Page 34 - Lighting Magazine February 2020

OUTWARD
BOUND
Distributors reveal the top outdoor living trends they’ve observed and share successful display ideas.
A recent survey indicated 43 percent of new home construction includes outdoor living options, and similar results were found among homeown- ers doing remodeling. Furthermore, according to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey, outdoor living rooms have taken the top spot in terms of growing consumer interest among special function rooms for the sixth consecutive year. Overall, the U.S. market for outdoor living products was expected to reach $24 -$25 billion in 2019 [as of press time].
There are a number of reasons cited for the growing popularity of outdoor living spaces:
1. Shrinkinglotsizesputagrowingemphasison flexible informal spaces.
2. Travel costs have increased, resulting in many homeowners scheduling “staycations” to spend some quality vacation time at home.
3. Members of Generation X (those born in the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s) tend to be “maxi- mizers,” meaning they want to get the most out of anything they buy, including all of the space on their property.
BY MARY JO MARTIN
Outdoor living has most definitely arrived. Americans are finding more ways to extend the flow of their homes by adding functional living, dining, hobby, and enter-
taining spaces outside. Not only are homeowners more fully enjoying their properties, but these im- provements are also helping to bolster their home values.
Today, in many regions of the country, outdoor living areas are just as carefully planned out as interior rooms. A large backyard is no longer re- quired; residential outdoor living spaces are being fashioned for small patios, courtyards, and even rooftop decks.
32 enLIGHTenment Magazine | February 2020
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