What’s Right For You?

The first question Newport Beach, Calif., architect David Kosco asks new clients is, “How formal are you?”

The answer can tell a home designer a lot about a family’s needs. “You find out if they require separate spaces, which are necessary for a more formal lifestyle – like a dining room for formal entertaining,” Kosco says.

“We also talk a lot about how the family interacts,” he continues. “If they don’t spend much time in the bedrooms, for instance, we may want to limit square footage there.”

Your home is a big investment, and ideally, every inch will strategically accommodate the living patterns of your family.

Home design evolves along with changing lifestyle patterns, Kosco explains, so take note of your family’s habits.

Think not only about your current home needs, but what’s likely to be needed in the future, says Kermit Baker, economist with the American Institute of Architects.

Surveys by the AIA show there is a significant uptick in home improvements that accommodate aging, such as first-floor bathrooms, Baker says.

“It’s hard for people to imagine themselves getting older,” he adds. “But architects are encouraging homeowners in their fifties to look ahead.”

Since the recession, there has also been a rise in people working from home, Baker says, and as a result, “home offices are another design trend.”

Multi-generational households also took hold in the last few recessionary years, spawning new space needs, he adds. These families still want a large kitchen and living space to interact, but also require footage devoted to private spaces like master bedrooms – with some homes adding two master suites.

Even with just minor renovating, families reshape existing spaces, Kosco says. “I designed the homes in the neighborhood where I live, and have been able to see how they’ve evolved,” he says. For instance, “Over time, many of the families have turned formal dining and living rooms into more casual media rooms.”