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Homeowners are trading square footage for features, particularly those that increase accessibility that allow them to stay at home even with limited mobility, according to the American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey for the first quarter of 2017.
“With younger households that are increasingly entering the market looking for more affordable options, home sizes appear to have peaked for this economic cycle,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “For aging owners, accessibility continues to be a high priority.”
In-home accessibility (59 percent), single-floor plans (53 percent) and open-space layouts (51 percednt) were the biggest home-design trends of 2017. Demand for accessibility and open-space layouts has dropped since the first quarter of 2016, while interest in single-floor plans climbed 6 percentage points during the period.
Beyond universal design, the survey also indicated demand for outdoor living space (66 percent) and blended indoor/outdoor living areas topped the outdoor space trends.
All of the data can be accessed through this infographic.