What's next for home design in Oklahoma City?

Mainstream home design in Oklahoma City basically breaks down like this by decade (although oil booms drive upscale in different directions):

• 1940s-1950s: Post-World War II/G.I. Bill cottages, midcentury modern.

• 1960s: Midcentury modern, ranch.

• 1970s: Ranch, old world.

• 1980s: Old world, Dallas-style.

• 1990s: Old world, Dallas-style, Gen-X, McMansions.

• 2000-2010: Same, but Bill Roberts breaks out with throwback designs at Providence; Jeff Click starts out “Smart” and gets smarter; Caleb McCaleb and others go bungalow, smaller and old style during the recession; Green is in.

• 2011-present: More throwback; Click goes uber-urban; downtown housing becomes a thing; tiny houses sneak in.

What's next?

We asked three industry leaders the same set of questions, and let them choose: developer-builder Caleb McCaleb, of McCaleb Homes; smart/chic/edgy builder Jeff Click, of Jeff Click Design | Build; and speculative/production builder Jim Schuff, of Vesta Homes.

• Why did you do what you did?

McCaleb: Modern Transitional design has probably had the most influence on our residential architecture over the last few years. It has been an eclectic mix of historical exteriors blended with a more modern interior design and vibe. Market conditions dictated our change in what we built after 2007. Up to that point we were building McMansion homes with an average sales price of $750,000 and buyers were putting more and more into their homes with mortgage companies willing to finance as much as possible. After the Great Recession, most buyers were looking for something more simple and less financially straining. We started then with our Craftsman design, which had a more quaint bungalow look and was much more reasonable in price.

Click: In 2006, as I was moving up the leadership ladder at Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association, I was attending National Association of Home Builders board meetings several times a year, which involved leading builders from around the country. At those gatherings, I was witnessing what I’d liken to the apocalypse of housing. Guys from the major markets were absolutely freaking out about the housing market taking a huge downturn. Knowing that what happens in the major markets later affects ours to some extent, I grew concerned about what was to come in OKC.

In my role at COHBA, I began to see many of our members take an approach of making their product broadly appealing in hopes to move inventory in a down cycle. This makes sense on the surface, but when everyone does the same thing, you have nothing unique or inspiring out there for those requiring it. I sensed the pockets of the market that still had signs of life — namely young professionals, which were my main demographic — wanting something truly unique.

I can remember the specific conversation I had with my staff at the time when I said, “Everyone else is watering down their product to not offend. We are doubling down on contemporary and modern, and we are going to overcome whatever depths this downturn brings to our market.” Consequently, we picked up significant market share even, and carved a very select niche in that I no longer entertained opportunities to do traditional-styled homes.

• Why do you keep doing it?

McCaleb: Our latest design styles in Town Square started in 2014 and we wanted to showcase the architecture made famous in the historical neighborhoods of OKC. If you drive the historical neighborhoods such as Mesta Park, Heritage Hills, Paseo, Edgemere Park, Crown Heights, Putnam Heights, Linwood Place and Nichols Hills, then you realize these homes are truly timeless. We are seeing a strong push to emulate these neighborhoods.

Click: I trace my contemporary and modern taste in homes back to my childhood. One of my best friend's parents had an amazing modern home in Blue Stem Back Road where I spent a lot of time hanging out. They were from New York, and furnished their home with the most amazing pieces I’d ever seen, many of which were from Paris, which was rare in OKC 30 years ago. That home has had a huge influence informing my design senses today, as I’ve been hooked on its vibe ever-since.

I may have started my career 20 years ago doing more traditional styled homes, but it was the little touches of modernity that routinely provoked comments of affirmation from buyers and lookers. That built confidence in where my gut and personal tastes were leading me, and now twenty years later, it’s the staple of my design.

• How have consumer tastes and preferences here changed the past 20 years? Why? Newcomers? Internet/social media?

McCaleb: Internet/social media has greatly influenced what builders build today. We are constantly being shown what people believe to be the hottest new ideas from sites like Pinterest, Bright Bazaar, Martha Stewart and HOUZZ. It is interesting to watch as deign has come full circle.

Click: I’ve seen tremendous evolution in taste and informed need in home design. In other words, function affects form, and I believe my clientele tends to be at the forefront of that evolution. Over a decade ago, I started eliminating two otherwise traditional components in home design: the home office and the breakfast nook, both of which I eliminated after generally eliminating the formal dining room. Nearly every one of my homes includes a built-in table that can be as formal or informal as the client needs. It’s precisely scaled to the space, fashioned out of well coordinated finishes, and is one less piece of furniture to buy, all while eliminating or re-allocating a significant square footage.

Now that we are no longer anchored to a wall with a beefy desk to house immobile computers, the need for a large home office is significantly reduced. Tech-savvy homeowners are more mobile than ever, and prefer to do their work where they wish, rather than be dictated-to by home design.

Schuff: The last few years flooring has transitioned from about 65 percent carpet and 35 percent hard surface to 65 percent hard surface to 35 percent carpet. Some of that can be contributed to the popularity of the open floor plans, which allow the kitchen to flow into the living room.

Tile has become something more than something to walk on, too. We are using a lot of wood look tile (which many have to ask if it wood or tile), and we are seeing tile in shapes like hexagons or fish scale and tiles that are printed with vintage designs or patterns.

Lighting has also come a long way. It's not unusual to see exposed wires, industrial-looking pipes and Edison bulbs. Barn doors are not asked about quite as much as they were a year ago. It used to be that everything matched, not any more.

• Where is design headed?

McCaleb: I think we are headed to some more modern Frank Lloyd Wright-looking designs. I believe buyers like to have some time-tested basis in their architecture choices.

Click: As cliche as it sounds, and you’ll never hear me say it outside of this comment, “clean-lined” and minimalist. I believe a large part of the buying market doesn’t want the three-car garage, four-bed home with formal dining and study. They want practical, they want presentable, they want socially adaptable, they want maintainable with minimal effort into maintenance, and they want reliable energy performance under the hood.

Schuff: The home still seems to revolve around the kitchen, where we probably see the most changes. Granite to quartz, light colors, color, natural wood and glass tile backsplashes. Not everyone wants a tiny home but most would probably agree that we have too much stuff and the trend seems to be to downsize slightly and become more minimalistic.

We’re seeing fewer cabinets in the kitchen and more open shelving. We may be seeing stainless-steel appliances transitioning to matte black or white (saw a lot of this at the International Builders' Show). Smart homes, also known as connected homes, are continuing to catch on. While not everyone sees a need for a connected home (my wife included), some are learning that it is really convenient to see who is at your front door on a screen on your refrigerator while you are cooking.

As far as trends: shiplap, industrial, rustic, farmhouse, modern, bungalow, green, energy efficient and smart. If you can somehow include all of that in one 2,000-square-foot home, you have hit the target.