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New insights into millennials’ remodeling preferences
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesWith more and more millennials becoming homebuyers and sellers, we are learning more about what they are looking for in a home and the changes they are making to the homes they buy. While they do demonstrate some preferences that distinguish them from older homeowners, in other cases their current behavior appears to be more influenced by life stage than by cohort values. About half of all millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) are in their 30s. In the decade ahead, more and more of them will be approaching the threshold age at which many are buying homes.
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Uncovering a smart-home tech disconnect
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesSmart homes are undoubtedly the wave of the future. Yet, despite the hype in recent years around the plethora of smart devices available for the home, homeowners have been slow to embrace smart-home living wholeheartedly. At the moment, they appear to be more interested in supporting the tech they have already than in adding more tech to their lives. A kitchen technology awareness survey of interior designers and consumers conducted by the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) in 2018 revealed a considerable disconnect between what technologies consumers said appealed to them and what designers’ perceived their clients wanted.
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Selling interior design services in the 2020s
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesTwo inevitable trends will transform the interior design industry in the coming decade. One is the rise of the millennial client. The other is the maturing of e-commerce. These trends are inextricably linked. Designers who want to remain competitive in this changing market will need to innovate their marketing and business processes to attract and retain these clients.
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Malls without walls: The stealth privatization of public space in the US
Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building MaterialsTo architects and urban designers, the "public realm" has become sacred in planning systems and urban visions over the last two decades. The space between buildings has become seen as equally consequential as the buildings themselves. This often results in captivating sketches and visualizations of new development or transformed town centers. But the creeping privatization of the land rights and management regimes that underlie those sketches is provoking questions about how the ownership of the public realm impacts our experience of it.
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Lower interest rates boost home sales, prices
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsBucking the more common seesaw pattern of recent years, home sales in August rose for the second month in a row, buoyed by a decline in mortgage interest rates. Both new and existing homes posted gains, reaffirming analysts’ indications that there is a high level of pent-up demand for homes, but that many prospective buyers have been deterred by tight inventories and high prices. Sales levels had been lagging behind those of 2018 during the first half of the year but now are up 2.6% from the same period last year.
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Remodeling activity to ease, then dip in 2020
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesContrary to earlier forecasts, demand for residential remodeling services increased during the second quarter of 2019. Industry experts have adjusted their growth projections for the year upward. At the same time, however, they now foresee a steeper decline in growth for the year ahead. Mark Boud, chief economist at Metrostudy, noted that continued weak home sales and construction rates were expected to continue into 2020, resulting in “some loss of remodeling activity."
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Community revitalization: 10 tips to get people to come downtown
Terri Williams Civil & GovernmentThe heart of any city or town is its downtown area. While the lure of the suburbs has seduced many to put down roots in the outlying areas, there are ways to coax residents back to the city — if not permanently, then at least for shopping, eating, and entertainment. Once they’ve experienced a fun, walkable downtown, they’re more likely to want to live there. But how can you get people to come downtown? Programming. "Essentially, programming means creating activities that drive people downtown," explains Quint Studer, a community revitalization expert.
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Fixing the bugs in activity-based work environments
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesCompanies with high concentrations of knowledge workers have been gravitating toward activity-based work (ABW) environments in recent years to address employees’ complaints about the shortcomings of open-plan office spaces. Although employee response has been generally favorable, recent research indicates that ABWs can present their own set of problems if not carefully designed. In lieu of a single, dedicated office or cubicle, ABWs offer employees a wide variety of space types in which to work, each designed to support different types of work and interpersonal activities.
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Older designers need to flaunt their strengths
Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesSome readers of a certain age may object to my labeling them as "older." I get that. "Old" and "older" are pejoratively loaded terms in our society and in a profession that thrives on creativity, innovation and novelty. The reality, though, is that, like it or not, "old" is how others perceive you. For that reason, it is crucial that you not take your past success for granted. If you want to stay competitive or employable, you need to reinforce your value to your clients or your firm.
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Interior design’s widening impact on healthcare outcomes
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesOne of the biggest successes in interior design in recent years has been the recognition that the design of healthcare interiors can have a significant impact on patient experience and, consequently, health outcomes. For more than two decades, research and case studies have documented various ways in which patient-centered improvements to the interior environment can make positive contributions to patients’ physiological and psychological health. Over time, the list has grown as investigators, building on previous research, have explored patients’ responses in a variety of healthcare settings more deeply.
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