Co-creation is increasingly becoming more common and residential clients are requesting design elements they’ve discovered in commercial environments be incorporated into their home designs.
We’re not talking just great rooms with cathedral ceilings. It’s everything from the commercial furnishings, fixtures, materials and even the lighting are all chosen to replicate luxe commercial environments.
The result, now the most modern of home offices resemble corporate style office spaces, the master baths are befitting those of five-star resort spas and the home kitchens are reminiscent of upscale restaurants. The trend can even be seen in the home’s landscaping as outdoor areas are mimicking courtyard plazas traditionally experienced in commercial common areas.
The desire for commercial materials in residential settings is so high in fact that the Wynn hotel chain in Las Vegas has a thriving home furnishings store within the hotel.
Commercial Influence on Residential Architecture
Courtyards Becoming More Common
Landscape designs that typically revolved around decks, patios, and outdoor grills are now including elements from the public commons. Expansive grass lawns that require regular maintenance are being replaced by concrete, stone and water gardens which require far less maintenance. Walls entirely of glass are no longer reserved for skyscrapers and businesses. Homeowners are installing window walls and doors that slide effortlessly then tuck away out of sight giving unobstructed access to outdoor spaces to gather and play, complete with pools, fully furnished outdoor rooms and even outdoor kitchens.
The Office Away from Office
The corporate work space once common with fluorescent bulbs and beige walls changed after studies proved natural light had an overwhelmingly positive impact on productivity and morale. The physical spaces were changing at the same time technology was making telecommuting not only more possible, but also more profitable. Inevitably the demand for the home office increased. The modern home office design now commonly features abundant natural light from banks of window walls, monumental doors and plenty of white space to maximize all the natural light.
Restaurant Style Home Kitchens
Once relegated to obscure corners of the house, today’s kitchen has become the nerve center of the contemporary home where meaningful conversations take place, work gets done and the entire household congregates. Open kitchen designs with professional grade appliances, ample work space and low-maintenance countertops make preparing meals safer and easier – an absolute must in restaurants and for today’s busy households. Kitchen islands complete with tall stools are an obvious evolution of the restaurant bar. One thing that has remained unique to the home; a kitchen window. In the past, these modest windows made doing dishes a little more enjoyable. Today they are grand openings to outdoor living spaces sometimes becoming service windows to the dining room outside.
Five Star Master Baths
The modern bath has been taking on the luxury, style and elegance of first-class resorts. These in-home areas of personal retreat pamper with amenities such as large soaking tubs, walk-in personal steam rooms complete with multiple shower heads and body sprays, showers with built in benches and sound systems as well as radiant heated marble floors.
Through skylights, grandiose picture windows or even corner windows, natural light enhances the experience, illuminates the beautiful craftsmanship and showers its occupants in warm, vitamin D rich hues.
Bringing It Home
Advances in technology have transformed homeowner’s needs. There’s no longer the need to go to the office to work as in the past. Theater quality entertainment is now available on demand 24/7. And the restaurant experience can now be recreated at home - complete with choice of indoor or patio seating. The trend is clear, as the need to leave the home decreases, the more the corresponding commercial elements will be desired in residential designs.