By: Mitch Endick
Will new homes start getting smaller? Until the recent fall off in new home construction, the American housing market was booming. The trend was toward building larger and more expensive homes though there is debate about which came first, the chicken or the egg. Home builders argued that they were responding to consumer demand. Others thought that home buyers were anxious to buy larger, more expensive homes in the hopes that home resale values would continue to rise. Either way, Americans could see a trend toward smaller, more affordable homes. Small, efficient living spaces are not new to Americans or to other parts of the developed world. Many European counties are known for small houses and apartments that make the most of available space. In some cities in Japan, most notably Tokyo, it is common to see homes and apartments no larger than 500 square feet. In contrast, Americans have grown accustom to living in larger and larger homes to the point where it has become norm rather than the exception. The National Association of Homebuilders reported in 2004, that the average American home size was over 2300 feet. This represents an increase of nearly 1000 square feet since 1974. Large walk in closets, two or even three cars garages and lots of kitchen cabinets meant storage space galore. Many Americans felt a compulsion to fill up that space with more and consumer goods. Surprisingly, while the average American home was getting larger, the average family size was getting smaller. With the recent upheaval in the housing markets, it is entirely possible that home sizes will begin to shrink. Maintaining a smaller living space does have some advantages and obvious disadvantages. Less living space usually means having less room for storage. Again, this is not a new challenge but one which many younger Americans have not had to contend with. Making efficient use of space has not been a cultural imperative like it is countries like Japan where over 100 million people occupy a land area roughly the size of Montana. Now no one is advocating that Americans revert back to the days when larger families lived in smaller houses. But while the coming trend may very well see home sizes shrink the concepts of interior decorating are likely to adapt to the future. Utility and efficiency are well developed parts of interior design and a few simple changes can result in creating more usable space even in the smallest rooms. When it comes to decorating for smaller rooms the key principle is flexibility. Maximum flexibility can be achieved in a small room by avoiding those decorating changes that cannot be easily reversed or altered. For example, it may be wise to avoid things like built in bookcases and closets. Consider using movable shelves that can be easily adjusted or even added to as the need arises. Remember that in the days when built in closets were rare people relied on stand alone furniture pieces like armoires to store clothing. Today, armoires and chests can be easily moved around to change the look and function of the room without sacrificing style. Moveable and adjustable shelving that can be added to is a great way to stay ahead of your storage needs. Home entertainment systems have gotten smaller over the years with televisions that can be wall mounted instead of taking up precious floor space. Of course there is a sure fire way to create more space. Simply work to accumulate less stuff. Even todays large homes have often been stuffed to the rafters with items that see little of no use. Remember, when decorating for a smaller space the buzz word is efficiency.
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Mitch Endick is a staff writer for the quality online store FineWebStores.com. Shop for unique items for your home or office including Lane Lumber Support Recliners, Adjustable Beds and quality Bed Linens at Fine Web Stores.com. Visit FineWebStores.com today for all of your home decor and furnishing needs.
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