Byrne practices what she preaches too, with her Dublin city centre mews house configured in such a way that all the family gets space to work, rest and play , , including Bisto the dog. The ground floor is openplan in design, with three flexible spaces; the living area at one end, in the middle the dining/study/sitting area, and the kitchen/dining/ area to the other end. By opening sliding screen walls, the entire floor can flow as one large space, or when closed, functions as separate and private rooms, ideal for socialising , , or not socialising, as the case may be.

It works really well for us, but what is great for me in particular is to be able to close off the kitchen and forget about it when I want. The house is not palatial by any means , , 1,500 sq ft , , and I put a lot of thought into how best to use that space. So the ground floor is flexible open-plan, while on the first floor we have a 'quiet' living room. I've noticed that people are going back to that idea , , having that combination of lively family open space, yet with a more tranquil room situated elsewhere in the house."

As a mother of two, Byrne obviously doesn't get it all her own way, as little Oscar, 7, and Vita, 6, need plenty of space for their ideas on construction and design (of the Lego variety), as well as a quiet spot for some musical interludes on that junior sized double-bass.

Oh dear , , does that mean a frantic clearing away of toys when the doorbell rings?

?We apply that old maxim of having a place for everything, or in other words, loads of open shelving where the kids can see their stuff, but it's also easily stacked away. You can't get too puritanical about a home, especially with small children, and we find we can live with a certain amount of chaos."

Byrne is aware that the way her own house is configured wouldn't suit everyone, but she has plenty of alternative ideas up her architect's sleeve on best use of space for clients. A typical two-hour consultation consists of three stages. First, she listens to her client's concerns and assesses the issues involved; space, light and storage or, invariably, that burning question, will we move or extend?"

A brainstorming session on each room in the house follows. Where an extension is envisaged, the relevant part of the house might be measured and options for extending sketched out. Finally, Byrne equips the client with contact numbers and recommendations to ensure that they are empowered to see the project through to completion. A written report is produced in the course of the consultation. But why, in these property boom times, does she encounter so many clients with badly laid-out homes?

She believes that this is because a lot of current house design doesn't adequately provide people with the best configuration of space. ?To be honest, I think developers are greatly failing people nowadays in the type of houses they provide, most especially in so called 'family' homes, and in the area of storage. We need room for shoes, coats, schoolbags and sports-gear, and that's just for starters.

Why are we building estates full of houses whose basic design hasn't changed for aeons?

In the question of size, I would tend to think in terms of the types of space that people need, rather than pure square metres, as the same needs can be accommodated in a larger or smaller area. In general, I find that people have a heightened expectation that their living space should be tailored around their precise lifestyle needs.

A typical family, for example, will seek, at a minimum, a large open-plan family space (perhaps divisible into two smaller spaces when required) combining kitchen, dining and play/tv room, a separate adult/evening sitting area, bedrooms large enough to accommodate sleep as well as play/study, two ample bathrooms (one of which might be en-suite) and extensive, appropriately designed storage.

There is also, generally, a need to incorporate a study/work area, where the family computer will be housed."

In a living area, can the age-old trick of moving furniture around improve the space, or at least give the impression of more room?

People frequently push furniture right back against the walls, including walls with windows. In a large room, however, this will make the furniture appear like isolated, unconnected pieces and the overall effect will be of a vacant, unwelcoming room. And in a small room, it will appear as if the walls are 'strangling' the furniture.
Pulling the furniture away from the walls, even slightly in the case of a small room, will allow the space to flow and the room to 'breathe', while gathering the furniture about an existing strong focal point , , generally a fireplace , , will create an inviting, conversational feel. People also tend to presume that a large room should have one single grouping of furniture, whereas it may be more appropriate to break the room down into two or more different areas, perhaps with the main grouping about the fireplace and a smaller, distinct cluster at the window."

Byrne takes a measured view of extending, as one that often fails to improve things.

If I were pushed to mention mistakes made, they would include rear extensions which fail to allow for adequate light to the former rear room of the house, and large extensions which have been constructed without any clear idea as to how to occupy or even utilise them. I find also that people tend to think automatically of an extension as the only way of solving their space needs, whereas it may be that re-organising their existing space will more than adequately suffice."

Enhancing what natural light is available is another preoccupation with clients.

You need to maximise the opportunities for light to be reflected and minimise the possibilities for light to be absorbed. I would look at all the surfaces in a room to see how this can be achieved, floors, walls and ceilings, all of which have their part to play. A dark floor, be it timber or carpet, can be improved with a lighter coloured rug and dark furniture with throws and cushions. Lighter wall colours will be more light reflective while a large, appropriately placed mirror will bounce about what natural light does exist. Pull furniture away from the window if possible to allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room in the first place ensuring that those windows are white if possible."

Generally, what most people want is a large open-plan living area in which to cook, eat and relax, and that goes for those with or without a family. However, Byrne believes that we're all kids at heart and having lots of space to play around with is a delight.

You wouldn't think kids would be that aware of how rooms are spaced, but I have to say the open-plan way of living has given great scope to my two little ones. Those needs may change over time, but for now it really works. And even when their little pals come in here for the first time, they tend to go 'wow!'" Eva Byrne, Architect & House Consultant Tel. 087 2940805, email info@evabyrne. com or visit www. evabyrne. com A two-hour consultation costs 300