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Amidst the evolving situations in our world today, the Danielian Team is looking ahead to the shifts in future home design.

Health and Safety:  The Entry Context of a Home

The idea of “home” has taken on a new meaning with health, well-being, and safety at top of mind for both consumers and homebuyers.  Commitment to safety and well-being starts at the front door, and as such, the DA Design Team began here with our deeper dive into the future of home design.

Last month we conducted an industry-wide survey to investigate this topic further, discovering how the idea of home has changed and what that might mean for the future of residential design.  Over half of all respondents said that the pandemic shifted what they prioritize in a home, certainly a substantial impact.  Particularly noteworthy was the sampling came back nearly equally distributed across each age demographic – Boomers, Gen X’ers, and Millennials.  Meaning, this information will have an impact across all product types.

12% of respondents indicated they had either a mudroom or a ‘transition space’ within the entry context of their home.  This number contrasts sharply with the nearly 70% who indicated that having this space was either desirable or highly desirable (for reference – 78% of total respondents indicated they had purchased a resale home vs. 22% purchased a new home).   With older housing stock making up the bulk of home sales along with the fact this design feature is often overlooked in temperate West Coast housing markets, reshaping the entry context is a great opportunity to differentiate current products lines and adapt these design elements into homes for greater living experiences at all scales and price points.

Thinking of the home’s entry as a ‘transition space’ and what daily activities transpire here is the inspiration for our design solutions.  How are we currently using these spaces and what are they lacking in order to better suit our daily lives?  It is also important to ensure that design solutions are scalable and adaptable for future use.

 

As ‘safer-at-home’ orders are eased and we begin to venture out more frequently, this transitional entry space or “Well-Way” will be central to keeping our home’s interiors and occupants safe and healthy – akin to scrubbing in to our homes when we return from work and essential activities.  Places to safely and elegantly store shoes, clothes, purses and totes, etc. should be easily accessible in order to avoid tracking these dirty items throughout a clean and secure home.  Locating the powder room and laundry area near the entry is important for handwashing and clean up.  In larger homes, an opportunity to have a full bath or shower near the garage / secondary home entrance would be ideal.  Think of all the essential workers and health care providers that would appreciate that extra bathroom right now, not to mention how convenient it would make cleaning up from routine household chores and weekend work.  A secure package reception space can be upgraded with technology to handle both parcels and perishable food deliveries.  Lastly, a control hub can be integrated for centralized access to smart home technology as well as news, weather, community alerts, temp scanning, etc.

Anecdotally, taking a quick look back at history shows an appreciation for Janus (the god of beginnings) reaching as far back as prior to the city of Rome.  This symbolic nature was often applied to doorways and passageways for safety and protection and has echoed throughout society since.  Janus is typically depicted as having two faces looking at opposite ways, one towards the past and the other towards the future.  It is often said that history repeats itself, will we see an appreciation for Janus and the concept of passageway safety and protection return within the home?

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The Danielian Associates Team is working hard to provide our clients with creative solutions for current challenges.  Contact us today to start a conversation and see what our iDA Lab studio can do for you.