News Under One Roof, Designed to Last: Solid-Wood Strategies for Multi-Generational UK Homes (2025 Playbook)

Why multi-generational design is a 2025 essential (not a niche)

More of us are sharing space across generations—adult children returning after university or renting, grandparents moving in for support, carers living with family. The numbers are moving, not static:

• In the UK, 28.0% of people aged 20–34 lived with their parent(s) in 2024, up from 25.6% in 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 

• At the last census, 2.1% of households in England & Wales were multi-generational, higher than 2011 (1.8%). That’s still a small slice overall, but it’s growing—and very visible in our studios. 

• Typical UK homes aren’t palatial: analysis of English Housing Survey data puts the average floor area around 96 m², with rented homes smaller (≈76 m² private; ≈65 m² social)—so every centimetre must multitask. 

• Property sites are explicitly curating listings with annexes for multi-generational living, which tells you where demand is going. 

• Design media also show a tilt to multifunctional spaces and flexible layouts in 2025 trends. 

As an interior designer, here’s my thesis: if you want a home that feels calm, dignified and adaptable for everyone, solid wood is your backbone. It’s strong enough for daily family life, repairable when life happens, low-VOC with the right finishes, and it ages into beauty rather than out of it.

The Solid-Wood Game Plan for Multi-Gen Homes

Below is the blueprint I use when I sketch homes for three (or more) generations sharing real UK footprints.

1) Zone without closing in: slatted timber, bookcase walls, and “soft doors”

What to do

• Use solid-oak slatted partitions to imply rooms within rooms—around a desk nook for Grandpa’s crosswords or to give teens a semi-separate gaming corner that still feels connected.

• Build a freestanding bookcase wall (ganged units with a shared plinth and top) to divide living and dining while adding storage.

• Add a full-height sliding screen in timber (or timber + reeded glass) to give privacy on demand without permanent walls.

Why it works
Timber partitions control views, soften sound reflections and keep airflow moving—ideal in UK rooms that average ~3.3–4.0 m wide. You get the psychology of a door without shutting down light. (And because they’re furniture, your landlord or future self will thank you later.)

2) Sleep smarter: daybeds, trundles and ottoman-free airflow

What to do

• In spare rooms and studies, specify a solid-wood daybed with a trundle. By day it’s a sofa; by night it sleeps two grandkids.

• For primary bedrooms, choose legged frames over sealed ottomans; add vent slots to any storage base.

• In tiny box rooms, a lofted solid-wood single with a desk or chest beneath gives a teen real territory.

Designer dimensions

• Daybed seat height 430–460 mm (comfortable for older knees).

• Trundle mattress clearance 190–210 mm under main frame.

• Keep 800–900 mm circulation in front of beds and wardrobes so mobility aids—or simply multiple people—can pass gracefully.

3) Dinner for two becomes eight: extendable tables + benches

What to do

• Anchor your shared life with an extendable solid-oak dining table (e.g., 180 → 260 cm).

• Swap some chairs for a bench: it tucks fully under, clears walkways and seats extra at celebrations.

• If space is tight, use a drop-leaf console behind the sofa that flips into a serving/extra dining surface.

Why solid wood
Extension mechanisms put big loads on rails and joints. Solid oak/ash holds fixings far better than chipboard, and if a top gets ring-marked you can re-oil instead of living with it.

4) Shared storage that’s actually usable: hallway and living “hubs”

What to do

• Create a hall hub: solid-oak bench with a slatted front (wet shoes breathe), peg rail at 165–170 cm (and a kids’ row at 120 cm), a narrow console for post/chargers.

• In the living room, specify a ventilated, slatted media sideboard with a removable back so the Playstation and router don’t cook (and hum) in a closed box.

• In bedrooms, go slatted-door wardrobes—warm clothes and cool walls are a condensation trap; ventilation helps.

5) Multi-gen ergonomics: edges, heights and hardware

Comfort for everyone

• Racetrack corners on coffee and dining tables reduce hip bruises for grown-ups and bumps for toddlers.

• Seat heights: 45–48 cm works across generations; pair with arm support on at least two dining chairs.

• Handles: timber pulls or D-handles are friendlier for arthritic hands than tiny knobs.

• Lighting: 2700 K (warm) LEDs flatter timber and reduce glare for older eyes.

6) Tiny room magic: window seats and “bridge” storage

What to do

• In bays and deep reveals, a solid-wood window seat with drawers turns dead space into reading, laptop or craft time—storage included.

• Over beds, fit a bridge of cabinets/shelves in ash or oak to claim vertical storage without closing the room in.

• In compact kitchens, add a slatted timber panel (with tiled wet strip) to corral sockets and add warmth; it pairs with wood counters or stone equally well.

7) Materials that survive heavy rotation