Does Your Home Work as Well in July as It Does in January?
One of the things I love about living somewhere with four distinct seasons is that our homes have to change along with the weather.
Summer living looks nothing like January living.
The doors are open. Beach towels seem to multiply overnight. Swimsuits need somewhere to dry. Dinner moves outside. Weekends are spent traveling, entertaining, or chasing kids around the yard.
At our house, summer also means hosting what feels like an entire herd of teenage boys.
They appear sometime around lunchtime, disappear into the backyard, and somehow leave behind enough water cups to supply a small restaurant.
None of these things are part of our daily routine during the school year. Our home functions completely differently in July than it does in February, and that’s true for many families.
That’s why I always encourage clients to think beyond how their home works today and start asking a different question:
How does your home function throughout the entire year?
Every Home Has Seasons
When we’re designing a home, we spend a surprising amount of time talking about moments that only happen occasionally.
Where does the Christmas tree go?
Where do everyone else’s coats end up during Thanksgiving?
Do you host dinner outside every Friday in the summer?
Does your sister’s family visit every October?
Where do wet towels live after a day at the pool?
These aren’t everyday problems, but they happen often enough that they deserve thoughtful solutions.
Sometimes the answer isn’t adding more square footage.
Sometimes it’s simply planning better.
Summer Priorities Look Different
For me, a finished basement sounds wonderful in July.
It would be cool, comfortable, and the perfect place for a dozen boys to disappear for an afternoon.
But would I trade my front porch to get it?
Not a chance.
Our front porch comfortably seats eight people, and spontaneous Friday evening cocktails with neighbors have become one of my favorite parts of summer. That space brings us far more joy than a basement would for most of the year.
Design is rarely about finding the “perfect” solution.
It’s about deciding which experiences matter most.
Planning Before Building
Many homeowners immediately jump to adding rooms.
Sometimes that’s exactly the right answer.
Maybe your unfinished basement has enough room for a proper guest suite.
Maybe the space above your garage could become a home office, apartment, or guest retreat.
We built my design studio above our garage knowing it would eventually become a one-bedroom apartment. It delayed other projects we’d planned for the house, but it has been worth every penny. The separation between work and home has been invaluable, and when we no longer need office space, the apartment is already there waiting for its next purpose.
That’s the kind of planning I love.
Designing for both today’s needs and tomorrow’s possibilities.
.
Sometimes the Best Solution Is a Compromise
Not every seasonal problem requires construction.
Maybe the guest room becomes one of the kids’ bedrooms with a trundle bed.
A couple of weekends each year, the kids get to bunk together when Nana comes to visit.
That’s less of a compromise and more of a memory.
Sometimes thoughtful planning creates better family experiences than having every room serve only one purpose.
Our Summer Solution Costs Less Than Dinner Out
Back to my herd of boys.
They love hanging out on our front porch.
Honestly, who wouldn’t?
There’s a sofa, a coffee table, a ceiling fan, and plenty of shade.
The only problem is…
I like my porch too.
My husband came up with the simplest solution imaginable.
He bought an inexpensive picnic table.
We tucked it beneath our giant cherry tree near the back door, close to the kitchen where we keep the water pitcher. It’s shaded, a little more private, and now serves as headquarters for Starbucks drinks, candy store loot, and the occasional rotisserie chicken these growing boys somehow inhale.
The porch is still ours.
The boys have their own gathering place.
Everyone wins.
Someday our planned addition will include a covered back porch overlooking the yard, with separate spaces for lounging and outdoor dining.
Until then?
The picnic table is the perfect compromise.
In fact, we’ve started eating family dinners out there too.
One of the biggest reasons people hire a designer is not just for aesthetics. It is for momentum.
A thoughtful design process guides the hundreds of decisions that go into a renovation so they happen in the right order and at the right time. Materials are selected before construction begins. Specifications are clear. Contractors have the information they need before questions turn into delays.
That kind of preparation can prevent days or even weeks of unnecessary slowdown during construction.
A designer also helps set expectations for what living through a renovation is really like. There will be dust. There will be noise. There will be a dumpster in the driveway for longer than anyone planned.
But there will also be a moment at the end when the house finally settles back down and everything starts to feel like home again.
Sometimes our role is simply to sit with a client for a moment in the middle of the chaos and remind them how incredible the finished space is going to be.
I can personally relate to the temporary dumpster fire that life can become when you are living through a renovation.
I have been there too.
Moving Forward Again
Let’s be honest.
Available resources can solve a lot of design problems.
Additions.
Built-ins.
Finished basements.
Pool houses.
Guest suites.
But good design isn’t about throwing money at inconveniences.
It’s about investing where you’ll see the greatest return in your everyday life.
Our garage addition wasn’t designed as “an office.”
It was designed as a future apartment that happens to be my office today.
That’s a much smarter investment because it serves multiple chapters of our family’s life.
Sometimes the right solution is a major renovation.
Sometimes it’s adding another dryer in the garage during towel season.
Sometimes it’s buying a collapsible clothesline so the front of your house doesn’t resemble a yard sale all summer.
Big projects and small purchases can both dramatically improve how your home functions.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is creating a home that supports your family through every season of life.
Because when your house works beautifully in January and July, everyday living feels just a little lighter.
Almost like sunshine.
Only the good stuff, promise!