Peterson noted that kitchens have been creeping away from the kitchen area, with home owners adding appliances such as dishwashers, stoves, refrigerators and wet bars to their bedrooms in an effort to create a “haven” from the outside world or to establish “care suites” following hospitalization or surgery. Manufacturers are responding to this trend by creating smaller, quieter dishwashers and other appliances that can blend into any room in the house.
Consumers who really want an “airy” kitchen are moving cooking to outdoor living spaces.
Pamper Yourself
While the kitchen is the place to entertain, the bathroom is the place to pamper yourself in pure luxury.
Peterson said home owners want to create the ultimate spa experience in their own home. The shower/bathtub combination is over. People now want huge, separate shower areas that can provide cascading “rain showers” and surrounding shower sprays.
And deeper soaking tubs are replacing Jacuzzis.
The perfect accent to spa tubs and showers is the vanity, which has become more ornate. Multiple sinks are in, and some even adjust to the height of the user.
The Everything Room
“Truly the ultimate luxury we can provide for a home is space,” said Denver-based architect Doug Walter, AIA, CGA, CAPS, of Doug Walter Architects. “When space is truly limited, we still see a preference among clients to define that space, especially in closets, studies and hobby rooms.”
Walter said he sees an increasing demand for a hobby or utility room. Whether it is a sewing room, theater, workshop, exercise room or garage you can live in, people are requesting new spaces that allow them to enhance and support their current lifestyle.
Vince Butler, CAPS, CGR of Butler Bros. Corp in Clifton, VA, said he has more requests for multipurpose rooms that are functional and for organized storage. “People are going for the ‘Costco look,’” says Butler. “They want everything to have its place and be easily accessible. Most of these rooms are used as summer kitchens, craft rooms, etc.”
Butler also reported a jump in the expansion of the utility/laundry room to include more counter space, bigger washers and dryers (even multiple dryers to keep up with the washer) and finishes that one would expect to find in the kitchen.
Stay as Long as You Like
While not something that occurs to too many young people, aging-in-place features that blend well into the design of the house are gaining favor. Big chrome grab bars have been replaced with ornate handles that serve the same purpose. Vanities and counter tops are adjustable, allowing consumers to sit while performing tasks that traditionally have been done standing up.
Universal design options are geared to appealing to everyone. Wider door frames make moving furniture a breeze for friends and movers; better daylighting and additional light fixtures help everyone’s “tired eyes”; and gentle, sloping stairways protect the knees of the young and the old.
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