How The Modern Home Has Changed

This year with The Queen [reference here] reigning supreme, a lot more of us are seeing a lot more of our homes. That has sparked a lot of DIY projects, home office envy and in general, taking a closer look into the space we have been [mostly] confined to in 2020! The home as we know it has changed dramatically over the last few centuries. I thought it would be fun to explore those changes a bit.

We must first take a ride on our “way back” machine and look back to the Victorian era to understand this. The homes that the modern folk of England had, were largely one-floor and most likely, a couple or a few rooms. So, with regards to practical design, they were simple and easy to produce on a large scale.

Yet, when more and more people started to live closer in proximity, more room was needed, and thus, the flat or ‘apartment’ was born. Living spaces grew taller, not wider, and they offered a lot in the way of managing space.

Now, however, just one family lives in a 2 or 3-story home. The verticality has been kept, but now it's used differently.

The hidden haven

The modern home has a choice for its hidden haven. Depending on where you live (and a few other factors) you can either expand your loft or attic or expand your basement. This gives at least one part of your home a distinct ‘cut off’ feeling from the rest of the house. Your loft could be converted into another bedroom or perhaps a place of relaxation. Or in my case, an office.

Put in some ceiling windows, throw in some bean bag chairs along with some entertainment options and you have the makings of a brilliant hangout area. For your basement, it's going to be a little colder, as hot air rises. So lay down a carpet, throw in some area rugs and you have a great place for yoga, meditation, or reading. The home looks normal from the eyes of a guest, but hidden away you have a cool little safe haven.

The entertainment space

As more modern homeowners get the hang of entertaining they have come to want more space dedicated just to this. They don’t want to utilize their own dining table, they want to bring guests to a totally new area. The entertainment space is what modern architecture companies that are worth their weight in gold, are offering when it comes to home design.

In addition, ‘vertical living’ designs are in high demand and is what most urban homes need. They can make your basement area into a totally usable floor, not just one room. They can make the floor hard, by using slabs of concrete, stone, or tiles. This way if there is a flood, you won’t need to replace the carpet. Talk to them about heated floors to make this space comfortable.

A modern terrace

If you look at the design trends in New York, Paris, London, and even Tokyo, you can see that terrace apartments and homes are now being built. Designers have realized that they don’t need to build full apartments or homes that have a ceiling and wall design that is very boxed in.

They can offer clients, more room to spend outside without actually being outdoors. A terrace allows for incredible views, a place to hang out, and acts as a patio for many apartments. With 360-degree panoramic views, they have also found that customers will pay more for a beautiful terrace!

How about you? What home design projects have you been thinking of lately?

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