The New Third Space -According to LiLu

The New Third Space

According to LiLu

The New Third Space at Home

Should we be designing the new third place? Recently, I was talking with a friend who lives in a coronavirus hot spot and she said her husband who is much more of an extrovert than she, was really missing his third place (s). A place to go other than home or work. A place where maybe you are a regular and everybody knows your name. The purpose of the third space, in my mind, is two-fold.
First to be a place to build community and be social. This may look different now but is it possible to create a spot like this at home?
Second, it is a place to be light, disconnected from the news, and the stressors of daily life. It seems more than possible to me that we can design a light, happy place in our homes! So today I will examine some possibilities for a third space you can create at home!

Outdoor Hangout

Outdoor spaces offer a unique opportunity to be the new third space. A spot at your home where friends, family, and neighbors are welcome to stop by and hang out is a perfect third place. You can incorporate both the social and the light disconnected feel into your outdoor space.
Often, privacy is the goal in an outdoor space but if you are craving company you could consider having open patio or deck hours. I grew up next door to a family who had a pool and while they enjoyed the pool privately the open pool hours gave us all a place to hang out and have fun with no real agenda.
As you may know, being outdoors right now is a great way to socialize in a safe way.
Here are some fun furnishings for an outdoor space if yours needs a little improvement before a gathering.
If you need more curated outdoor space ideas check out our Revival of the Balcony post.

Craft or Art Room-As The New Third Space

Being creative is a great way to manage stress and to disconnect from the daily world. Carving out a space to craft or create is an ideal way to create a third space at home. I know a local yarn shop that was quite the gathering spot for knitters to get together and socialize.
We’ve designed rooms for tying flies, knitting, working on photography, calligraphy, and general crafting. Designing a craft space where you have a nice sound system and purposely leave your phone behind when you enter could provide you with a spot to destress and enjoy yourself at home when your normal third space isn’t available to you.
Consider taking over a spare bedroom, lower level or and attic to create a craft and creative space for yourself this winter.
Need ideas for the perfect craft room? See the shoppable links below.

Exercise Room
If the gym isn’t available or not appealing right now, think about creating an exercise room at home. Consider all the equipment you have loved using! Right now I am doing mat Pilates on the deck which combines being outdoors with pilates which is a double doew of being away from daily stress. On my list is a reformer, an elliptical and a treadmill. We are currently remodeling our basement to create more space at home without adding to the footprint of our home.
Need a little motivation to keep your workout news free and interactive. A client recently installed a smart mirror training system and I have to admit, I’m intrigued by this idea and have put it on my list to add to our newly remodeled basement exercise room.
Again, if you need some new equipment to create your at-home exercise room. We’ve provided some shoppable links.

This like many of our Sunday blogs is shoppable. While we may receive a small commission from the links your price will remain the same.