Trends Tools to Enhance Design Creativity At BSB Design, we know true innovation is only as good as the talented professionals who will implement it. Strategic investment in our Innovation Lab, including the BSB Design Homebuilding Lab, allows our teams the freedom to operate outside the normal course of business as they explore the newest industry advancements and design-adjacent thought leadership. Read more
Trends Prime Time for Garden-Style Apartments As the multifamily industry recalibrates to match shifting demand, garden-style apartments—especially 3- and 4-story walk-ups—are gaining serious momentum. These low-rise communities deliver a winning strategy: Faster approvals, quicker construction times and more attainable rents for markets craving new supply. Read more
Trends Flex Features: The Next Evolution of Flex Rooms According to NAHB, over the past 20 years, buyers’ home size preference has decreased by 200 square feet. When every inch counts (and costs), this creates an interesting design challenge for architects. We always want to help builders deliver plans with features that outshine the competition – especially used homes. Read more
Studio Expertise Winning Tomorrow With Townhomes Builders and developers in all markets should be looking for townhome opportunities this year. Market forecasts indicate strong growth in this product type across the country, and the potential is undeniable. Read more
Trends California Housing Trends Deborah Muro has lived and worked in California for the entirety of her career in the homebuilding industry, so she has a particularly keen eye for how the market is behaving. She shares some thoughts and ideas here. Read more
Trends BSB + AI Artificial intelligence tools can streamline the design phase to reduce time to market. But the key to unlocking AI’s full potential requires strategic insight from design professionals. Read more
Studio Expertise Adapting to Emerging Single Family Living Preferences Recent data was released to show an adjusted annual rate of 1,129,000 in single family home starts, a 11.6% climb from the previous month. But this uptick is about more than just numbers; builders should prepare to capture their fair share of the market by shifting floor plan designs to reflect today’s buyer preferences. Read more
Studio Expertise How 2023 Trends Shape the Future of 2024 Homes As we bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to reflect on the trends that shaped the single family home building industry while we look forward to what 2024 might offer. Read more
Trends Five Principles of High-Achieving Multifamily Design Developers must balance the need to contain costs with the ever-growing demand for captivating, consumer-centric designs. We leverage five key principles when designing new multifamily projects, with a focus on performance, sustainability and community development. Read more
Studio Expertise Chicago Multifamily Housing Trends Based in BSB Design’s Chicago office, local expert Elke Anstadt has been designing multifamily projects throughout the Midwest for nearly 30 years. She provides a “boots-on-the-ground” perspective about the current multifamily market where she lives and works: TRENDING: Uniquely Themed Multifamily Buildings Our clients are steering away from the typical, design-sterile multifamily buildings of the […] Read more
Trends California Legislation: Can Streamlining Affordable Design Offer Hope? Solving the State’s homelessness crisis is not a new topic of conversation, but it has become a central theme in the November elections. Of California’s 10 most populous cities, half are choosing a new mayor, and the dominant talking point in all of those contests has been the State’s affordable housing and homelessness issue. In […] Read more
Trends National Build to Rent Design Strategy Build to rent continues to perform well, and some subtle but impactful design and development trends are proving to be difference makers in the hottest markets. Arizona, California, Texas and Florida are four of the most active build to rent markets that are informing strategy nationwide. BSB Design experts from these states share their perspective […] Read more
Trends Affordable Housing with Style Meeting the needs of those who are at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness is a noble endeavor, one that requires considerable effort even before the first conceptual drawing is submitted to the City. In California in particular, affordable housing communities leverage exceptional architecture and design detail to rise above the national stereotype of “affordability […] Read more
Trends Key Design Features for 55+ Buyers Is 60 really the new 40? Studies show that people are feeling younger and living longer. According to The Guardian, 46% feel fitter than their parents did at the same age, and 22% say they feel 20 years younger than they are. This has a drastic impact on how 55+ communities are designed. Homes and […] Read more
Trends Trending Kitchen Design Kitchens are the heart of the home, places for gathering, eating and enjoying the company of loved ones. In 2023 and beyond, floor plans should prioritize some key features to ensure successful kitchen design. EXPANSIVE MORNING KITCHENS Morning kitchens have been evolving for some time now. They’ve gone from a small counter spot in the […] Read more
Trends Five Designs Where Glass Changed the Space Regardless of building type or architectural style, glass is a key component to a successful project inside and out. It enables architects to effectively enhance light, nature, safety and more. Take a look at five designs that prove glass is worth the splurge. SKYLAR This modern prairie design uses vertical casement windows with a horizontally-focused […] Read more
