Latest news with #openplan
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Three-storey property with summerhouse for sale north of Carlisle
A three-storey house with an open plan kitchen, dining and family room is on the market for £235,000 to the north of Carlisle. According to the listing, the property onFenwick Drive is situated on the Crindledyke development, which is north of the river and close to the village of Rockcliffe. The house was built by Story Homes, described in the listing as "highly reputable local builders." Summerhouse, sold by separate negotiation (Image: Zoopla) The front garden is described as "pretty and colourful" and is said to be a feature that "catches the eye immediately." Entry to the house is through a hallway, which has space for coats and shoes. The staircase to the first floor is straight ahead, and a door to the left leads to the main kitchen, dining, and family space. Dual aspect open plan kitchen, dining and family space (Image: Zoopla) This open plan room is dual aspect and described as being "flooded with natural light." According to the listing, there is space for a large dining table and additional relaxed seating. The kitchen area is fitted with gloss wall and base units, oak worktops, an integrated electric oven, gas hob, and extractor fan. Family space with French doors to the rear garden (Image: Zoopla) There is space for an American-style fridge freezer and plumbing for a washing machine. French doors from this room lead to the rear garden, which is paved and has shillied areas, intended to be "low maintenance." A cloakroom WC is also accessed from the kitchen area. One of the property's three bedrooms (Image: Zoopla) The first floor includes a living room, which is currently being used as a double bedroom. This room has two windows and, according to the listing, offers "a wonderful open outlook across fields." There is also a wet room and a third bedroom on this floor, which is currently used as a home office. Paved rear garden with low-maintenance shillied sections (Image: Zoopla) On the second floor, the main bedroom has an en-suite shower room. A second bedroom is also on this floor and is being used as a home working space, according to the listing. The rear garden has gates to a bike store, bin store, and two off street parking spaces. A summerhouse and shed, both fully insulated, are present in the garden and can be sold by separate negotiation. The listing states the property is "in immaculate order throughout." The house is described as suitable for first-time buyers or a growing family. Transport links are highlighted in the listing, with Junction 44 of the M6 described as being "minutes away." Kingstown Retail Park and Asda Superstore are nearby, providing a range of shopping options. For families, the listing notes the presence of a bus from the Crindledyke development to Rockcliffe Primary School and William Howard secondary school. Rockcliffe village is located around two miles from the property. Interested parties looking for more information, or to arrange a viewing, are urged to contact eXp World UK on 01462 228714, quoting NL0727.
Mail & Guardian
16-05-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
What makes some spaces more creative than others
Where we work shapes how we think. It influences our interactions, our focus, our willingness to speak up — even our mood. (Photo by) The idea that creativity is all about the people in the room has dominated how we think about innovation for decades. Hire the right minds, assemble dynamic teams, mix seniority and junior energy and the ideas will follow. But the physical space where this thinking takes place is often treated as secondary. A blank canvas. A neutral backdrop. It isn't. Where we work shapes how we think. It influences our interactions, our focus, our willingness to speak up — even our mood. It follows that space is not just the container for collaboration; it is one of its key ingredients. Neuroscience shows that our surroundings, from light and noise to the presence of others, have a direct effect on how we think and feel. Behavioural design builds on this, revealing how subtle shifts in layout or atmosphere can reshape how people move, interact and focus. Organisational psychology connects the dots, reminding us that culture is not just defined in strategy documents. It is experienced daily, through spatial cues like furniture placement, sound and the invisible norms a room encourages or suppresses. Enter the open-plan office. This work solution concept was once championed as the answer to innovation. Tear down the walls, the thinking went, and ideas will flow. Although open spaces may encourage visibility, they can also erode privacy and focus. The constant proximity to others, the background noise, the lack of boundaries often lead, not to spontaneous collaboration, but to quiet withdrawal. People find ways to disappear in plain sight: headphones go on, requests for remote days increase, people begin to seek polite distance. The cost of bad design isn't just discomfort — it's disengagement. A better model acknowledges that different types of work demand different environments. Focused tasks need quiet. Strategy sessions need stimulation. Informal exchanges — where some of the best ideas begin — need somewhere relaxed, without the pressure of being seen to perform. The most effective workspaces are zoned, flexible and intentional. They offer choice, not just space. They offer places, not space: places to be comfortable, focused and connected to achieve what you set out to achieve. They follow the natural ebb and flow of creativity instead of forcing it in one common, soulless space. What matters even more than layout is the emotional signal a space sends. Does it invite people in or push them away? Does it communicate that individuals are trusted to manage their time and energy or that they are being monitored, measured and contained? Some might even go so far as to say like lab animals being observed for behavioural changes which is the antithesis to inspired thought. In one industrial-era factory, workers began queuing to clock out at 3.45pm, long before the 4pm end of shift. Not because they were lazy, but because the environment trained them to value time over contribution. They were managed by the minute … and they responded in kind. Innovation doesn't happen when people are watching the clock. It happens when they lose track of time because they're absorbed in what they're doing. Compare this with spaces designed for movement and encounter. A person grabbing a coffee ends up in conversation with someone working on something completely different and unexpected connections