why on earth am I in here again?”.
I do. Frequently.
Oh, the joy and chaos of a two-year renovation, the current world hellscape, plus, well LIFE.
Sound familiar? Unfortunately, that feeling of overwhelm and memory blanks seems to be something we can all relate to on some level these days. It’s all a lot.
Yet beyond those obviously knotty distractions, I think there’s another sneaky culprit responsible too – again, one with which many of us can likely relate.
Our old apartment had a lot of space but cut in completely the wrong way for how we lived. Rooms served many purposes, none of them intentional, so the mind blank and “argggh” explosions were an all too familiar, not to mention all-consuming experience.
The bedroom wardrobes were too small, with double doors and very deep drawers. They were literally exploding and finding what you needed was hugely frustrating daily challenge.
The bed and beautiful House of Holland chaise lounge were permanently covered in messy heaps of clothes, which obviously ruined the serene boutique hotel vibe I was going for.
My office doubled as guest room, with a lot of spare floor space. However, its main, and completely unintended, purpose was a dumping ground. Emergency clear-outs were frequent, only for the chaos creep to start again the next day. Hardly conducive to a productive day’s work.
The result? Daily stress, mess and ongoing hassle of tidying.
My ADHD hates chaos with a passion and adores distraction just as much. It doesn’t give a hoot about my to-do list and will do its best to overpower my logical mind at any possible opportunity – especially when encountering a space that does not meet its exacting standards. I have lost days to impromptu, and mostly unnecessary faffing, obsessively sorting and cleaning.
I need organised, clutter-free spaces to be calm, focussed and in control. My Everything feeling – contentment, joy and immersion in my space – needs to be immediate, so I am present and grounded, and can actually get anything meaningful done.
Needless to say, the overflow of our old place utterly obliterated any chance of that. It was time to move.
We fell in love with our new apartment instantly, for the opportunity to extend and build the summerhouse in the garden. It was the key to creating a space that worked for our lives. A room for every purpose. A place for everything. No overflow. Heaven. The main reason for moving in the first place.
It’s our Forever Home. We will never have to move again. At the very real risk of sounding like a broken record, this matters a lot, because we are never, EVER doing this again.
The summerhouse layout
The summerhouse is a punchy 9m by 3.5m. 31.5m2 – plenty to work with, but only if planned properly.
First and foremost, the guest suite. Big enough for a super king bed and en-suite.
The second office was a non-negotiable. We both work from home and my ADHD is very picky, and often snappy, about conditions, space and separation. Another office removes that grumpy and demanding little issue, providing the other half with what he needs too.
Last, but definitely not least – the gym. A life-long dream and huge luxury. Housing this in the summerhouse again creates separation, plus allows for loud music when we really want to go for it.
Intentional design bones brought to life, with a nod to nature
The interior design for these single purpose rooms – the guest suite, the office and the gym – presented three challenges.
Firstly, designing intentionally to create focus on the purpose and mood of each space.
It’s easy to forget (at least, for my renovation-addled mind) the power of design to influence our emotions and actions and tune in our senses to help our brain work more effectively.
Colour, light, texture, materiality and layout were key – streamlining and stripping back unnecessary noise to remove distraction and create a fully immersive space.
Secondly, making the summerhouse a natural continuation of the apartment, not bolted on or disjointed to the design language I’d already created. Not easy for a separate new build, alongside a Victorian apartment.
Enter, stage right – the existing design bones hold our home together cohesively.
In this case, the Corston Architectural electrical hardware and Flooring Superstore Bavarian Oak Chevron wood flooring.
The rooflights and glazed doors share the black window profiles of the main apartment, mirroring the extension.
Continuing these features of the main apartment into the summerhouse make it flow and feel a permanent part of our home, not a temporary add-on.
Last, but not least…making the most of the surrounding environment.
The summerhouse is enveloped by huge trees, light and peace, with a beautiful view of the verdant canopy through the big rooflights. On a sunny day, light is softly dappled through leaves and birdsong is all you hear. It’s magical and you can forget where you are.
You step out, take a deep breath in and then exhale. It’s an instant wave of Everything and a total reset for your mind, body and soul.
The interiors needed be led by nature to bring the outside in and embed the abundant beauty.
Using nature to guide the design gives a sense of the space belonging to its environment and the bones connect it back to the apartment, tying everything together.
These guardrails, in theory, allow that Everything feeling to flourish more easily in every room, making the spaces work emotionally, practically and aesthetically.
Now, I had a clear starting point to get on with the fun stuff…
A guest suite for relaxation and rest
It’s not a huge space, so needs to function effectively and smartly to create that essential feeling of relaxation.
