If we could take a sneak peek into the future and check out how we will live – what would we see?  Well, according to the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) McMansions are out, and kitchen dining and open-plan is in!

These findings are part of the Association’s second “Crystal Ball” survey conducted last year that polled IFDA members who represent all aspects of the furnishings and design industry, including interior designers, manufacturers and retailers.  Nearly 2,000 members across the U.S. and around the world were polled to see what would be happening in the American home by the year 2020.

Results from IFDA’s study confirmed those found recently when the National Association of Home Builders surveyed its members. NAHB found the average size of new homes completed decreased from 2,438 sq. ft. in 2007 to 2,377 sq. ft. in 2010. Builders further expect the floor area of new homes to be an average of 2,152 sq. ft by 2015.

Reflecting on the Past

Members from both the NAHB and IFDA naturally point to the state of the economy as a key factor in how people are building, buying and outfitting their homes. NAHB also singled out concern over energy costs and the fact that Baby Boomers, for the most part, no longer need a large number of bedrooms.

Here is just a sampling of the IFDA “Crystal Ball” findings. For more on the study, check out IFDA.

2020 Vision for the Future

• Americans will be living in smaller spaces and with fewer rooms.
• Formal living rooms are going to be extinct.
• Kiss your dining room goodbye. The space will be put to multiple other uses because…
 separate rooms are disappearing. Spaces of the future will serve many different purposes.
• Furniture will be multi-purpose. Modular, moveable and smaller-scaled furniture will overtake built-ins and big pieces. Interest in ergonomic designs created to cradle the human body will increase and, thankfully, almost no furniture will be designed with the idea of being disposable.
• Eat-in kitchens will be the norm. More than half of IFDA’s members expect eat-in kitchens to replace formal dining rooms. They also expect kitchens to grow larger to accommodate bigger crowds and Americans’ increased interest in cooking at home.
• Master bedroom suites won’t be bigger, but they will get busier. This space too will see the infiltration of other purposes, sharing time as home office, media center or exercise room.
• Everyone works from home. While the home office has already earned status as a given in design, forecasters expect the future will see more than one home office under every roof.
• High-tech is here to stay. An impressive 97% of IFDA respondents believe that by 2020 many home furnishings will be activated by means such as voice and sensor. Prime candidates for remote control/motorized operation are lighting, entertainment gear, environmental controls and window treatments.
• Outdoor living spaces are still all the rage, provided it is low maintenance.  These spaces are expected to expand even further but not so much with costly, high-maintenance items like swimming pools and hot tubs. Expectations are for increased space devoted to low-maintenance landscaping and functional gardens.

If you’re looking for a new piece of furniture that will stand the test of time, come into one of our stores today.  At Nick Scali Furniture, we’re committed to offering beautifully designed, quality furniture at affordable prices – without service complaints.