House-hopping–seeking better quarters every few years–is on the decline, according to experts on residential architecture.
Instead, more families are pursuing a “lifetime home” where their needs can be met from the beginnings of their marriage to the grandparent stage.
“We’ve been seeing a lot less moving around to a `bigger and better’ place every few years. More people want multigenerational houses now,” says H. Don Bowden, an architect and president-elect of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Deferred parenthood
One factor contributing to the trend has been the rise in deferred parenthood, says Barry A. Berkus, an award-winning residential architect. “We’re noticing a lot of late-blooming parents out there. They have more money and are more inclined to think very carefully about their long-term living needs,” Berkus says.
Here are several suggestions for those seeking a home, whether custom-built or not, to serve them from early parenthood through retirement:
– Seek versatility to create a home that transcends time. One way to gain flexibility in home design is to create what Bowden calls “combo rooms,” spaces that can change in use as families pass through transitions. For instance, he often suggests a small nursery adjacent to the master bedroom suite. Sleeping in close proximity to a baby can be comforting to both the parents and child.
Once the child reaches the preschool stage and is better suited to a customary bedroom, the “nursery” can be readily converted to a home office.
Another space that can easily make the transition from one use to another is a “bonus room” built over the garage of a two-story house, with stairway access from a combined kitchen-family room. Such a room can afford teenagers the relative privacy they relish to entertain friends and play music, while at the same time giving parents “visual control” over those who come and go. Once the offspring go off to college, their parents can easily convert the bonus room to another purpose, such as a home gym, hobby room or quarters for an elder parent.
– Recognize the potential of a dining room as a focal point for family life. Berkus believes the dining room should serve as the “cultural center” of the home. To keep the dining room’s function vital, he encourages clients to design it with large windows that overlook an alluring view. He also likes a dining room surrounded by shelves for books, which family members can reference during dinner conversations.
– Be wary of building a behemoth house as a lifetime residence. Too often, the investment in an enormous home sends children the message that material success–rather than close family relationships–is the more important priority in life, Berkus contends. In fact, he says a huge house can make it harder for family members to stay connected, unless the place is carefully designed to blend private spaces with common areas.
– Seek home features that leave lasting memories for kids and grandkids. “Niches and mysterious places–these are the things that make houses great to children,” Berkus says. He says school-age kids enjoy having their own “fiefdoms” in the form of traditional bedrooms. They also enjoy atypical home features, such as hidden passageways that connect kids’ bedrooms through closets.
Another home feature that family members are likely to remember fondly is a cozy, built-in seating area in front of bay windows. There, happy memories can be made when children cuddle with grown-ups, sharing storybooks and family recollections.
– Don’t build for more formal entertaining than you actually do. Bowden says he often meets with clients “who come in with their parents’ or grandparents’ idea of how they expect to live in the new place.” Contemporary families do entertain, but many don’t do so as often as their elders did. To focus clients on the realities of their busy lives, Bowden frequently asks them to walk mentally through a typical week.
If you’re a family facing budget constraints in the design of your new home, Bowden suggests you consider forgoing a formal living room in favor of a somewhat larger and better-appointed family room, where most entertaining and cross-generational family gatherings now occur.
– Remember that a grand home does not a happy family make. Though the words “house” and “home” are now often used as synonyms, Bowden stresses that the meanings behind the two words are very different.