Trends Designing Incredible Outdoor Experiences Market survey data continues to prove that new home buyers want quality outdoor living. In fact, demand for exceptional outdoor living spaces now rivals other top priorities (like kitchens and primary suites) as one of the most important elements of a floor plan. In response, outdoor living must be designed as a primary element of […] Read more
Inspire Five Designs Where Glass Changed the Space Regardless of building type or architectural style, glass is a key component to a successful project inside and out. It enables architects to effectively enhance light, nature, safety and more. Take a look at five designs that prove glass is worth the splurge. SKYLAR Medley at Mirada is a stunning community clubhouse that uses ocean-inspired […] Read more
Trends Thoughtful Home Concepts in Apartment Design My goal is to incorporate Thoughtful Home features into each new home design. The ability for new homes to positively impact life longevity and human peak performance is real, so I want to infuse every plan with as much potential as possible. Even the smallest plans can include features that make them easier to live […] Read more
Trends What Are We Seeing NOW? Consumers are poised to influence home design more than ever before. In the single family for-sale space, major markets have begun to slowly shift from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market. Our builder and developer clients are talking about the heightened importance of trending must-have elements in new home design. In the single family […] Read more
Trends TNAH 22′ Behind the Design: Specialty Spaces The New American Home™ 2022, featured at NAHB’s International Builder’s Show, is designed to impress throngs of building and design industry professionals who want a first-hand glimpse at the future of home design. BSB Design is honored to be the lead architect on this year’s home. As our fourth time leading the architectural design for […] Read more
Trends Top Exterior Trends Across the U.S. A home’s exterior is the first opportunity to capture consumer interest. The exterior shapes how the rest of the home is perceived, so it’s important to set that “wow” factor before entering the home. The market is showing that consumers are ready for bold, and we’ve been doing just that. I recently joined a panel […] Read more
Trends Top 5 Insights on the Texas Multifamily Market Dallas local Mari Henry recently joined BSB Design as Director of Architecture Development. She shares her thoughts on the current Texas market, and what’s to come. The Dallas-Fort Worth area continues to flourish as individuals from all over the nation are relocating to Texas. DFW is a rising hub for technology and finance jobs – […] Read more
Trends 4 Must-Haves for First-Time Homebuyers Our main desire for moving into a single family home was direct access to a fenced-in backyard. Our dog absolutely loves being outside and roaming around freely, and as any other millennial, we did buy the house for our dog! For first-time homebuyers, the outdoor space doesn’t need to be huge and immaculate; going from […] Read more
Trends 3 Must-Haves for BTR Community Design When we first started writing about designing single family homes for rent back in 2018, the conversation was really just getting started for some of the bigger players. Sure, rental homes have been around forever, but the production-built, professionally-managed approach was relatively new. We thought it had potential staying power, but we never guessed it […] Read more
Trends The New American Home 2022: Behind The Design Designing a custom home in less than a year from concept to completion is no small task. Building it in less than 6 months is unheard of. Factor in life in 2021, with supply shortages, delivery delays, limited in-person meetings and walk throughs, and that timeframe sounds absolutely ridiculous. But the team for this year’s […] Read more
Trends The New Non-Negotiable: Work Space Going into the office five days a week was the norm until March of 2020 when many people were suddenly challenged to figure out how to work from home. Although it required some adjustment, studies now show that most people don’t want to go back to the office routine full time. In fact, nine out […] Read more
Trends What Buyers (Still) Want in New Home Design Today’s “build it and they’ll buy it” new home marketplace has seemingly minimized the urgency for new, creative plan design. Unfortunately, white-hot markets can cause complacency as builders get comfortable building (and selling, and profiting from) the same plans again and again. The risk may not be immediately evident, but as buyers, the economy and […] Read more
Trends Designing Work from Home Spaces that WORK During the August installment of NAHB’s 15-minute design webinar series, “Design Bites”, Steve Moore and Lesley McCarthy discussed the growing need for accessible, functional and beautiful home work spaces. The Work From Home (WFH) phenomenon is still in its infancy, but most experts agree that remote working in some form or another is here to […] Read more
Trends The Thoughtful Home Series: Part Four The Architecture of Human Peak Performance As a student of design and housing for more than 30 years, I’ve always felt that architects have a golden opportunity to create spaces that will have a dramatic impact on homeowners. Recent studies have shown that we spend about 83% of our life indoors, which means floor plans […] Read more
