Within the last couple of weeks, I’ve been seeing more articles about residential architecture and how it will change given how things have evolved during the pandemic. For the most part, the articles have focused on interviews with architects acting as experts, sometimes referring to their own houses and other times offering predictions on how houses will look in the future.
We’ve been listening to our own experts here at TPD – our friends, clients, colleagues and families! Our survey results are starting to show some clear focus areas, which are consistent across regions of the country as well as age groups. A full 45% of our respondents indicated that flexible spaces, which could accommodate different activities and people at different times of the day would be something they would consider for their homes in the future. Very few respondents have indicated that the size of their spaces was problematic – only that the spaces needed to be able to accommodate more than one function over the course of the day: playroom, office, dining room, distance learning desk, meditation space or gym. And this is true across the board – we have heard from folks living in urban apartments, suburban homes and country cabins.
What does flexible space look like? Based on what we are hearing in our survey, I think it has a few critical components:
- A good flexible space should be able to be separated from other public spaces in the house, especially for sound control and privacy.
- Flexible spaces should have the infrastructure to be able to support different types of activities, meaning it should be well served by appropriate outlets and Wi-Fi service.
- Activities that require equipment should be easily stored in the space, whether that is a printer, laptop, fitness equipment or a television screen.
- Furniture in the space should be multi-functional: dining tables can serve as desks, but dining chairs should be comfortable enough to sit in for the work/school day. Desks that unfold from built-ins in a bedroom or laundry room can support office use. Murphy beds that fold from the wall can transform a home office into a guest suite when a college kid comes home.
Please help us learn more about how you are thinking about your family’s house these days – Take our survey here.
And, like all of you, we are cooking more. The new favorites at the Davis house this week?
One Bowl Poundcake by Melissa Clark
Spring Tofu Soup by Alison Roman (we used chicken breasts instead of tofu)
