Separation of couple and estate is approved
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Some couples no longer have to argue about wallpaper in the living room or the colors in the bath. They have his and hers, says The Wall Street Journal.
Even garages are being divvied up with, say, lace curtains on one side and oil spots and machine parts on the other. The gentlemen's room is for him. The meditation area is for her.
It's not necessarily a new idea, of course. Double vanity sinks became popular in the 1970s. The idea was underscored in the late '90s with Chris Casson Madden's popular book A Room of Her Own.
But the National Association of Home Builders estimates that new houses with at least one area for her and one for him are up to 40 percent across the country, double the number in 1995.
Why now? With a big house to fill, why not?
The downside? The specialized spaces may not be so attractive to the next buyer. So think twice about the balcony putting green for him and a ballet room for her, the Journal cautions.