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5 Design Trends to
Maximize Space
In today’s market, five trends have emerged to
help home buyers maximize the space in their
homes — whether it’s 1,000 square feet or 10,000
square feet. Joseph Atalla of Berkeley Building
Company and Wayne Visbeen, AIA, IIDA, of
Visbeen Architects explained these trends,
including examples from their own projects,
during their IBS educational session, “Floor Plan
Solutions: Minimum Waste & Maximum Space.”
1. Right sizing. “Right sizing is about giving
you the spaces you need and you’ll enjoy living
in, without putting money into the things you
won’t,” Visbeen explained. That could include
shrinking a master bedroom to create a nicer
closet, enhancing technology features instead
of creating an entire home theater area, or
incorporating smaller touchdown spaces in lieu
of a dedicated home office.
One space in particular that has gone by
the wayside is the formal dining room, in part
because people rarely use it. “In 90% of our
homes, we’ve taken the dining room out,”
Visbeen noted, adding that it’s usually more
cost efficient for buyers to take their friends out
to a nice restaurant three or four times a year
14 JUNE 2019 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
(which is how often they’d likely use that dining
room).
2. Outdoor living. Outdoor living spaces
aren’t just for homes in California, Atalla joked.
Instead, there are ways to add livable space —
often more cost effectively for buyers.
In Atalla’s Boise, Idaho-based market, for
example, covered patios are a staple design
feature, which can be enhanced with materials
such as concrete and features such as shades.
Sitting walls can create natural seating areas,
and operable screens can help separate rooms
when needed.
3. Fireplaces. “Think about how to use fire to
add beauty to any area of your design,” Visbeen
encouraged. Linear fireplaces allow designers
to get more creative with placement — including
innovative spots such as the bathroom, garage
or even an exercise room — and more flexibility
for TV installation.
Fireplaces can also be used to create
transitional space between rooms, or enhance
a room’s aesthetic with color and texture.
4. Storage space. “We all know no matter