Bathrooms don't need to be huge if they are efficiently planned with room to move and privacy where required.

Lately, I've noticed a lot of downsizing going on. It isn't just because there are several new retirement establishments opening up in Honolulu, my home base, although that may be a part of it. There is a new twist to this, and it's as the square footage goes down, the quality goes up.

The median size of a home in 2005 was 2,227 square feet, up 50 percent from 1973, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But that's changing, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). "Buyers want more quality features," it reports. At least in the Northeast, homes built in 2005 had less square footage than those built in 2004, and size has remained flat for the last few years. The NAHB says affordability is driving this trend.

I'm usually called in on a project at the beginning, when the client feels the possibilities are unlimited. Armed with pictures collected over a long period of time, and a wish list a yard long, the architect, designer and client begin the process. It turns out you just can't fit that much into this space without creativity.

Then there is the design concept. Whenever a prospective client asks me what style I like, my answer is always "congruency." Design is fun because each client has a different look or style, and my job is to make sure it all goes together in a congruent and appropriate way. That means the design concept fits with the space, it accommodates the lifestyle of the owners and has a warm and personal feeling about the rooms.

But the biggest hurdle to a wonderful space is the cost of good, quality materials and furnishings. Talk about sticker shock! Most people do not go to the marketplace for furnishings very often. They do their home or office and it stays that way for years. Then when they go shopping again, they can't believe how much prices have gone up.

But now I see more clients involved with new construction who want quality in their finishes and details, and are willing to work with less square footage to keep within their budgets. With new materials and technology, rooms can be combined and walls removed to create more volume and let in more light. Bathrooms don't need to be huge if they are efficiently planned with room to move and privacy where required.

Today's materials and finishes were not available 20 years ago when the bathroom was built. A client can now choose among granite, marble, solid surface, concrete and many other man-made products for countertops and shower surrounds. The floor plans I see now are much more open, with a great room consisting of the kitchen, eating area, television and living areas all in one. Gone are the separate dining room, living room, family room and standalone kitchen. Of course, this impacts the products available in the furnishings industry.

For example, I see two different sizes required for a sofa. In the great room, with a television and a dining table for the whole family and friends, we need large-scale furniture. But when the baby boomers downsize to a smaller apartment or town house in a retirement community, the rooms are smaller, and those clients need a smaller-scale sofa.

Fifteen years ago, I helped a client move from a big family home to a retirement ranch home on 20 acres. We reused all existing furniture and added several pieces to accommodate spaces.

I recently helped the same client move into an apartment of 2,000 square feet in a retirement community. The good news is, when we did the furniture inventory this time, we got to choose the most glorious pieces, from family heirlooms to custom koa wood pieces. We also finished out the apartment with tons of custom-made storage pieces.

So, big or small, we're going in two directions: fewer rooms with greater volume or small living areas in a retirement community. Either way, it adds up to smaller being better.

Liz Dreher Howard, FASID, is president of Howard Design Group. For more information, call 808-732-4915 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it