Design Source

Death of the McMansion

Posted by Design Source on 1 September 2011 | 0 Comments

McMansions are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Recently, 2,000 International Furnishings and Design Association members participated in a once a decade survey to determine what home life in America will be like by the year 2020. Smaller more efficient use of space seems to be the overall trend.

76% of the survey takers foresee the American home becoming smaller and containing fewer rooms. What is interesting is that when asked the same question at the turn of the millennium only 49% thought that homes would become smaller.

Of the rooms available to disappear from homes, the dining room seems to be the one getting the boot. 71% predict the extinction of the formal dining room. This means big news for the kitchen. The consensus is the act of dining will move into the kitchen and therefore to accommodate, kitchen sizes will increase. In fact, it is thought by 91.5% that single use rooms will be morphed into spaces that serve multiple functions.

If rooms are no longer serving single functions, then the furniture must also be adaptable as well. 65.7% of participants think that movable and modular pieces will overtake large scale, heavy, built-in furniture. Also, we will see an increased interest in ergonomics and a decrease in disposable furniture.

Perhaps the most space age prediction is the integration of technology. We might be living in the time of touch pads, but 97% of survey takers think voice and sensor controls will begin to appear on more and more home equipment.

Even though we already practice many of these predictions, we will see a definite increase in their popularity. Smaller, more open and efficient homes are becoming the new norm. The glory days of the McMansion are officially over.

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