I’ve stayed in many hotels over the years – some brilliantly designed on very small footprints and some appallingly designed on very big footprints.
It’s not hard – just think about how people practically use the space and what they need to enjoy their stay.
A full-length mirror and a hanging rail. A place for hair and makeup. Charging points and reading lights by the bed. A mini fridge. A home for your luggage. An en-suite with a proper home for toiletries.
These are the things that drive me utterly mad when they’re missing, so they’re built in, with minimal impact on the visual flow and allowing clearance around the big bed.
I’ve added a beautiful oak Happy Beds super king bed, that has a timeless, yet contemporary spindle oak frame to echo the floor, with a low foot-end cleverly creating the illusion of more space.
After a long search for the right mattress, I settled (literally and figuratively in this case!) on Happy Bed’s Annabel 2000 Pocket Spring Natural Pillowtop Mattress Inspired by the world’s best hotel mattresses, it’s plush and layered with natural fillings. It’s so comfortable in fact, that it might have already moved to our room. Ahem.
Matt clay Mas Maya limewash, made from pure Andalusian limestone, brings texture and warmth – it’s also natural and breathable, essential in a new-build and compact space. The irregular finish plays with the daylight and complements the soft green glow created by the tree canopy, feeling organic and soothing.
Rich, tactile fabrics provide the finishing touches – linen and muslin bedding, velvet cushions and a jute rug – a blend rooted into nature, yet equally luxurious and considered.
The en-suite flows from the bedroom, with textured, natural materials and complimentary colours connecting the space.
Drenched light sage Venetian plaster brings organic depth and interest, without overwhelming. Ceppo marble floor tiles provide a unique and exquisite combination of ivory, putty, subtle pink and muted grey greens, echoing the use of marble in the apartment.
A floating Travertine sink creates a vignette opposite the bed, allowing an open plan layout and illusion of space, with the pocket door for privacy as needed. A motion-sensor LED mirror removes the need for wall lights.
Warming accents of brushed gold hardware and spotlights add a final touch of luxury throughout.
You open the door, sinking and stretching out into the sumptuous bed. Looking up at the sky through the huge rooflight, the trees blend softly into the room. You’re immersed in peace, calm and the beauty of nature. The world gently floats away. You relax.
An office for focus and creativity
The most compact room, yet flooded with light, thanks to the glazed door and rooflight. White was the obvious choice – but not to be Goldilocks about it – the RIGHT white. Not too blue, with enough warmth to feel calm, not clinical.
This neutral base allows for subtle accents of colour highlighting the architectural features and mirroring nature.
Pale sky blue in the roof light recess.
Soft leafy green in the door recess.
Warm, gentle sunshine yellow joinery.
All grounded by soft black hardware and the oak flooring, providing balance and cohesion.
It’s clear, structured, yet inspiring – exactly what it needs to be.
A gym for movement and reset
I personally can’t abide gyms with punchy colours and motivational, shouty messaging.
I want a neutral and natural space – beautiful, but almost invisible, removing all distraction, so I can focus on my form and movement, without being overpowered by the décor.
Masmaya Light Sand Limewash provides a gentle contrast to the oak flooring, bronze spotlights and hardware. Accents of black metal in the door, rooflights and mirrors add a contemporary edge, nodding to the reformer pilates machine.
The gym is very similar to a lot of my Pinterest feed – I usually try to avoid this, but sometimes things are popular because they work and there is no point reinventing the wheel for the sake of it. And I love it, so job done.
How to let a room be just one thing
The real problem we had wasn’t the amount of space. It just wasn’t working properly – rooms trying to do too much, pulling in a hundred different directions.
When you strip them back to a core purpose, something shifts. You walk in and know exactly why you’re there. You do what you intended, without distraction or obstacles.
Before, I would start one thing and end up down a rabbit hole with seven others.
Now, I go into the gym and focus on my workout. The guest room is a place purely to switch off. Each space does exactly what it’s meant to, which means I can too.
For me, that creates an instant Everything feeling. It’s the difference between feeling overwhelmed and in control.
Most of us have at least one room that’s intended for one thing, but ends up doing everything and so achieves nothing.
I recognise we are fortunate in solving our problem with the summerhouse – although, it’s definitely come a high cost, in more ways than one.
Yet finding your solution doesn’t require a full renovation or build. It might just be a clear out, better storage, or redecorating to reset the intention and purpose of the space.
So, if you have a room that is essentially a cave of chaos, how could you create some separation and focus? What could you strip back or rethink, so it helps you, instead of hinders you?
Because when a space works properly, life feels easier.
And that’s really the point. Rooms deserve to be rooms. And you deserve a home that works for your needs and feels like Everything.
