Mad for Mid
Mid-century modernism is still going strong. According to Kevin Alter of Alterstudio Architects in Austin, Texas, the great and sustained interest makes sense, and it runs deeper than just good looks. The birth of mid-century modernism “was a period of great optimism and excitement,” says Alter. “The buildings and objects that came out of that movement tended to be relatively free of the dogma that burdened so much of later modernism, and instead arose out of the excitement that sprung from imagining new and better ways to live, and an embrace of technology and the new opportunities it afforded.”
Open Up
Living space that opens onto kitchen and dining areas are popular in detached homes, and this type of layout has become essential for one-bedroom apartments that are marketable, says Manny Gonzalez, a principal at KTGY in Los Angeles and designer of mid- and high-rise multifamily dwellings. “Whether we’re talking about Gen Yers who haven’t formed households yet, single professional women, or retired couples, there’s a demand for less-formal living spaces that have to answer to a wider range of age groups and living situations,” he says.
