What Women Want

I attended a class sponsored by a local builder on current design trends geared towards "what women want". No rocket science but very interesting.

"Women directly purchase or have a controlling influence in 91% of all new home purchases." - Smith-Dahmer Associates, NAHB IBS 2005

One of the core fundamentals was that women look at homes thru four "lenses".

1. Storing - is there adequate and efficient/neat storage through-out the home. Bedrooms, garage, kitchen, home office, ... ?

2. Entertaining - is the home entertainment friendly -does the flow and layout of the home provide adequate space to entertain friends and family and will my guests see my home as cluttered or neat, organized and welcoming? Food prep pantries were emphasized, an area of the kitchen with a sink and dishwasher that could be used for food prep and the door shut to hide/separate the mess from the rest of the kitchen, the area of the home most often used for entertaining.

3. Flexible Living - do the layout and plans of the home allow for areas to be customized for how the buyer will use the home? Can a room be turned into a dining area, 2nd home office or additional bedroom with just a stroke of the pen on the designs?

4. De-stressing - there must be areas in the home to de-stress. Top areas for this -- tub, outdoor living space, spot to curl up with a good book.

Trends the designer discussed:

- moving the main stairway out of the front entry

- making the rear foyer inviting just as the front foyer is, eliminating the "enter thru the mudroom" design aspect

- turning a standard Jack-and-Jill bathroom into a bathroom with two separate 1/2 baths with their own entry doors and a tub/shower between them.

- removing the tub from the masterbath is gaining momentum in re-models as well as new construction as many people are realizing the tub rarely if ever gets used.

- having a "drop zone" for cell phone charging, laptop storage and mail sorting/recycling at the rear foyer

Overall, it was very interesting to try to predict future trends in home design.