By Rick Bennett of Epic Development
I was flying to Los Angeles recently to catch up on the latest housing trends on the west coast. In my reading material was an article from last week’s Wall Street Journal titled “Blue Print For A New American Home“. The information shared in this article is certainly timely and consistent with many of the trends I try to identify and interpret as we design homes for the Atlanta market.
I’ve written before about the mid-century modern revival that is in full force in California, but still just gaining traction in Atlanta. This trend will continue in Atlanta, but our traditional design roots will likely still influence us. I am seeing a preference for traditional exteriors combined with cleaner, more modern and simple lines on the interior of the home. This has been defined as “Transitional Architecture”.
The WSJ article’s focus is on how we use our housing space and how that translates into floor plans. Some of the elements changing include the following: the grand two-story foyers typical of the McMansion years are being replaced by more modest entrances; open family rooms are now preferred over formal living rooms; elaborate master showers are replacing the soaker/Jacuzzi tub; and the addition of outdoor living spaces.
We see the same trends here in Atlanta, and discussions with our buyers support this as well. When I recently asked one of our clients what she liked about the home she just bought she said, “I love everything and the home has a warm feeling unlike any of the other properties my husband and I found during our home search.” It was an emotional, subjective response to objective elements that included an open floor plan, modest yet intriguing gallery foyer, and the more modern, clean and simple lines consistent with many of the changes noted in the article.
While the floor plan elements were significant to this buyer, the overall response was more a result of our having executed the interior design correctly using appropriate choices for materials, finish, color, and lighting. This is precisely what Epic Development strives to achieve with every home we create; we look to satisfy our clients needs at a level well beyond mere shelter.
You can read the full Wall Street Journal article here.
For more information, please visit EpicDevelopment.com
Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal