Our floor plan design for an affordable house

And about the reading nook, where there were also different comments: I imagine it to be cozy as well.

It’s a strange phenomenon that people think the area next to the stairs on the upper floor is especially cozy. I can’t confirm that. We have several properties in the family and almost everywhere there is a spot next to the stairs. It is never, nowhere, never used, asked for, or even considered as a reading nook or any other “cozy” little corner. The use is limited to coat racks, storage, bookshelves (without a desire to sit there), a place for growing plants, or simply a hallway. Of course, you can try to decorate it especially nicely, but I don’t think that changes much. Who likes sitting in a hallway in front of the bathroom? The Playstation would have to be there, but that also requires more space, right?

Also gladly for playing for the kids (why should they be in the way? I didn’t quite understand that ).

The kids quickly end up sitting in front of the bathroom door, where they always have to clear everything away because they annoy dad who can’t get to the toilet anymore. Early in the morning everyone trips over the forgotten building blocks when stumbling into the bathroom half asleep. That quickly becomes very unattractive for the kids and they prefer to go to their rooms, where they then want more space—but too late.

And I find THAT especially important, even in small houses: not to fill every cm² with practical storage cabinets, but to leave a bit of air and light. For that I gladly give up stuff.

I would say: nonsense. I find it telling that you supposedly gladly give up stuff but plan to have a sewing machine for yourself. Your children are supposed to manage with 12m² so that you have “air and light.” Yes, I also like to give up my husband’s stuff the most when space is tight.

When I read this I get slightly angry. Being thrifty is unfortunately a foreign word for almost everyone here. Being thrifty (having to) means being willing to sacrifice: Then there simply is no dressing room, then the suitcase has to go under the bed, that’s always been the case, then the royal children simply have small rooms, that’s all they have in the apartment block too, then there is just an open corner instead of a reading room, then there is no underfloor heating, but a radiator, then there is a concrete roof instead of clay, then there is a cheap staircase instead of a grand staircase, then there is Ikea instead of Bulthaup, etc.... And there is nothing to criticize about that. Thrifty is thrifty.-- Be brave. Keep it up. Don’t let yourselves be discouraged. K.

Yes, I also prefer to do without my husband's stuff when space is tight.

that's good

Your children have to manage with 12m² for that

well, 12m² kids' room sounds almost like a cell to you... but it's not really like that. Ours are that size too, but we also have a 35m² common room/playroom in the attic where the kids can leave their constructions up for weeks. But even without such a room, 12m² is okay for a kids' room in my opinion.

Yes, I also prefer to do without my husband's stuff when space is tight.

Wonderful! Sometimes my wife even likes to do without my stuff although there is space for it..

Your children are supposed to manage with 12 m² so that you have "air and light."

There are far bigger disasters for a child than having their own 12 sqm room. Whoever builds a house builds a shell for their life. "Air and light" are, for many people, an essential contribution to well-being and ultimately benefit everyone. That prioritization sounds terrible the way you put it. I'll mention the other extreme: Should children cope with parents who suffer from winter depression just so they have 2 sqm more space in their room? : That is exactly how I see thriftiness as well. Sometimes we lose sight of what really matters with our demands. The same applies when we focus only on perfecting efficiency and solutions for every eventuality. The goal to live well in the house and what this "well" really means is often forgotten in the mania for perfection. The "suitcase under the bed" certainly does not make one unhappy, at least not if something else hasn't already gotten out of balance.

Yes, of course 12m² is fine. If there is no more space, it is okay. But that was not the core of my statement, right? Or did I express myself so unclearly?

Let me mention the other extreme: Children are supposed to cope with winter-depressed parents just so they have 2m² more space in their bedroom?

Honestly: Yes. Anyone who has a garden and still suffers from lack of light and fresh air certainly cannot make up for it with 4m² more hallway space.
I don’t want to overvalue the hallway discussion either. For me, it’s mostly about looking at and assessing the, in my opinion, romantically idealized ideas of the OP about this hallway corner a bit more realistically.

: That’s exactly how I see frugality as well. Sometimes our demands cause us to lose sight of what really matters. The same applies when we only focus on perfecting efficiency and solutions for every eventuality. The goal of living well in the house and what this "well" really means is often forgotten in the obsession with perfection. At any rate, the "suitcase under the bed" certainly doesn’t cause unhappiness, unless something else has already gone off the rails.

What this whole thing is supposed to have to do with frugality is beyond me. On the contrary, it’s more of a waste of space that I was talking about. Or are you referring to another post?