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WASHINGTON — Outdoor living spaces, mud rooms and home offices top the current list of special-function rooms popular with American homeowners. That's the key conclusion of the latest in a quarterly series of "Home Design Trends Surveys" conducted by the American Institute of Architects. Survey results, released in October by the Washington-based AIA, focused on emerg- ing home features, systems and technologies in the second quarter of 2016. Home Design Trends Surveys are conducted among a panel of more than 500 architecture firms that concentrate their practice in the residential sector. "Heavy investment in outdoor living spaces, mud rooms and home offices indicate that consumers are placing a premium on practicality and functionality," said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker. According to Baker, "things have changed a lot" from a decade ago, when home theaters and exercise rooms were among the most popular special-function rooms in homes. To underline that observation, the AIA's latest survey finds, for example, that outdoor living spaces rank highest among the special-function rooms currently being requested by homeowners. Home offices, mud rooms, dedicated guest rooms, home auto management/mechanical rooms and sun- rooms/three-season porches follow in popularity (see related graphic below). In terms of accessibility, first-floor master bedrooms rank far ahead of all other features. Easy-to-use features, such as special handles, and multiple laundry rooms are also gaining in popularity among a significant number of homeowners, according to the AIA. "Although accessibility features remain an important is- sue to homeowners, demand for some of these features has leveled off in the custom residential arena," Baker pointed out. "As more homes become equipped to handle an aging population of homeowners, less custom (remodeling) work needs to be done to address specific accessibility issues." When it comes to the popularity of utility-efficient fea- tures and products, energy management systems followed by smart thermostats, super insulation, solar panels, water-sav- ing fixtures and tankless water heaters rank highest in popu- larity, according to the AIA. "As more automation products become available, home- owners continue to explore new ways to maintain their spaces with greater ease," Baker observed. ▪ Outdoor Living Gaining in Appeal The newest AIA survey finds high demand for outdoor living spaces, such as this space designed by Lori Carroll in conjunc- tion with architect Marc Soloway, builder Brad Wachs, land- scape architect Paul Serra and pool builder Cimarron Pools. Photo: William Lesch, William Lesch Photography Source: American Institute of Architects POPULARITY OF SPECIAL-FUNCTION ROOMS IN TODAY'S HOMES % of survey respondents reporting popularity increasing minus % reporting decline Outdoor Living Rooms Mud Rooms Home Offices Dedicated Guest Rooms (Au pair/in-law suites) Home Auto Management/Mechanical Rooms Sunrooms/Three-season Porches 58% 43% 37% 31% 24% 10% 12 Kitchen & Bath Design News • December 2016 CONSUMER BUYING TRENDS DEMOGRAPHICS & BUYING PATTERNS FOR THE HOME PUBLISHING SOLA GROUP, INC. 1880 OAK AVE., SUITE 350 EVANSTON, IL 60201 (847) 440-3000 Paul DeGrandis Publisher, ext. 100 Paul@SOLAbrands.com Eliot Sefrin Publisher Emeritus, ext. 113 Eliot@SOLAbrands.com SALES MIDWEST AND WEST MANAGER Paul DeGrandis Ext. 100 Direct (847) 920-9510 Paul@SOLAbrands.com EAST/SOUTHEAST Joanne Naylor Ext. 114 Direct (201) 891-9170 Joanne@SOLAbrands.com Beth Emerich Ext. 101 Direct (781) 710-4745 EmerichB@SOLAbrands.com PRODUCT & LITERATURE SHOWCASE/CLASSIFIED ADS Mike Serino Ext. 102 Direct (630) 699-2004 Mike@SOLAbrands.com EDITORIAL Janice Anne Costa Editor, ext. 116 Janice@SOLAbrands.com Anita Shaw Managing Editor, ext. 112 Anita@SOLAbrands.com Ashley Lapin Olian Associate Editor, ext. 104 Ashley@SOLAbrands.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Kitchen & Bath Design News Circulation Dept. P.O. Box 3007 Northbrook, IL 60065-3007 (866) 932-5904 circ.kbdn@omeda.com MAILING LIST RENTAL Elizabeth Jackson (847) 492-1350 ext. 18 ejackson@meritdirect.com KitchenBathDesign.com ®