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Modern Home Trends

Modern Home Trends
January 21, 2017 SNH Editorial Team

The Greenwich house has been a remarkable case study for modern home trends. Throughout the home, Sabine has packed every nook and cranny with innovations.

In this video, Sabine met with Mahdad Saniee, architect for The Greenwich House, to learn about the fresh approaches to home design that were incorporated into our latest project.

As Mahdad notes in the video, there is a definite turn towards less ornate, calmer, and less fussy design. People want a simpler, more organized, open and modern interior.  Door details lean toward flat panel or shaker style.  Kitchen cabinet doors have sleek and modern panels.  Countertops are thinner and lighter.

One of Sabine’s goals was to build a more compact house with rooms that are used, however not congested or dense in feeling. As she notes, “everyone still wants a bit of elbow room and privacy.”

This extra level of privacy is achieved by careful consideration of the three areas of the home. Public spaces (such as the kitchen, living room, family room, entry hall), private spaces (bedrooms, bathrooms), and a new category as Mahdad points out, semi-private spaces (home office, powder room, guest bedrooms). Rather than pack in bedrooms on one floor, this slight separation at The Greenwich House provides a little more privacy and elbow room.  Mahdad and Sabine carefully selected the spaces for the mezzanine such as  office space (when you want to work, it’s nice to be a little away from family life), the powder room, and the guest bedroom.

Often you have a powder room located pretty unceremoniously right off the front door or even right next to a dining room.  The mezzanine layout provides that extra level of privacy with essentially the same square footage. The cost of construction runs a little higher due to additional stair details and more elaborate framing, sheathing, sheetrocking and trim, but as Sabine notes, “it all adds up but I think it is all worth it!”

Another home recently built in Greenwich, CT removed the living room from the design and completely opened up the kitchen, dining area, and family room space. Mahdad notes that the particular builder is daring, as he doesn’t see the elimination of the living room as a trend in home design. He finds that people still want it.

“I think what people are looking for is less “formal” Living Room space, but not eliminating the living room.   I think you have the ideal solution here: Open spaces that can be made into individual, separated rooms via large pocket doors and beautiful barn door, such as between the dining room and the kitchen.  Here you have a set of well integrated Living Room, Family Room and Kitchen that allows for these rooms to feel open to each other, but at the same time provides for visual and acoustical separation if needed.  You have the best of both worlds here at the Greenwich House.” noted Mahdad.

Another trend that Mahdad notes is a greater interest in outdoor space. At The Greenwich House, Sabine designed a unique covered porch area that visitors to the project have been raving about. It is fully equipped with a sound system and outdoor television for maximum comfort. There has also been a lot of interest in the possibility of adding a pool to the landscape at the house and there is plenty of room to do so right off the covered porch.