Skip to main content

What do Millenials want in a home? Rooms that change as they do

Everyone’s trying to figure out what America’s 83.1 million Millennials want, and that includes home builders. This generation of 20-somethings has something different in mind when it comes to their dream homes, according to Pardee Homes, which built the Responsive Home Project in Henderson, Nevada.

The two homes, a 2,145-square-foot Contemporary Farmhouse and a 3,194-square-foot Contemporary Transitional home, were designed specifically for Millennials. The company researched and spoke with younger customers to find out what they’re looking for in a home. What Pardee came up with is a house that changes with the residents, who might start off living with roommates or even their parents. That’s why the farmhouse has a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchenette on the ground floor, and a 384-square-foot studio apartment that also has a bathroom and kitchenette, as well as a separate entrance.

“A lot of our buyers are interested in multi-generational living so their home needs to be flexible in order to accommodate their parents or a college-aged child,” Pardee Southern Nevada Division President Klif Andrews said in a press release. “We’re also seeing millennial buyers rent out spaces to their friends for extra income.” The farmhouse is priced in the $300,000’s and the transitional in the $400,000’s, so roommates would be a necessity for many Millennials looking to live in such swanky digs.

The homes are also “responsive” in a smart-home sense, as they have a Savant system installed to control lights, music, and some of the Whirlpool appliances via smartphone. They’re also connected in terms of community, with parks and shops located within walking distance for those who don’t always want to use a car to get around.

Pardee also paid attention to what the demographic doesn’t want, like tons of closet space or gigantic master suites, according to Design Milk. They’d rather have functional and fun outdoor spaces and room for entertaining. Or maybe just somewhere for all the roommates to gather for house meetings about who’s been stealing all the peanut butter.

Jenny McGrath
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…
What is Amazon Alexa, and what can it do?
Echo 4th Gen speaker on table.

Amazon Alexa is an interactive voice assistant that can check the weather, launch your favorite playlist, and everything in between. Alexa can be found on most Amazon products, including the new Echo Pop, the iconic Echo Dot, and even a variety of smart thermostats, soundbars, lamps, and more. Aside from taking basic commands from you, Alexa can also dish out commands to the rest of your connected smart home -- making it easy to streamline your life.

Interested in learning more about Amazon Alexa? Then you’re in the right place. Here’s a closer look at where Alexa comes from, how it works, where it got its name, and just about everything else you’d want to know about the popular voice assistant and smart home savant.
Who/what is Alexa?

Read more
The best smart home devices for 2023
An iRobot Roomba 694 next to a wall, vacuuming pet hair.

With hundreds of incredible products available, it can be intimidating to piece together a smart home. From smart displays and smart thermostats to smart light bulbs and video doorbells, not only are there tons of categories to browse, but each category is filled with highly reviewed products that can be difficult to distinguish from one another. If you’re in the market for a new smart home gadget or are just starting your smart home journey, there are tons of factors to consider.

If you need help navigating all the products, here’s a look at the best smart home devices of 2023 across a wide variety of categories. It’s hard to go wrong with products from big names like Ring, Arlo, Amazon, and Google, but if you need a bit more guidance, here are some of our top picks.
Voice assistant

Read more
Is a Roku Smart Home Subscription worth it?
roku is now in the home security business 3

Roku has started branching out into the smart home market, offering a variety of cameras, sensors, and other gadgets to help keep your home safe. The products are usable without a subscription, but opting for one of two Roku Smart Home Subscriptions will get you a few premium security features.

However, not every home needs to sign up for the plan, and the free plans might be more than adequate for most households. Here’s a closer look at the Roku Smart Home Subscriptions to see if you should sign up.
What is the Roku Smart Home Subscription?

Read more