Having a breathtaking view at home is a dream for many. Imagine waking up in the morning and seeing the sun rising up above the water. You already feel more relaxed, right?

Waterfront properties offer you this possibility, and for those who are lucky enough to live near the sea, a lake or a river, there are some practical steps to take to make the most of your view.

But before we start, there is an important aspect to consider: the house orientation in relation to the sun’s path.

According to bioarchitecture, a good layout of the rooms brings energetic and financial benefits, and also inhabitants wellbeing.

It’s essential to discover the bioclimatic characteristics of the place where the building is or will be, but in general, we have this layout:

• South-oriented rooms: rooms where people spend much time during the day, taking advantage of the sunlight. The best orientation for the kitchen is southeast, for the living room is southwest. This is also a great option for a home office (if you have one).
• East-oriented rooms: is suitable for bedrooms as in this way you can enjoy sunrises. Even better is the northeast option, to fully embrace the sun-rising energy.
• West-oriented rooms: it’s convenient to place these rooms from which you want to enjoy the sunset.
• North-oriented rooms: service rooms like bathrooms, hallways and storage rooms.

It’s useful to follow these guidelines when you are building your house or also renovating it. When you have decided on a layout plan, let’s check what you can do to fully take advantage of the view.

Give priority to windows facing the water

It’s crucial to establish a connection between the waterfront and the house spaces. Starting with the house orientation, the second step will be prioritizing windows facing the water. Once this foundation has been laid, every space should be located and designed to enhance this connection.

Following the previous guidelines, choose the best orientation option that suits your needs.

For example, if the windows facing the water are west or northwest-oriented, you will have a beautiful sunset view, and you should prioritize these windows and enhance them.

A great example of maximizing the view can be seen in downtown Vancouver, Canada, where most buildings are oriented to maximize views of Vancouver’s best beaches. If you’re in the area, you'll notice that residents can enjoy the view via large windows facing the water.

Increase the window space

Once the house orientation is set, the next step should be focusing on the window space.

Windows do more than just letting natural light in. They also help make a room look bigger and feel spacious and brighter, they allow fresh air inside and create a connection with the outdoors. The bigger the windows, the better the view.

There are several options to maximize the view: adding large floor-to-ceiling windows or bi-fold doors on the walls facing the water will allow you to entirely enjoy the view from the inside. This option is related to choosing an open floor plan, so you can get glimpses of the view from different parts of the house.

Big windows also play a crucial role in case you have an outdoor living space: this space can act as a filter between the inside and the outside, and floor-to-ceiling windows facilitate this transition smoothly.

This is a key point, because big windows bring a lot of pros to your house, and it’s better to have all the benefits without compromising on privacy.

Another option is to incorporate corner windows or bow windows, which can offer a stunning view from different angles, and can create a cozy corner where you can sit to relax while enjoying the coastline landscape.

As far as materials go, it’s important to choose an energy-efficient and durable window frame material. There are different types, such as aluminum, fiberglass or vinyl: the most recommended is definitely aluminum, for its weather resistance and durability.

To stay sustainable it is also recommended to install double-glazed windows, with glass that offers heat reflectivity (Low-E glass), to avoid heat loss.

Choose an open floor plan

Choosing an open floor plan is the best solution to enjoy the water view from every part of your home. If you are building your house from scratch or you are renovating it, try to avoid the common and old-fashioned solution where every room is separated from the others.

An open concept makes the house feel bigger, with utility areas skillfully hidden out-of-sight, creating an immersive atmosphere and a seamless transition between the indoors and outdoors. With natural light coming through the large windows, with no barriers blocking it, residents can leverage a direct view of the coastline outside.

Design furniture to leverage the view

As we’ve mentioned, it’s essential to have an open plan, with no barriers on the way. Furniture must meet this requirement too.

Furniture can be a turning point if well used to enhance the space, so it needs to be carefully designed, with the right measurements, style and color.

There are four main points to consider in order to accomplish that:

• Take into account traffic flows: also in an open floor plan, there will be traffic flows – where people need to go through to reach different parts of the house. Furniture shouldn’t be an obstacle that blocks the path, it should be functional and useful instead.
• Identify focal points: furniture could be a great tool to enhance and frame a focal point. In this case, the focal point will be the outside view, so arranging the furniture to create a gallery-like feeling that brings your attention to the windows will highlight the focal point.
• Space and balance: it’s discouraged to use too many pieces of furniture as it can create chaos and make the space messy. Keep it simple, use just the necessary and essential furniture. In this way, you will have a more spacious and airy environment for enjoying the view.
• Create different zones: in an open floor plan, furniture can be used as a tool to diversify spaces and define separate areas with different functions. You can create a cozy reading corner, with an armchair and a lamp above a rug, or a desk station in a bright position where you can work, all inside the same space.

To have a better idea about how to design the furniture you need, or modify the one you already have, it’s indispensable to take measurements of the space and existing furniture. In this way, you can design a fully personalized project that fits all of your needs.

Create an outdoor living space

Establishing a connection between the indoor and outdoor areas is essential to optimize the view.

This can be done by incorporating an outdoor living area, such as a deck or a porch, into the home’s construction.

There are a large number of ideas for your outdoor living space: it can be intended as a dining room, a reading space, an outdoor gym with showers, or a games area.

It can be covered with a removable roof for being used also during bad weather, and adding a fireplace or an outdoor heater will extend the space’s usability into the colder months.

Outdoor living spaces are a great idea, but make sure to source a reputable outdoor design company such as Driveways by Design.

Lastly, outdoor living areas boost property value, add functional living space, and let you fully immerse in the waterfront lifestyle.

Invest in an infinity pool facing the water

The outdoor living space is the perfect position for a pool or a spa.

Lately, several hotels (both luxury and cheaper ones) are investing in infinity pools, especially if they have a waterfront view. These pools give the impression that they are merging with the surrounding landscape. In this way, the construction establishes a connection between the building and the waterfront.

This works perfectly in a private house too, so if you are searching for a stunning and breathtaking way of enjoying the view – here is the solution.

It seems like the pool disappears into the horizon, and you may wonder how it works.

You see the water going over the edge of a waterfall and disappearing, but actually, it flows down to a lower level and there it is collected in a lower pool.

It’s important to note that the technical aspects of an infinity pool are a lot more complicated than those of a normal pool, so you should expect higher maintenance.

Final thoughts

Now you are ready to level up your waterfront property, to completely take advantage of the relaxing and outstanding possibilities it gives.

If you would like to live there to enjoy the view, or have it as an investment, you won’t regret putting efforts into these solutions, creating a dream house.

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