Love & Frustration: Mining Your Current Home for Design Gold
One of the most powerful — and often overlooked — exercises when planning a new home is to honestly assess what you love and what frustrates you about your current one. Your existing home is a goldmine of design data if you know how to extract it.
Room by Room Analysis
Walk through every room in your current home and answer two questions:
- What do I love about this space?
- What frustrates me about this space?
Be specific. "I love the long desk in my study, which inspires me to create" is far more useful than "I like my study." And "Not enough shallow drawer space in my built-in wardrobe" gives your designer actionable information.
The Seven Zones
Consider your home through these functional zones:
Approach & Circulation
Entry, hallways, stairs — how does it feel to arrive home?
Live, Socialise & Cook
Kitchen, dining, living, outdoors — where connection happens.
Rest & Relax
Bedrooms — your retreat from the world.
Work, Create & Exercise
Study, gym, craft areas, workshop — where you produce.
Bathe & Refresh
Bathrooms, ensuite, powder room, outdoor shower.
Utility & Storage
Laundry, walk-in wardrobe, pantry, general storage.
Your Top Three
After completing this exercise, identify your top three things you love — these are the elements you must carry forward into your new home. And your top three frustrations — these are the problems your new design must solve.
About the Author
Luke Davies
Luke is the founder of Davies Design & Construction and author of Dream Home. He writes about home design philosophy, lean construction, and building businesses that put people first.
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