•Getting and receiving feedback is critical for their development.
•Building relationships and networks is a key ingredient to their
accomplishments.
They are tech savvy, with every gadget imaginable almost becoming an extension
of their bodies. They multitask: talk, walk, listen, type and text with their
thumbs. And their priorities are simple: They come first.
And as Morley Safer noted, this generation only takes yes for an answer.
A Place to Recharge
Home is a place to hang out with friends, connect to the virtual world and
recharge a multitude of wireless gadgets. Urban renewal areas make sense to the
young and adventurous, and they embrace the bold open spaces of city lofts,
apartments, condos and townhomes downtown or on the city fringes. Those long
commutes that their parents tolerated are of no use to them.
They would rather walk to work, walk to dinner, walk home.
Housing styles must be smaller and energy efficient. Value engineering is replacing the two-story rooms, sunrooms, and large soaking
tubs, as they squander too much energy.
Make it green, and use sustainable, recycled materials to appease the
conservation minded.
Designing to Yes!
Appealing to the millennials requires an understanding of their social
preferences.
Holly Polgreen, president and co-founder of Carlyn and Company in Great Falls,
Va., points out that
“they love to party and hang out in groups. Living rooms become hip lounges with
open floor plans. Outdoor spaces extend that living space and create another
‘room’ for socializing. And those outdoor rooms are furni-
shed as thoughtfully as indoor spaces, with high-end finishes and
furnishings.”
JoAnn McInnis, vice president of client services and business development for
Carlyn and Company, agrees:
“Creating a sense of community and offering gathering spaces is a key ingredient
for multi-family developers. Clubhouses are expanding their programming to
include demonstration kitchens, dog spas, private wine lockers and click-cafes
(a brand name associated with the business centers of developer
Archstone-Smith). Clubhouses are using outdoor spaces as an extension of
interior lounges, with fire pits, two-sided fireplaces, and outdoor
‘living room seating’ complete with outdoor bars.”
The fitness areas are expanding into dramatic spaces that have areas designated
for Pilates and yoga, kickboxing, interactive equipment, massage and spa
facilities.
New on the horizon are green-friendly “oxygen walls” in fitness centers, where plantscapes offer fresh air in exchange for our CO2.
Technology is so much a part of their lives that it is not to be hidden away
with armoires. Instead, computers, televisions and iPods are openly featured in
every room, says Polgreen.
Bill Carroll agrees, and says, “The advent of bedroom furniture that includes charging stations for electronics
is a perfect example.
Even the mirror over the dresser is being replaced with a flat screen TV.”
Style Preferences
“Forget Pottery Barn. No more Old World Tuscan style. This is the stuff of their parents and grandparents. This generation wants West Elm, IKEA or Design Within Reach. Anything that is
vintage mid-century modern, from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s appeals to the new
urban sensibility with nostalgia added to the mix,
” declares Carroll.
As global awareness expands into common culture, furnishings and fashion are
emerging with a global mix of styles:
African, Asian, Chinese, French, Indian, Moroccan, Malaysian, South American
and Tibetan for starters.
And colors follow suit, mixing brilliant ruby, sapphire, and amethyst with
purple, fuchsia and tangerine.
Food Room Fashions
Every generation says yes to spacious kitchens and large dining spaces. We are a nation that loves to dine. Dining rooms are still important for the social aspect, and are showing the
influence of the restaurant culture.
Large dining tables have banquette benches in the mix. Living rooms are an
extension of the dining room, using lounge chairs for gathering before dinner.
In small efficiency apartments, dining, living and cyberspaces are shared.
Popular fabrics are high performance, which means that they are easy
maintenance, easy to clean and they feel good to the touch.
Ultra suede and sunbrella fabrics are appealing for this reason, says Carroll.
Holly Polgreen notes that vinyl is used commonly in commercial lounges, and
IKEA features it on residential furniture.
For the millennials, white-glazed kitchen cabinets and sleek European styles
seem to be preferred.
Mission-style wooden doors with chrome bar handles are also on trend. Granite remains the
number-one choice for counter surfaces, and stainless steel appliances are still
preferred.
The Green Scene
Green, sustainable building and design are the buzzwords that sell everything
from homes to furnishings to magazines.
Eco-awareness is the single largest influence of the color pallets for 2009.
Look for earth tones, blue sky, pure air, serene water, slate blue, stone gray
and vegetal greens.
Recycled materials, chunky slabs of wood and even driftwood used in furnishings
are hot.
Bamboo, cork and concrete floors are offered by more builders. Even linoleum is considered cool for its health-friendly benefits and
mid-century American look.
Getting to Yes
Carroll feels that the future direction of housing trends is an unknown for now.
There are too many variables that keep us guessing.
This has been one long economic storm that still hovers.
On a final note, here is a quote from poet Wallace Stevens, which inspired this
article.
“After the final no, there comes a yes, and on that yes, the future of the world
hangs.
” Let us design and deliver that “Yes!” to the next great generation. Our future may depend on it.
Georganne Derick, MIRM, CAASH, is an independent consultant to the building and
design industry on market trends, interior merchandising, product design and
award entries. She can be reached at
geosjoy@verizon.net or 410-707-4486.l
