Designer Group Predicts American Home Shrinking, Families Rethinking Lifestyles

Jasen shared this article from Rug News with the group. Here's an excerpt:

Americans will be living in smaller spaces and with fewer rooms by the year 2020, according to more than 76 % of IFDA members. Ten years ago, only 49% foresaw less living space in our future. 

Formal living rooms are going extinct, according to an increasing majority of the design professionals (more than 64% up from 51% in 2000). 

Kiss your dining room goodbye, too: nearly three-quarters of the respondents (71%) doubt that there will even be a separate dining room in most homes by 2020. The space will be put to multiple other uses instead. 

Separate rooms are disappearing; they are blending into spaces that serve many different purposes, predicts 91.5% of the design experts – which is exactly what they foresaw back in 2000. 

Master bedroom suites won’t be bigger, just busier. Although 52.2% of the surveyed members predict the master suite will stay about the same size as now, they see it sharing space with the home office, media center, and exercise room. 

Everyone is working at home. A home office is a given, say more than three-quarters of the respondents, but 37.3% of the forecasters see more than one home office under every roof.

Read the full article here.