The designation of family living activities in two open-plan house designs for the five stages of the family life cycle

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent that two open-plan house designs could accommodate the activities of family living in each of the five stages of the family life cycle. A hypothetical family with three children was identified according to the five stages of the family life cycle: beginning family stage, expanding family stage, launching family stage, middle-age family stage, and old-age family stage. Two open-plan house designs were selected. The living areas of the two house designs varied in shape: one was rectangular and the other L-shaped. From the review of the literature, the family living activities were categorized into nine groups: food preparation, dining, business, ironing, sewing, leisure, entertaining, hobbies, and children's indoor play. The amount of space, furnishings, and storage needed to carry on the family living activities as summarized in the review of the literature was used. The specified amount of space for each activity was drawn to scale on the floor plans. The furnishings and storage units were drawn in place and designated by letters of the alphabet. Each activity area was identified with a specific color. Five floor plan designs were illustrated for each house design, one for each stage of the family life cycle