Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 21, 1993 TAG: 9303190507
SECTION: TODAYS HOME PAGE: TH-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
COCOONING TRENDS MEANS MORE ELECTRONIC ENTERTAINMENT SALES
Cocooning: It's not just for butterflies anymore, we all do it. Coming out of a long, cold winter, this is more understandable, but hearing area contractors tell it, this is not just a seasonal phenomenon. It's something that people want to do all year long - stay inside their homes, make their abodes more enjoyable and livable, and spend less money on outside entertainment. But equipping the house to become more user-friendly does take a bit of imagination, and some cash up front.According to Stan Cross, general manager of Holdren's, the trends in the Roanoke Valley mirror what's happening across the country. One thing he has seen from a retail point of view is the sale of more electronic items in the home entertainment category.
Home theaters are a big item and help to center the home as the focal point. Perhaps now the teen-agers will start hanging out in front of the big-screen television instead of the mall.
There is a dramatic increase in the big-screen category, said Cross, particularly the 30-inch televisions. The good news is prices have been dropping, according to Cross. He said that two years ago, a 35-inch direct-view television could cost $3,000, now, it's as low as $1200.
A big-screen television is anything 25 inches or larger, but Cross said that audio is also big part of home theaters. Surround-sound can entail a couple of speakers in front and two in the rear, along with sub-woofers (the big shaking sound of cataclysms) and center channel speakers.
"What most people do is combine home theaters with stereo pieces, and connect them into the system," said Cross. He add that Holdren's has not only become involved in home theater consultation, design and installation, but, "We're one of the first in the country putting thought into how electronics work with furniture in the room. We're looking at how well it fits into a room, as far as convenience, comfort and style is concerned."
Cross said Holdren's has started selling motion furniture, especially designed for home entertainment rooms. This furniture is mainly upholstered sectionals designed to "make you very comfortable and help with the convenience," of moving it around if everyone wanted to watch the big game, he said.
This furniture comes with hidden storage areas for remote controls, and it can be designed to fit a particular homeowner's needs and room size. In addition, cabinets are available to complement motion furniture. They are available in ready to assemble or all-wood qualities.
Another aspect of cocooning is being able to work and operate from your home. Computers as well as facsimile machines that help with this function are increasing in popularity.
And computers will, in the not-too-distant future, be able to control almost every appliance and home electronic, from security systems and telephones to utilities and entertainment systems. According to Cross, this centralized command "will make it a lot easier to do a lot of things at once." You can coordinate your utilities, make your lights, heat and air conditioning turn on and off at certain times, and record programs on your VCR. Basically, he said, it's a "smart" butler service.
Bob Fetzer, owner of Building Specialists, Inc., said he and his partners were recently involved in redoing a room in a Roanoke area home into an entertainment center.
The owner "wanted to spend more time at home," and so they made it more conducive to this. Fetzer oriented the windows to look out the back, onto a private view, and put as much glass in as possible to provide lighting. "Their house is kind of their paradise," he said.
Fetzer also has seen an increased emphasis in bathroom additions, which he attributes to cocooning. He often installs spas, whirlpools and steam baths.
In addition, the kitchen is finally coming into its glory as one of the family gathering places. Commercial ranges for gourmet cooking are gaining in popularity. One recent renovation he was involved in spruced up the kitchen, but then included a private, grown-ups' study off the family area.
He also has seen more laundry areas being placed in the same areas as living spaces. "Now people on the go without maids can save the inconvenience of running up and down the steps," he explained.
"We will continue to see, throughout the '90s, a shift from work to home. In one South Roanoke home, we put in a nice, concreted driveway, color coordinated to house. At one end, there is a basketball goal. It becomes more than just a driveway, and it's nice enough to eat outdoors, where the French doors open up to the back," Fetzer said. He said using the buff-colored concrete will make the surface cooler in the summer, and thus more versatile.
The emphasis Fetzer has seen on renovation stems from more than cocooning, although that is one of the main factors. He said that homeowners who want to remain in the same neighborhoods, but need to expand, will renovate or expand.
"With the cost of lumber and materials, people are going to have to start thinking of using what they have. We are such a disposable society. Just for the sake of parking cars, we are disposing of old buildings," he said, referring to several building demolitions that have taken place in Roanoke in the past several years.
"We, as a society, with the fuel resources as they are, need to rethink our cities, and become less dependent on the automobile," he added.
Perhaps the trend toward cocooning will reverse the trend of going outside the home for entertainment. Fetzer said a homeowner's ability to control their own environment is another factor is boosting cocooning.
Building Specialists' Vice-President Martin Pruitt, who attended the national home show convention in Las Vegas in February, said he saw a very strong trend there toward cocooning.
Kitchens and family rooms were combined with entertainment products, most master suites had sitting areas, and electronics at the show "were big, and they're getting bigger every year."
Pruitt said he saw communication systems throughout houses, where music and the intercom were connected to a central computer.