No More Reservations Accepted
Author: Betsy Dell
Word Count: 806
Date: 4/28/09
Last month we looked at a lifestyle trend we call Family Reunion. Simply put, families are saving money by spending more time at home together. The trend is part of a growing pattern of frugality, but it would be a mistake to think that it is only a product of thinner wallets. We're doing more than putting a finger in the dyke. We're changing the way we live. We're moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
Though the word "sustainable" is usually associated with going Green, its primary definition is "able to be maintained". That's what we want-a lifestyle we can maintain. To get what we want, we're eliminating waste, making better use of our resources and planning ahead. These themes are driving decisions we're making about everything from groceries to the way we entertain. They are also driving all home improvement trends, including the trend we're going to look at now:
No More Reservations Accepted
No More Reservations Accepted is a home style trend that follows closely on the heels of Family Reunion. We're spending more time at home together, but our homes aren't set up for it. Though our houses are not small, much of our public space has been set aside parties, special occasions and guests. That leaves the kitchen and family or great room for family use. And it is no longer enough. We've got a space problem.
Eliminating Waste
For years, the answer to space problems was a bigger house. Today the answer is to eliminate waste. We're taking the rooms previously reserved for formal or occasional use and pressing them into service. We are, in effect, taking the RESERVED signs off these doors (hence the name No More Reservations Accepted).
Formal living rooms are being dressed down and made family friendly. All indications are that we're making this an inexpensive transition.
Delicate dustables are coming off the table tops and are getting placed on wall or floating shelves, out of harm's way. We're using attractive runners or large wooden trays to preserve high-gloss table finishes and pre-fab slipcovers to protect hard-to-clean fabrics. And we're replacing fragile porcelain or stoneware lamps with more durable ones or with wall and ceiling fixtures.
In addition to making the living room family-ready, we're also making it more inclusive.
Families with young ones are incorporating smart-looking children's furniture into the layout. TVs and game stations, previously barred from this space, will become more regular fixtures.
While trends in the living room are quite consistent, trends in the dining room are not. Some homeowners are dressing it down. Some are converting it into children's play or homework areas.
Others are absorbing the space into the kitchen or great room. Though specific solutions vary, we're all working to get more use out of this space.
Occasional rooms like guest rooms are now doing double duty as home offices or craft areas. Portions of the garage are being dedicated to hobby and exercise space. And outdoor rooms are still viewed as a cost effective way of adding usable space. (We'll talk more about outdoor rooms in next month's issue.)
Making Better Use of Our Resources
It has come to our attention that money doesn't grow on trees, so we're being more selective in our spending. We're now doing a lot of the work we used to pay someone else to do. This trend, called insourcing, includes everything from manicures to car maintenance.
In the home, we're tackling manageable improvements.
As we open up our homes for family living, interior painting and changing lighting fixtures are popular insourcing projects. As we make active use of the space in our gardens, we're also insourcing garden improvements like small ponds and water features.
We're not just thinking about our gardens in terms of space.
We're also thinking about them as a resource for feeding our families. The hottest fashion in garden design is edible gardens. Fruits, vegetables and herbs are being integrated into our garden beds, even in the front yard. Square foot garden boxes are being set up as a garden feature.
Confident gardeners are insourcing these projects. Neophytes are getting help from the professionals.
This leads to a note of caution. While insourcing is all the rage, time and sweat can't replace experience or expertise. So choose your projects wisely.
Planning Ahead
We're being more selective in our spending. We're also being more strategic, particularly in the garden. Now in our fourth year of drought, we're reducing our dependence on water by planting more California natives. Traditional turf lawns are being replaced with less thirsty fescues or synthetic grasses.
We know that we can't achieve a truly sustainable lifestyle overnight. But by eliminating waste, making better of our resources and planning ahead, we'll get there one step at a time. No More Reservations is a great place to start.
Good Morning on Friday July 30, 2010