Trends A Millennial’s Perspective on Apartment Design: Part Three I’ve lived in a handful of apartments since I graduated college in 2017, and if you’ve read my previous articles, you know that I have my opinions on places that I’ve lived. This final installment in my three-part series is covering the not-so-pretty things about apartment design. Although they don’t necessarily enhance the rental community […] Read more
Trends The Future of Multifamily Amenities We’ve been discussing amenity changes since last March when COVID-19 surfaced in the U.S., but the conversation was tough. Since no one knew how long it would be around, should it really affect the way we design buildings in the next 2-3 years? Over the past year, extensive research has been conducted, and BSB has […] Read more
Trends A Millennial’s Perspective on Apartment Design: Part One Since I graduated college in 2017, I’ve been in a few different apartments. The flexibility, location and cost are all key components to this decision. Since I (like most other millennials) have student loans to pay off, I don’t have a large sum of cash to drop on a down payment for a house, so […] Read more
Trends A Millennial’s Perspective on Apartment Design: Part One Since I graduated college in 2017, I’ve been in a few different apartments. The flexibility, location and cost are all key components to this decision. Since I (like most other millennials) have student loans to pay off, I don’t have a large sum of cash to drop on a down payment for a house, so […] Read more
Trends Community Design in 2021 and Beyond: Part Two Built For Rent Communities Part one of my community design trends blog covered changing consumer preferences and strategies for 2021 and beyond in for-sale communities. Many of those same forward-thinking design considerations also apply to rental communities. In particular, single family built for rent communities have grown in popularity in the last few years, and interest seems to have […] Read more
Trends Strategic Single Family Built for Rent Partnerships Renters by choice and rising home prices are paving a golden path of opportunity for this market segment. More and more builders, developers and investors are reevaluating their multifamily properties to ensure they can create the most profitable housing options based on changing market conditions. Rising to the top of their consideration is single family […] Read more
Trends Farmhouse Style Has Staying Power The modern farmhouse trend has been prevalent since Chip and Joanna took the television world by storm, and it’s still going strong. This traditional design continues to look updated and modernized thanks to a few key exterior features. Even though many experts have predicted this trend would fade by now, buyers are still clamoring for […] Read more
Trends Efficiency + Direct Access = Successful Multifamily 2020 has been quite the year and has altered people’s views of multifamily. Shared amenities, high traffic touch points and corridor-style circulation have lessened their appeal, causing renters to shop around. One design solution in particular is garnering lots of attention: Suburban apartment projects that offer direct access unit options and breezeway entries. They give […] Read more
Trends Ammo for Architects: Single Family Renter Profiles The single family rental market continues to be a hot topic of conversation among builders and developers, especially here in Arizona where we have some of the most robust SFR progress in the country. We continue to engage with experts in this market segment, and a recent seminar by John Burns Real Estate Consulting offered […] Read more
Trends Affordable Curb Appeal: Part 4 Great design is the foundation for great curb appeal. But it’s necessary to complete the design process with careful thought about appropriate, budget-friendly materials and details. This is the icing on the cake, and without it, much of the hard work you did to design a great home could be missed. Material selections, details and […] Read more
Trends Post-Quarantine Design Changes: Kitchen Edition The past six (or more) weeks have been a major lifestyle change for most people. No more hosting events for family and friends, no more leaving work at work, no more sending kids off to school and much more cooking – and unfortunately, more cleaning. Most kitchens were designed to function somewhere on the spectrum […] Read more
Trends Affordable Curb Appeal Part 3: Front Porches Authentic architectural style with great window and door design just about guarantees great curb appeal. But to take it to the next level, create designs that allow you to include front porches. This American iconic design element elicits nostalgic visions of porch swings, inviting friendly conversations with neighbors on cool summer nights. Buyers can’t help […] Read more
Trends Top 5 Multifamily Takeaways from NMHC 2020 I recently attended NMHC’s Apartment Strategies Outlook Conference & Annual Meeting, so I want to recap a handful of key points from this amazing week. 1. Second Tier Markets The stability and steady growth in areas surrounding the smaller metros across the country have captured the full attention of developers and investors. Markets like Raleigh-Durham-Charlotte, […] Read more
Trends Small Lots are Big in Texas Even though 50’ and 60’ lots are still king in Texas, more and more builders should leverage the instant value generated by smaller lots. Recent statistics show that 40’ lots now comprise 6% of the annual starts in Texas. That may not sound like a huge number, but it’s triple their historical share. And with […] Read more
