Building a home in the country or by the coast is the perfect opportunity to define what a healthy work-life balance might look like for you.

If 2020 got you thinking about re-balancing things, you’re not alone. 

As a result of the pandemic, more people than ever are keen to design a home that encourages a harmonious mix of work life and personal life.

Less stress, more calmness; less exhaustion, more energy and time for leisure; less doing, more just being.

While a healthy work-life balance looks different from one person to the next, your home has a crucial role to play. 

With this in mind, you’ll notice our designs share some key features. They’ve all been thoughtfully planned to help you find that sweet spot between your work life and everything else.

Let’s start with the work aspect.

Home office : The rise of more flexible working hours and greater opportunities to WFM (work from home) means many employees are choosing to split their work hours between home and office. A quiet spot to set up the laptop or make phone calls has become a priority in many new homes. If you’re building a business empire from home, it might make sense to have a dedicated office space; somewhere that will help you work quietly and efficiently. There’s no time-consuming commute, just the challenge of making sure you’re out of your pyjamas by the time your workday starts. 

Organisation : Even if don’t have the option of working from home, getting out the door in the morning can be less of a battle when things feel calm and organised. Well-designed storage and spaces that are open and free-flowing can help keep morning routines on track.

So how do we balance work and life?

Here are just a few of the elements we take into account when designing with a healthy work-life balance in mind:

Nurturing connections : Whether it’s rustling up a batch of cupcakes to take into the office for morning tea or inviting the gang over for a barbecue, our relationships with friends, neighbours and colleagues have taken on new meaning this past year. A fabulous outdoor area with room for cooking, lounging and dining encourages you to entertain your friends in style while soaking up that country or coastal view. A generous, well-fitted kitchen, maybe with a scullery for that extra bit of storage and bench space, invites you to prepare food to share with friends and family.

Hobbies and interests : Whether it’s trying new recipes with fresh produce from the veggie garden, capturing the landscape in watercolours or pottering in the workshop, hobbies and interests are generally easier to pursue when you can give them the space they deserve. A multi-purpose room or activity room is a great way of setting aside the space you need for indoor interests, while still keeping things adaptable if you need to.

Health and wellbeing : Make your health and wellbeing a priority with room for relaxing away from the busyness of day-to-day home life. Maybe it’s a quiet corner to roll out the yoga mat, a home gym in the garage, or a comfy reading chair on the veranda. 

Family time : Spend time with your nearest and dearest, with open-plan living areas that spill out easily to the outdoors. Country-style living encourages family gatherings, with everyone coming together for meals, impromptu catch-ups and end-of-the-day reviews.

Home entertainment : From big-screen movies and the weekend’s big sports game, to board games and online games, home is becoming a popular entertainment venue. Activity rooms, theatre rooms, games rooms and relax rooms offer the dedicated space you need.