We are entering a time where collaboration, innovation and inspiration are key in creating our future lifestyle.  It’s time to take a look at how we really live and begin to change the housing industry to support us.   Part 1 of this report dealt with soft trends, or trends for decorating our interiors.  This part takes a look at the larger view of trends in the way we will be living as we move forward in this 21st century.  Here are the top 4 trends as I see them:

1. Rightsizing: The buzz word is downsizing, I prefer to call it right sizing.  For some, in fact, it is going smaller.  The baby boomers are now empty nesters who are getting older and want to live  an easier quality of life.  They are in fact down sizing, whether it’s a smaller home or fewer of them; along with a core group of young first time homebuyers who’s sensibility is to live a simpler way of life.

For others, there is a desire to create a space that flows the way they really live their life and truly fits their needs, not some cookie cutter McMansion created by a developer as a business investment.  I call this right sizing and it is part of the Slow Home movement. Some signs of this are:    Continue reading “4 Home Trend-Part 2-2011 and Beyond” »