Looking good in 2006

The Atlas concept


Exterior of the Ribblesdale Lodge

• Many of the homes at both shows featured inset ceiling lights. While these looked very nice, I was not convinced they would be bright enough to shed sufficient light, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
  
  
• I was pleased to see that one or two holiday homes had pendant ceiling fans to pull the warm air up during the summer and, when reversed, push it back down in the winter.
  
  
• I believe architects involved in designing bricks and mortar houses could do a lot worse than spend some time studying the design of holiday and residential park homes, as the way in which designers of these structures utilise the space available never ceases to amaze me. But I would take issue with the designers of holiday and residential park homes over the apparent standard practice of fitting the mains consumer unit at the back of the wardrobe. Only in one case did I see a consumer unit where I believe they should all be fitted - in the utility cupboard housing the central heating system. It seems to me that all the main services should be in one place in the home, where they can be got at easily.
  
  
• A further criticism of the electrical system in many of the homes carried over from last year was the siting of the electric shower switch at almost ceiling level on the wall outside the bathroom. In many cases it was so high that anyone under about 5ft 6in tall would have difficulty in reaching it.
  
  
• I was very impressed, though, by the majority of shower units in both the holiday and residential homes, and I must congratulate those manufacturers who managed to fit a half-bath in such a confined space.
  
  
• The designers and manufacturers deserve praise, too, for providing excellent storage units - especially in the kitchens and, in some cases, under the bed in the master bedroom. Two storage units that particularly caught my eye were a carousel in a corner unit and a slide-out cabinet fitted with metal storage racks.
  
  
• The worst design feature, one I believe is a positive danger, are kitchens in which cooking utensils had been hung on the wall at the back of the cooker. To reach them during cooking will mean reaching across pots and pans of steaming food, and steam and vapour from the cooking food will rise and stick to the hanging utensils - meaning they will constantly need cleaning. In every case I looked at, there was space on an adjacent wall where the utensils could have been hung in complete safety.
  
  

The full version of this article appeared in the January 2006 issue of Park & Holiday Homes magazine.