How has the typical American family home changed from a design perspective in the last few years?
I think the biggest change has been size and amenities. Part of that was overblown by the boom we had in the housing market up to 2005. Very dramatic increase in size and the accessories that households were including in their homes. I think having to do with the financial environment. Credit was cheap. House prices were appreciating pretty rapidly. It made sense to over invest in your home in that period. We’ve certainly seen the pendulum swing in the other direction, probably even further back than where it started at over the last five years. Homes have gotten smaller. There is much more emphasis on not over investing or over improving. There’s a greater concern over affordability. What can I sell this for when I want to sell it and not trying to over extend the household in this economic environment. Those are not really design issues, but those are the underpinnings for how the design is playing out. When homes were getting bigger, more square footage and more rooms were added. In
