They will be spending around US$1,000to US$1,500 on their homes with a playroom high in the list of priorities, says the research from Zillow. A home office is also proving to be popular.
Fewer will be re-vamping the whole of their homes, the research found but the current trends indicate they will be creating playrooms and offices.
‘Autumn is a perfect transition time from outdoor to indoor activities, which is resonating in home improvement plans and trends. Parents are sprucing up indoor play areas to keep the kids active and occupied, while looking for ways to update their own workspaces for the season ahead as workdays are shortened by kid pick up and drop off duty,’ said Cynthia Nowak, Zillow Digs trend expert.
The research found that as the line between work and home continues to blur, home owners are looking for quiet and clean spaces where they can wrap up leftover projects from the office or work from home.
According to members of the recently formed Zillow Digs Board of Designers, which provides Zillow Digs users insight into unique and current trends in home design, the majority are designing home office spaces for dual purposes. This would include having a sofa bed or daybed so it can become a guest bedroom with a desk doubling as a guest bedroom nightstand or a mini kitchen for the home office coffee pot.
‘If your guest room must do double duty, look for furniture that keeps the room from being too businesslike, such as an office armoire, chests, cabinets, side tables and creative storage solutions that look pretty, too. A good looking, uncluttered space is the best remedy for the chaos of a typical office,’ said Kerrie Kelly of Kerrie Kelly Design Lab in Sacramento, California.
Mara Miller of Carrier and Company Interiors in New York City said that as laptops and tablets become more popular there is no longer the need for customised furniture in a home office. She added that those who use their home offices a lot are installing coffee bars to reduce trips to the kitchen and grazing while working from home.
Families want play spaces that keep the little ones climbing, sliding, swinging and jumping as well as nearby areas for adults to stay active such as a workout area or pool table, according to the majority of Zillow Digs Board of Designers.
For playrooms, the designers generally advise creating gender neutral spaces that everyone can enjoy, with durable, eco friendly materials such as carpet tiles. ‘Playrooms incorporating the mind and body are increasingly popular. I like to incorporate murals, which invite children to explore and stimulate their imagination, as well as an active area. A recent playroom remodel featured gymnastic rings, a climbing wall and a punching bag, while in another I commissioned an artist to decoupage a ping pong table,’ explained David Scott of David Scott Interiors in New York City.
Garrison Hullinger of Garrison Hullinger Interior Design in Portland, Oregon, said that a playroom should be practical and able to be converted to a general use room after it's had its day as a playroom.
According to Marc Thee of Marc-Michaels Interior Design, in Winter Park Florida, the dark office days are over because they were feeling like dark caves. ‘Lighter tones are better for keeping the mood up during work hours. Our favourite hues for a home office are neutral menswear colours such as warm graphite and rich palominos, with limestone and greyed lavender for a woman's office.
For playrooms, hew recommends grape, oranges and slate colours. Chalkboard paint also is a huge trend, allowing boys and girls to express their creativity on the walls of the playroom.
Homes with children are significantly more likely to be planning three or more home improvements with 31% saying they are planning to do while just 19% of households without children are planning work. Homes with children plan to spend a median of $1,500 on fall home improvement projects, while home owners in general as well as homes without children plan to spend $1,000.
The survey also looked at the top sources of ideas and inspiration for home improvement and found online sources are the most popular at 39% overall, with nearly half, 48%, of younger home owners and 47% of homes with children finding inspiration online.