THE POWER OF THE PLAN
Why furnishability matters and how to implement it
When you furnish a room, you notice pretty quickly if it will be hard or not. Some plans only have one functioning setup and some rooms don’t seem furnishable at all. This sparked questions and ideas regarding the importance to be able to refurnish rooms and dwellings.
Furnishability lays the groundwork on how we use a dwelling. The furniture that we bring with us tells the story about who we are, what needs we have and how we use our homes. One dwelling can be used in different ways and can be varied depending on the needs and constellations of the residents. If a picture speaks more than a thousand words, what doesn’t a furnished plan tell us?
We build smaller today than before, where the biggest factor is the price. The pricing of dwellings are mostly regulated by demand and the shortage of homes in Sweden, where they rather build smaller to have more people affording it. Smaller dwellings means less space for furniture and variation, and too cramped dwellings give less space for change. This results in a specific kind and shape of a dwelling with a restricted range and variation. The ability to vary the use and furnishing gives the inhabitants the chance to live in their home longer.
The shape and planning that’s made to dwellings today must fulfill more than the needs of today. It must also last for an unpredictable future, both economically and socially. That means that everything that’s built now must be able to adapt to the future needs. Dwellings must have a sufficient amount of space and be flexible, they cannot fit like a glove to one specific user. This means that too small dwellings are not capable of being adapted to potential future needs and demands. By implementing furnishability from the start, dwellings are more likely to be good homes for longer, resulting in less remodelling and demolition.
This master’s thesis goes into the importance of being able to vary plans though furnishability. The thesis also examines the requirements different rooms need to meet and understand how the requirements impact furnishability. The thesis concludes with guidelines for design and shows proposals on how to change existing new plans to implement furnishability and flexibility.
Key words: Furnishability, new production, furniture, apartments, use, dwellings, furnishing, design.
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The booklet is written in both Swedish and English.
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