Today's Trends

Creating a Room of One's Own

Think specialty room, and the increasingly popular home office or home theater may first come to mind. Yet as more people search for ways to transform their home from run-of-the-mill rest stop to customized retreat, a new, more diverse generation of specialty rooms is quickly gaining popularity.

According to Shawn Aherns, product marketing manager at Andersen Windows, more homeowners than ever are thinking beyond the traditional home office and dreaming up entirely new uses for their space.

“From snoring rooms to meditation rooms, personalization is moving to a whole new level,” Aherns said. “Builders are responding by offering upgraded packages for greater customization and designating space for multiple specialty rooms in higher-end homes.”

While home offices still remain the most popular type of specialty room, hobby and game rooms, home theaters, exercise rooms and au pair/in-law suites continue to increase in popularity, according to the American Institute of Architects 2007 Home Design Trends Survey. Of these rooms, exercise and fitness rooms saw the greatest increase in popularity over the last year with a 7 percent jump.

“We’re starting to see more creativity being applied to these spaces,” Aherns said, “and homeowners are also starting to get more involved in the process. They are fusing their decorating vision with the building process, asking for their creative vision to be applied to all elements of the room.”

One of the most common requests for these spaces is access to natural light. In rejuvenation, hobby and meditation rooms in particular, light fixtures are taking a back seat to large windows, skylights and custom sized patio doors, which break the boundary to nature and inspire relaxation. Some homeowners are even opting to include floor-to-ceiling windows in their meditation rooms, while others build year-round, sun-infused glass porches off of the home office for a mid-day escape to a more natural environment.

“It’s about designing your dream space to meet your personal needs,” Aherns said. “Now, more than ever, we’re seeing windows become an important part of that equation. Homeowners are beginning to take more ownership over the window selection process, using them in new, creative ways to help realize their decorating vision.”

As more homeowners look for ways to personalize their spaces, look for these new twists on previously popular specialty rooms.

Rejuvenation Rooms
No longer just a space for exercising, fitness rooms are getting made into rejuvenation rooms — one-stop sites for taking care of mind, body and soul. Serene spaces for exercises such as yoga, are being combined with meditation spaces and at-home spas, saunas and steam showers to create a personal sanctuary for fitness and escape.

Hobby Rooms
Today’s equivalent to the artist studios and sewing room is more diverse than ever as people look for ways to enjoy their favorite pastimes at home. Once relegated to a corner of the garage or basement, these special-purpose rooms are becoming more integral to the architecture. High-tech wine cellars for sommeliers-at-heart are taking over once unfinished basements. Garages with built-in storage, customized work tables and gadgets galore are appealing to fix-it types. Craft rooms are also earning their rightful place in the home, with custom work stations and built-in storage for everything from scrapbooking to wrapping a gift.

Meditation Rooms
Meditation and prayer rooms are becoming increasingly common, with designs ranging from sleek to ornate. Many of them draw upon authentic eastern design principles, such as Vastu Shastra or Feng Shui to add to the authenticity of the space. An ever growing immigrant population is also increasing demand for rooms reflecting materials, style and design principles native to their culture.

Snoring Rooms
Master bedrooms are being expanded to create a personal retreat beyond just sleeping, with new cozy reading areas, meditation spots and personal storage than ever before. Yet with sleep still being a priority among often-deprived Americans, smaller snoring rooms — an adjacent space with a double bed and chair — are also being incorporated for the once-banished member of the family. A concept particularly popular among baby boomers, snoring rooms are helping noisier sleepers everywhere avoid taking the long walk to the couch.