Every year, the International Builders’ Show serves as a forum for home builders to learn about the latest drivers of design and home sales—and the 2011 conference was no exception. Change is upon us, and builders around the country and at every price point are struggling to get a bead on the industry’s direction and the health and motivations of their particular market segments. Speakers at the 2011 Builders’ Show attempted to provide a clear view of the future by discussing the issues home buyers are concerned about, both in the wake of the Great Recession and beyond the recovery, and by offering a look at emerging design trends.
10+ Luxury Home Trends: Small—but well-appointed—homes are in, and so are affordable upscale products and dual-purpose rooms. Luxury home buyers want unique designs that cater to their taste, but they’re also reining in their spending.
20 Kitchen Design Ideas: Aging baby boomers, sustainability, health consciousness, stricter energy regulations, new technologies, and the rise of the single-woman buyer are all factors shaping kitchen aesthetics and functionality today. Speakers at IBS offered timely tips for creating kitchens that shine in today’s market.
Is Universal Design the Next Big Thing?: Baby Boomers could be the catalysts driving a new design movement that benefits everyone. Universal design has evolved into an attractive, easy-to-use, and invisible design method that enables, rather than disables, all home occupants regardless of age or physical capabilities.
Home Buyers Want Smaller Homes with More Open Spaces: New studies by the NAHB and Better Homes & Gardens offer an in-depth look at the home features consumers want now and what they may want in the future.
New Profile of Retirement Home Buyers is Emerging: They are fewer in number, and their expectations don’t always match up with conventional wisdom, said three experts on 50-plus consumers at IBS. Builders targeting the active-adult and retirement markets need to relearn who their customer is and what that customer wants—because their preferences are no longer as predictable as before.
