The 2020 Thoughtful Home
The latest design and marketing trend in new home construction is “The Thoughtful Home”, keeping in mind the goal of designing a home atmosphere that makes living easier.
Staying up on new housing trends is one of my passions. Large national developers put a lot of research into this subject to keep up with buyer ‘wants’ as lifestyles change over time. It doesn’t matter if you are buying a new home, remodeling your entire house, just a few rooms, or looking to increase your home value before you sell, it’s important to take note of what home buyers are seeking.
Research shows that the top five areas homeowners most appreciate in good design include 1) organization when leaving for work or school in the morning, 2) simplicity in coming home in the evenings, 3) having a relaxing atmosphere for spending weekends at home, 4) ease in entertaining guests and 5) abundant storage solutions. What is interesting to note is that some of today’s ‘wants’ we have seen in previous generations of housing but were eliminated over the years due to cost and space allocation
Entertaining
There are several design ideas that can be implemented to make your home more efficient and make life easier.
- A “Super Island” bar can accommodate a dozen people in the kitchen for entertaining and get-togethers. We know the kitchen is where everyone ends up at a party, so why not design for it!
- A beverage bar in the living room with easy access to the kitchen enables guests to help themselves to coffee or a glass of wine while food is being prepared (and keeps them out of the cooking area).
- A “Power Pantry” (in previous generations this was a “Butler’s Pantry”) can serve as a buffet space and keep small appliances out of sight. This can also be a baking center. In our house, the counter appliance lineup includes a toaster, iced tea maker, coffee maker, a sparkling water machine, a Cuisinart, and a Mix Master. These appliances can now be tucked out of sight, around the corner on their own counter.
Functionality and Storage
Some previous trends are back, and some new ones are in:
- Take unused space near the kitchen and convert it to a “Pocket Office,”(remember the kitchen desk), to provide a small office for day-to-day multi-tasking such as paying bills while you wait to pull a meal out of the oven.
- Locate the laundry area near your walk-in closet or add a second setup.
- Add a “Family Foyer” (remember the mudroom?) with a bench just inside the house, where families can drop off or pick up shoes and backpacks. Include cabinets and counter space with electrical outlets and USB plugs to charge phones, hooks to hang coats, and a message board. The goal here is to keep these items out of the kitchen! You can also combine a mudroom with a laundry room as you walk into the house from the garage so those beach towels can go right in the washer as you enter the house!
Weekends at Home
“Family Lounges” are a combination of a family room and game rooms right off the kitchen. To create a lounge, you may want to incorporate a large table to provide space for board games, homework or puzzles. Too much screen time is often a concern for parents, so provide children with engaging activities like ping pong and/or pool tables. Also, adding lots of chairs and couches with a fireplace makes it cozy for reading and inspires conversation in a technology-free zone.
Just a few things to think about!
Trudi
