More Than a Granny Flat: Designing a Small Home for the Next Chapter
- Deb Eternal
- Jun 8
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Lately, I have found myself spending time once again looking for the perfect granny flat design to call home.
Many granny flats are designed with rental returns or temporary accommodation in mind. As I browsed floor plans, I found myself noticing small details. Things that perhaps would not matter to everyone, but which would make all the difference to me.
The Importance of an Entry Foyer in a Small Granny Flat
One feature I rarely see in granny flat designs is an entry foyer. Most front doors open directly into the living room. Practical perhaps, but not quite what I imagine.
I picture a small foyer with a bench seat, coat hooks, a place for shoes, umbrellas, gardening hats, and muddy boots. A space that creates a transition between the garden and the home.
It doesn't need to be large. Just enough room to arrive. To me, there is something comforting about entering a home slowly rather than stepping immediately into the living area.
A Fireplace Without the Firewood
Another feature that keeps appearing in my daydreams is a fireplace wall. I imagine bookshelves on either side filled with favourite books collected over many years.
Not a traditional fireplace requiring logs and kindling, but a modern electric fireplace built into a feature wall.
Perhaps family photographs. A television mounted above. A comfortable chair nearby. A place to read during winter evenings while watching the flames flicker behind the glass.
Sometimes it isn't the heat we are seeking but the atmosphere.
A Room With More Than One Purpose
One of the biggest lessons I have learned from researching smaller homes is that every room should earn its place.
A second bedroom, of course, is useful; however, I asked myself how often it would actually be used as a bedroom.
For me, a studio would work perfectly. Perhaps you've thought of that too. A place to work and write. A place for craft projects. A place to think. A place where books and notebooks can live permanently without needing to be packed away at the end of the day.
In a two-bedroom home, there is a solution to have both a studio and a guest room by incorporating a Murphy bed.
For most of the year, the room could function as a studio and workspace, with bookshelves, a desk, and storage. When family or friends visit, the bed folds down, and the room instantly becomes comfortable guest accommodation. It feels like a practical compromise between present needs and future possibilities.
Designing Around How We Actually Live
One thing I have noticed while researching builders is that many can customise their designs far more than their brochures suggest.
Floor plans can often be adjusted. Walls can move. Storage can be added. Fireplace walls can be created, and foyers can be included.
Sometimes the best design isn't the biggest one, but the one that reflects daily life.
For me, that means:
Plenty of storage
A practical kitchen
A comfortable living room
A dedicated creative space
Garden views
A covered verandah
A welcoming entrance
Most of all, it means creating a home that supports the life I hope to live rather than simply accommodating it.
Looking Beyond Square Metres
It is easy to become caught up in measurements. Sixty square metres. Seventy square metres. Eighty square metres.
Yet when I picture the future, I rarely think about the size. Instead, I imagine sitting at a desk looking out to a garden. I imagine grandchildren visiting. I imagine bookshelves filled with stories. I imagine opening the front door and hanging my coat in the little foyer. I imagine a warm glow from the electric fireplace on a winter afternoon.
Perhaps that is the real lesson in all of this. A home is not measured solely by its dimensions. It is measured by how well it supports the life unfolding within it. Here is a recommendation for the designers of granny flats: Cozy comfort is equally as important as functionality.
Reflection
When you imagine your next chapter, what features come to mind first? Are they the practical details, or are they the small comforts that quietly make a place feel like home?
Namaste
Deb xx
This piece is part of my ongoing reflections at Deb Eternal - a space for thoughtful writing across life, mind, and meaning.
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Sometimes a home isn't defined by its size but by the small comforts within it, and a softly glowing fireplace can transform an ordinary room into a place of rest and reflection.
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