The 'By Design' book collection
Four practical books exploring the home, relationships, daily life and future planning of multigenerational living
Why a series?
Multigenerational living is about much more than finding a home with enough bedrooms.
It involves property, money, relationships, everyday routines, changing needs and some very important conversations.
The Generations by Design book series is being created to help families navigate those decisions one step at a time.
Practical, accessible and UK-focused, the books will bring together the questions families need to consider — including some they may not yet have thought to ask.
There is a lot to think about when generations decide to share a home. Trying to cover everything at once can quickly become overwhelming.
Rather than one enormous manual, Generations by Design is being developed as a series of focused, practical books that you can use at different stages of your journey.
Each book provides a breath of topics that exceed the needs of our family and where possible we have addressed as many hypothetical options that could impact our readers. Inevitably we won't manage all issues faced by families, but there is enough that they can adapt the information or at least know where to go to for the answers.
Four books with one joined-up approach
Book One: The Home by Design
Creating a space that works for everyone — including property choice, privacy, accessibility, future-proofing, storage, and merging households and possessions.
Book Three: Daily Life by Design
Making shared living work in practice — household responsibilities, finances, childcare, caring, meals, routines, pets, visitors, work, retirement and family time.
Book Four: The Future by Design
Planning for change with confidence — long-term planning, ownership and inheritance conversations, changing care needs, family reviews, contingency and exit planning, with appropriate professional advice where required.
Book Two: Relationships by Design
Creating harmony across generations — expectations, boundaries, communication, independence, compromise and Harmony Agreements.
Based on real questions
The series grew from our own experience of planning for multigenerational living. We discovered that every decision seemed to uncover another question.
Some were substantial: How should we own the property?
Others sounded almost trivial: Whose furniture do we keep?
But both mattered.
Our experience provides insight, but it isn't presented as the answer. Every family is different. The purpose of the series is to help you work out what is right for yours.
UK-focused
Generations by Design is based in the UK and written primarily for a UK audience. Where a decision requires legal, financial, tax, mortgage, planning or other regulated professional advice, the books will make that distinction clear.
More than something to read
These books are intended to be used. Throughout the series you'll find questions to consider, conversations to have and practical prompts to help you apply the ideas to your own family.
Selected free resources will accompany the books through the Generations by Design website. More detailed tools, workbooks and templates will also be available through the Shop.
Coming Soon
The Generations by Design book series is currently in development, beginning with The Home by Design.
Occasional updates, thoughtfully shared
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Important Notice: Generations by Design provides general information and supportive guidance only. It is not a substitute for legal, financial, medical, care, architectural, or other professional advice. Please consult suitably qualified professionals about your family's particular circumstances.
Generations by Design
Every thriving home begins with thoughtful conversations
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