The pandemic has had a major impact on real estate in terms of pricing, inventory, availability and values. But it has also left its mark on home design with many homeowners, builders and remodelers reimagining almost every room in the house.
When the pandemic forced both parents to work from home, and children were schooling from home as well, suddenly the dining room defaulted to a second office space. Zoom calls were being done from the makeshift office set up in the master bedroom because it was quiet. Kids were doing schoolwork at the kitchen island. All of which are uses that none of those spaces were designed to accommodate.
We spoke to several builders, designers and other real estate experts about the pandemic-driven home trends they are seeing and which ones are here to stay. The overarching theme is that homes are now being built with more flexibility in spaces that buyers can make into an office, school room, home gym or any other need that might arise.