When searching for a new home, picturing your day-to-day life is a great way to determine if a specific house or layout will work for you and your family. At Riverside Homebuilders, our goal is to create homes with a focus on functionality—which can be made even more useful with smart furniture positioning, storage solutions and more. Read on for five ways to make your home more functional. 

#1 - Plan the perfect layout 

When designing for an open layout, like the main living spaces in most Riverside floor plans, we suggest finding a focal point, creating visual separation, using cohesive colors and materials and establishing an easy flow. While the first three tactics are more about looks, finding the right flow for your home can make all the difference when it comes to functionality. 

By creating a clear and open path of travel that isn’t obstructed by furniture, you’re establishing a flow that will make the most of your large, open floor plan. 

#2 - Create an effective entryway

Entryways can make or break your family’s morning routine and schedule. Whether you use the laundry room or front door as your main entryway, it's easy to designate a place for every member of the family to keep their essentials organized. Once you’ve settled on a space, it will be the ideal drop zone for kids to store backpacks, instrument cases, sports equipment, school supplies and more. This means less scrambling and searching for what they need in the morning before school—it also provides an assigned place for masks and hand sanitizer. 

An effective entryway can keep dirty shoes, coats, pet leashes, purses and more at bay so they won’t be scattered throughout your home.  

#3 - Get smart with storage 

Ample storage space is usually pretty high up on the lists of demands for today’s homeowners, and Riverside Homebuilders is sure to provide that in every floor plan—you’ll find oversized pantries, linen closets, walk-in closets and more. So you have storage, but do you know how to use it effectively? 

For items you use all the time but don’t necessarily want displayed, pick a place that makes them easy to get out and easy to put away when finished. If you make a smoothie every other day, store your blender in a cabinet or drawer close to the fridge. 

Linen closets, the garage and bedroom closets offer lots of vertical space to stack bins and boxes. Make sure everything is properly labeled, so no one has to go digging through every container for the right item. To keep clothes from overflowing, consider a seasonal clothes container in each family member’s closet or use the seasonal storage rack in the closets to get the unused clothing out of the way. When temperatures begin to drop, swap sundresses, shorts and swimsuits out for jackets, sweaters and scarves. 

#4 - Make spaces multipurpose 

We know that part of creating a functional home for your family is making the most of the space you have. Smart design can help you give certain rooms, like the bonus rooms included in many Riverside floor plans, a multipurpose twist.  

Make a plan that allows for separate, yet cohesive, spaces. If it’s a home office and home gym, ensure there’s enough room to do a workout without bumping into the desk or chair. Include shelves or another organization system that makes it easy to keep things tidy and limit distractions. 

#5 - Extend living to the outdoors 

When routines start getting repetitive, a simple change of scenery can help break family members out of a rut. Riverside Homebuilders floor plans come standard with outdoor living space, sometimes both a covered porch and open patio. With an outdoor dining set, the patio can become an area to enjoy meals together, do homework, host game night or a quiet seat to enjoy your coffee before a hectic day begins. 

Find your functional home today 

Once you decide which floor plan is perfect for your family, you can browse the personalization options available and see how even the smallest changes can have the biggest impact on your home. See plans come to life at a model home in one of our beautiful new-construction communities, built in the most sought-after locations throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

If you’re ready to get started on the process of finding a functional home, contact the Riverside Homebuilders team online or give us a call at (817) 601-6230.