Trends Single Family For Rent Revisited In February, I posted an article about the value of single family built for rent (SFBFR) homes. We continue to work with clients to develop this product type, so NAHB’s recent analysis caught my attention (read it here) and spurred some additional thoughts about effective design for SFBFR homes. Affordability Cost reduction remains a top […] Read more
Trends Efficient Designs for a Small Footprint Our Director of Design in Tampa, Ed Binkley, AIA, presented ideas about efficient design practices during the recent Southeast Building Conference. In case you missed it, a few highlights from his speech follow. Small home design concepts start at the site and make their way around the home room by room. The lot itself is a […] Read more
Trends Strategic Retooling to Focus on Buyers START AT THE STREET: ELEVATIONS For the past 8 to 10 years, many single family builders in the Chicago area have been hesitant to invest in new plans or portfolio updates. Buyers seem to be content staying put or shopping existing homes instead of considering new product. But even though consumer data doesn’t seem to […] Read more
Trends Enticing Buyers With Transitional Design Many first-time buyers and young families are waiting longer to purchase homes than previous generations did. When they finally decide to buy, some projects naturally captivate their interest, especially when they offer distinctive design, functional lifestyle layouts and compelling price points. Piquing that initial interest starts at the street. Not all younger buyers want modern, […] Read more
Trends Dream (Town)Homes for First Time Buyers As many millennials begin the transition from renting to owning, they are finding immense value and livability in townhomes. This huge wave of buyers is impacting a subtle shift in the definition of the American dream, striving less for detached homes as long as their attached residences live and feel great. The end goal for […] Read more
Trends Build to Rent Single Family Homes Townhomes have become the go-to option for many first-time buyers, but some builders are upping the ante with new detached rental products that redefine the path to homeownership. As Millennials experience major life changes, like marriage, children and advancing careers, they are embracing another change that combats the high cost and permanent decision of buying […] Read more
Trends New Paradigms for Attainable Housing Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at the John Burns Real Estate Consulting Housing Design Summit. The event offers a refreshing take on housing industry conferences by really dialing in on design and how it impacts all areas of the home building and buying processes. I joined two other architects to share ideas about “The Future […] Read more
Trends Making Modern Work with Suburban Multifamily Design Modern elevations and interiors highlight unit individuality through contrasting forms, materials and design lines. Modern multifamily developments have been popping up more in larger cities as the modern trend continues to grow. But what about those who can’t afford to live in a big city or work elsewhere? The Residences at Hamilton Lakes is located […] Read more
Trends Are Accessory Dwelling Units Worth the Investment? Multi-generational living is at an all-time record high and is only growing. We’ve designed homes that make this lifestyle more enjoyable by having a private “in-law” apartment-style home attached to the main home. Residents can be together in common living areas but can also be alone by choice. Two of everything in one household might […] Read more
Inspire Indoor/Outdoor Living Spaces that Impress The days of unfolding a few lawn chairs on the patio and calling it “outdoor living” are long gone. Today’s outdoor living areas are extensions of the interior that represent a key selling feature for most buyers. Every year, demand for increased connectivity between indoor and outdoor spaces seems to grow. Capitalizing on that demand […] Read more
Trends Townhomes on the Rise Imagine: The American Dream. What are you picturing: A white picket fence, beautiful large windows with window boxes, corbel detailing, 3-car attached front load garage? Maybe not anymore…Townhomes are on the rise for two specific market segments: younger Baby Boomers and Millennials. At first glance, it’s odd to think Boomers and Millennials could have anything […] Read more
Trends How Technology Impacts Architecture Our fast-paced world heavily relies on technology. It gives people the ability to get exactly what they want immediately. Information available at your fingertips is limitless. This technology has greatly changed design. Living means something different now. It means responsive. It means adaptive. It means ever-changing.When Jack Bloodgood founded BSB Design in 1966 out of […] Read more
Trends Finding Success with Modern Prairie Elevations When Midwest builders wanted to introduce an updated look to their portfolios, they found success with the clean, minimalist look of the modern prairie style. Buyers have immediately gravitated to the contemporary feel, which commonly includes low-pitched hip roofs, horizontal window elements, and earth-toned colors and accents. The result is an eye-catching elevation that feels […] Read more
Trends The Benefits of Multigenerational Living A growing trend in the housing industry is multigenerational living. According to PEW research, 1 in 5 households are multigenerational. These growing numbers are reminiscent of the 1950s when multigenerational households were at 21 percent before the current day lifestyle took over. BSB Design has a solution that makes multigenerational living enjoyable for everyone under […] Read more