are made. These collisions don't happen by accident. They happen because the environment was built to encourage them, subtly and respectfully. There's also a growing recognition that the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to workspace design fails to serve the reality of neurodiverse teams. Bright lights, loud conversations and rigid routines might suit some but overwhelm others. A truly creative space must accommodate variation — not just in work styles, but in sensory needs and social energy. Offering pockets of calm, tools for privacy and spaces for quiet recharge is not a perk, it's essential for inclusive thinking. Control is another overlooked factor. Research consistently shows that when people have autonomy over how, where and when they work, they perform better. This applies to the physical environment too. Being able to choose your seat, adjust the lighting, close a door or move to a different room gives people a sense of ownership and that, in turn, nurtures psychological safety. The post-pandemic shift to hybrid work has only sharpened the need for environments that feel human. People who've worked from home know the value of comfort, autonomy and quiet. To bring them back into a shared space, employers can't rely on obligation. The office has to offer something better, not just in terms of resources, but in terms of experience. It has to earn people's presence. That means getting rid of outdated binaries like 'work-life balance', which assume the two are separate and in competition. People don't stop being parents, partners or creatives when they enter the office. The best workspaces acknowledge this; not with gimmicks, but with thoughtful design that supports the full range of human needs. Even rituals matter. Weekly check-ins, shared meals, open brainstorming hours — all these signal values, set tone and help people align without needing to over-communicate. The environment can support these rituals or subtly undercut them. If there's no place to gather comfortably, the informal sync stops. If it's hard to find a quiet corner, deep thinking is replaced with shallow tasks. Psychological safety is often spoken about in terms of leadership or management style. But it's also physical. When people feel overheard, exposed or crowded, they shut down. When they feel at ease; when they have space to think, speak, and sometimes just be, they open up. So, what makes some spaces more creative than others? It isn't the presence of a whiteboard or a brainstorm room. It's whether people feel they belong. Whether they feel safe to suggest something half-formed. Whether they sense that the environment is on their side. True innovation doesn't just need talent. It needs trust. And trust is built not just by people, but by places too. Paul Keursten is the chief executive of Workshop17.
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I'm trolled for ‘complaining about' my council home when I had ‘everything handed to me' & they paid £35k deposit for it
A WOMAN has shown off the spacious council home she has moved into with her husband and two sons - but not everything was to her liking. Mrs Sanders, who posts under @mrssanders24, gave a tour around the modern-looking property and said one aspect wasn't to her taste. 2 In a clip which has gone viral with 97,000 views, the mum shared: 'Come with me to view my council house for the first time. 'I'm not too keen on the open plan, but it's okay because I can build a prop wall once I have waited the 12 months for the house to settle.' As part of the video, she panned around the ground floor, which included a living/dining room attached to an open plan kitchen. Also downstairs was a toilet and a room under the stairs that she thought would be a great 'gaming room' for her husband. While she insisted she was grateful for the home, some people have taken issue with her criticising the layout. One person wrote: 'Stop complaining about the house. I wish I had a place to call my own.' Another added: 'Give it to someone who will actually appreciate it seriously.' And a third pointed out they had saved £35,000 for a deposit for the same set-up. Mrs Sanders hit back at the comments, saying: 'Saying I don't like open plan Is not complaining, it's an opinion.' She also joked that she had previously liked open plan but her opinion had changed after living in one with two young children for six years, adding "it's bloody murder!" Council Lounge Makeover with B&Q buy She also clarified how they got the home and why they have to wait 12 months before adding a prop wall, saying: 'This is rented via housing association so the deposit is only a month's rent upfront. 'Due to it being a newly built house you have to wait 12 months for the plaster to 'settle' before you can wallpaper or paint so you can see if you get any cracks etc in the walls/ceilings.' The mum-of-two also reiterated how much they appreciate the house despite the open plan layout, saying: 'We are extremely grateful to have a place to call home and we cannot wait to build memories and make this a home! 'We have spent so long fighting to have a safe place to call home for our children. 'We cannot wait to decorate and make it a home.' 2 Mrs Saunders showed viewers around the large garden and the spacious two bedrooms upstairs in the clip. Panning on the outside space, she added: 'My kids and dog finally have a garden to call their own and play in. 'Our side entrance to the garden and house is absolutely huge. 'We are lucky that our garden isn't too overlooked, as most new build properties have really overlooked gardens.' Rules on transforming your council house According to Gov, the kind of improvements you can make to your council property depends on the type of tenancy you have. Introductory tenants are usually limited to minor improvements like redecorating inside. If you're a secure tenant, you have the right to carry out improvements to your property. These include: installing a new bathroom or kitchen building an extension putting up a garden shed or greenhouse installing a new gas fire or fireplace cavity wall insulation redecorating the outside of a house fitting an aerial or satellite dish You might need your council's written permission for work you do. Contact your council if you're not sure. She also loved the bedrooms upstairs, and said: 'The boys' room—it's so big compared to their previous box room in the old flat. 'Our bedroom is also really big and has a built-in wardrobe.' While some people weren't happy with her criticising the open plan layout, others were pleased for her. One said: 'Congratulations please how do you apply for a council housing please. 'A second added: 'I love open plan.'
