Woman-Centric Home Design
In talking with home buyers from around the country, Design Basics’ research revealed four “lenses” women use to evaluate home plans: she imagines how she would entertain in the home; she looks for ways the home will be a refuge from her busy lifestyle and help her de-stress; she picks up on the home’s storage—or lack of it; and her natural, nurturing instinct and tendency to anticipate future events also means her home must be flexible enough to accommodate today’s needs as well as tomorrow’s.
Livability at a Glance
To make visualizing the finished home and how it will live easier, Design Basics created a new way to present floor plans to help you narrow the search for a design that fits your personal lifestyle and needs.
The floor plans are shown in a color coded presentation that highlights four different categories.
Entertaining (yellow) De-Stressing (blue) Flexible Living (green) Storing (orange)
Entertaining
Many of the best times of our lives revolve around being with family and friends. Whether it's hosting formal get-togethers, holiday dinners, or children’s birthday parties, the kitchen is the hub of activity. We’ve focused on the flow, layout and product selections, rewarding you with a kitchen that is more functional, efficient and can actually help reduce stress! Another hallmark of an entertaining home is designing it so that every-one is a part of the fun. With the eating area(s), kitchen and great room all open to each other, our open floor plans really pull entertaining or family life together.
Today’s media choices run the gamut. From dedicated home theaters and media rooms to installing invisible speakers you don’t need to decorate around, media-related entertaining is something we’ll help you plan for.
If there are children in your home, you will value a place where they can go and play (and not drown out adult conversations) A place where toys and games are stored and Lego® creations can be left for another day. In other words, a place where kids can be kids. Whether it’s a barbeque or outside games, we believe outdoor entertaining should be a natural extension of your home’s flow.
Covered porches are wonderful, especially if inclement weather would have threatened your outdoor plans. We can also add screens around the porch to control insects, or turn your space into a true fourseasons room by opting for windows and supplemental heat.
De-Stressing After a long and hectic day, finding personal space to decompress is as important as breathing. Everyone has their own way to de-stress. How do you like to unwind? If reading or watching a little television is how you like to relax, a sitting area in the master bedroom may be the answer. Perhaps you envision a long, hot soak in your very own spa bath. Enjoy nature? Then outdoor living spaces will be high on your list. If you like to work off stress by working out, an exercise room works for you.
Woman-Centric home design addresses less obvious aspects, too. For example, think about the entry into your home from the garage. Envisioning this as a “rear foyer” leads to designing this space differently. Moms tell us getting the family out the door on-time in the morning with everything they need, is stressful! Our rear foyer layouts offer stress busters such as lockers for the kids, walk-in closets, a bench for removing shoes, and the “drop zone,” featuring a recharging center, drop-off counter, mail sorting, and cabinetry for everything from flashlights to sunglasses.
Long-lasting, low-maintenance and easy-to-clean products help alleviate the stress and burden of maintenance and upkeep. Therefore, we’ve taken extra care in selecting the products featured in our homes. For example, building your new deck using composite materials rather than cedar is “mentally freeing”— freeing you from the hassles of power washing, re-sealing and re-staining your deck every couple of years.
Flexible Living Change’ is all around us. As our lives change, we appreciate homes designed to adapt to our changing situations. That’s why we’ve taken care to design flexible floor plans to meet both current and future needs, like caring for aging parents or starting a home-based business.
Being able to combine a bedroom and a private bath makes a great suite. Taken one step further, we have some home designs in which a pair of adjacent secondary bedrooms can be converted into a suite with both a sleeping area and its own living space.
People who succeed in working from home attest to the importance of having a dedicated home office space. Working together, we can ensure that accessibility, storage, privacy and any special technology issues are addressed in your new home.
Homes designed with flexibility in mind also address conflicting schedules. For example, when designing a shared bathroom, we’ve developed plans which allow two people to get ready at the same time.
Room to grow Family situations change. Our needs and wants for space in our homes change too. Our solution? Unfinished areas of the home, especially on a second level, over a garage, or in a basement. You may not need this space when you first move into your home, but it will give you room to add a bedroom, media room, home office or playroom. Being able to grow into these spaces and configure them as the need arises, means you don’t have to worry about outgrowing your home!
Storing
Have you ever met someone who had too much storage space in their home? The lack of space, disorganization and clutter can be significant sources of stress, especially when you’re in a hurry. Designed with storage in mind, our woman-centric homes offer storage solutions to put you in control and give you back a little more time.
“More closet space” is one of the most often mentioned reasons for buying a new home. In addition to bigger closets, our available closet systems can help you organize and store twice as many items as the standard rod and shelf approach! You’ll also appreciate our generous coat closets and family-size linen closets with ample storage for extra pillows, comforters and sheet sets, as well as towels and washcloths.
Kitchen storage starts with storing items near where they will be used. Big pantries can be found in all of our homes, with storage for prepared foods, the bread maker and food processor. Storage and organization is an essential aspect of creating your dream kitchen.
We all love a good bargain, but where do you keep the jumbo 12-roll pack of paper towels? Or cleaning supplies, some of which need to be stored out of the reach of children? Laundry room and bulk item storage is something you’ll appreciate every day.
Not to be overlooked, our garage organization/storage systems are an excellent investment for your own sanity and peace of mind. They may also help you someday resell your home for a higher price and in a quicker timeframe.