HOUSE DESIGN Building trends focus on lifestyles, cultures

Historical revivals rather than utilitarian exteriors are growing in favor.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
CHICAGO -- Houses of the future will sport "dirty kitchens," garages equipped for parties and clubrooms that will be more popular than today's family rooms.
And that's only the beginning of what housing experts are predicting for home design. They also say: Special kid-friendly features will help keep children at home.
Interiors will have more designated storage spaces to provide organization and reduce stress.
Interior changes will be made to cater to immigrants, an increasing share of the new-home market.
There will be more indoor-outdoor living spaces, including courtyards, even in the Midwest.
Exterior designs of new houses will reflect updated versions of historic American homes.
Cluster housing will become increasingly prevalent as the cost of land in desirable locations shrinks.
Architects, designers, builders and other housing experts churned out a whole spectrum of ideas -- ranging from designing for different generations and cultures to new design trends around the country -- when they gathered recently in Las Vegas for the International Builders' Show.
If some of these ideas don't show up right away in a subdivision near you, it's because many of the new design trends originate in California and then spread to the rest of the country.
Room functions
One of them is the "dirty kitchen," according to Chicago-area architect Salvatore Balsamo, who was a speaker at the show, which serves as the convention of the National Association of Home Builders. It's a way to separate the mess from the guests. Much of the cooking takes place in the "dirty kitchen," leaving the main kitchen as a showplace where people can gather during a party.
Not far from the kitchen, another trend is emerging: to tuck garages away so they are not as prominent on the streetscape. In addition, the uses of garages may expand beyond the storage of cars and garden tools.
"Today's 500-square-foot Garage Mahal can be tricked out with a bar, sink and music amplifier to create a space for entertaining," suggested Jillian Cooke, president of DES-SYN, a design firm in Atlanta.
"The new hub of the house will be a clubroom -- a combination media center, bar and home office," predicted Marc Three, co-CEO and owner of Marc-Michaels Interior Design Inc. in Winter Park, Fla.
"Big power desks are gone," he added, thus leaving more space in the clubroom for a multitude of other uses.
Ultimate home
Several trends were showcased in the Ultimate Family Home, a rambling residence that was open during the Las Vegas convention.
It was designed using input from focus groups that revealed "how families really want to live," according to its sponsors -- Pardee Homes, Builder and Home magazines and Bassenian/Lagoni Architects.
What family wouldn't want a mini-mountain in the back yard that is topped by a tree house and has a water slide spiraling down into a swimming pool?
One purpose of the recreational facilities is to make the house a destination for neighborhood youngsters, a way to keep the children at home, a trend that has gained steam since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A loft game room is another kid-oriented amenity along this theme.
The three-level, 5,300-square-foot, Spanish and Mediterranean-style hacienda with a red-tile roof claims energy efficiency that will save up to $5,000 a year in utility costs compared to conventionally built houses. Solar power adds to the energy efficiency.
The Ultimate Family Home is loaded with storage in an effort to cut down on clutter, help organize hectic lifestyles and reduce stress.
"People can achieve a better quality of life with better organization and less clutter," said Annie Pane, ergonomic design consultant at East Coast Feng Shui, Woodbridge, Va., who spoke at the show.
Near the garage of the Ultimate Family Home is a "locker room" with named lockers for all members of the family. At the end of the room is a built-in cubby hole for the family dog.
Attention to exteriors
The show home's Southwestern architectural style fits its location perfectly.
In other parts of the country, however, residential design is looking back at classic designs of America's past.
"Housing was utilitarian in the '50s, '60s and even '70s. Now exteriors are becoming more historic, authentic and detailed," said Doug Sharp, managing partner of the architectural firm of Bloodgood Sharp Buster in West Des Moines, Iowa.
"We're updating designs from the 19th century through the 1920s. The neotraditional movement is reflected in nostalgic communities with alley-loaded garages."
Although outdoor living is more associated with Sun Belt locations, it could be increasing in northern locations because of the increasing popularity of courtyards, which frequently are equipped with fireplaces and built-in barbecues.
Cultural needs
Immigrants represent an increasing component of the housing market, and catering to them will become increasingly important.
"At the Greenwood Meadows subdivision in New Jersey, we've had a 45 percent increase in Asian and Indian buyers, a dramatic shift," said Lisa Macchi, vice president of sales and marketing at Millennium Homes in Livingston, N.J.
She added that these groups know what they want, and the builder has made changes to accommodate them.
"Both groups want an eastern exposure. Asians won't buy a house with a front staircase in line with the front door. Indians want baths as far from the kitchen as possible, and they want a lower shower head for foot-washing. Indians also want an upstairs prayer room," Macchi said.
Selling to Asians often requires a knowledge of feng shui, the ancient Eastern philosophy that prescribes how homes should be arranged for optimum benefits.
"Feng shui is well-known in California, particularly San Francisco, and it will spread to the rest of the country in five years," predicted Pane, the ergonomic design consultant.
Retirement housing is taking off. "Before, everyone wanted to live in the Sun Belt," Balsamo said. "Now many retirees want to live near their families and friends."
He foresees the development of smaller retirement communities. They will be both age-restricted and age-targeted.
Those empty-nesters will also want two of everything, said Georganne Derick, president of Merchandising East and MS Interior Design in Ellicott City, Md.
"They want his-and-her offices, his-and-her bedrooms and his-and-her baths. They've shared before, and they've decided it's not worth the aggravation in a new house."
Additional trends
Other trends, according to Balsamo, include higher ceilings -- from the former standard of 8 feet to 9 feet, and 10 feet in custom houses; larger mud rooms; laundry rooms on the second floor; and pocket rooms off the kitchen that can be used as computer stations.
"More open great rooms are coming. What is waning is the standard combination of living room, dining room, kitchen and family room. The formal living room is going away, with that area being used as flex space," Sharp said.