In the past year everyone around the world has been spending a lot more time at home, and for the extrovert inside all of us, staying home full time has been a pretty tough adjustment. As families were reorganizing their daily lives in order to secure a stable income and safe boundaries, business owners were forced to restrategize their entire operation just to keep afloat. All the changes from the past year have forced industries to rethink how they connect with consumers, and that especially applies for those involved in designing and building high-end accommodations and services. For the developers and architects of the luxury apartment and condominium industry, the 2021 challenge to overcome will be how to make an apartment complex feel like a comfortable communal home for future residents? 

 

The following article will list the new must-have amenities every developer should be planning to include in their next big project. As families lean more towards home office features and away from rooftops with a communal grill, the following amenities will show how a development with the right features can make staying home feel like an absolute luxury. 

 

1. Work from Home

Now that many professionals are choosing to work from home, providing comfortable spaces for residents to get their work done will be vital to attracting new residents. Though many may choose to convert a second bedroom into a home office, you can still stand out from other apartment buildings by creating a dedicated workspace for the residents that need to feel like they’re “going to work” in order to be productive. 

 

To make working from home doable in a communal space, developers will need to install quick and stable wireless internet so professionals never lose their connection in the middle of an important meeting, can always easily download documents to their personal devices, and be able to respond quickly to emails and other important business matters. As a bonus, make your building’s co-working space as inviting as possible with a few delicious complimentary munchies, like fruit or chips, as well as a simple coffee maker or filtered water to keep that familiar “water cooler” feeling that traditional business offices offer. 

 

2. Get Moving

Starting and sticking to an exercise routine is pretty tough for hard-working adults, so having access to a gym, yoga studio, or running trail in your elite apartment building is a major perk. The fewer excuses you have to skip your daily workout, the better! However, if you want your building to be seen as upscale and luxurious then it’s going to take a lot more than a treadmill and a stationary bike to impress the high-end clientele. Perhaps hiring a professional to host workout classes would make your building stand out, or installing virtual workout classes that residents can access at their own convenience. When designing your development’s fitness amenities, consider how you can make the space multifunctional for all types of physical needs. For example, adding space for a lap pool that could also be used as a fun and casual lounge pool, or think about your resident’s access to nature, and ask yourself if the addition of a running trail would benefit your outdoorsy residents. 

 

3. Kick Your Feet Up 

For the busy working (and vaccinated!) adult that is too exhausted to leave the house but still craves a little human interaction, community lounges, and entertainment theatres are the perfect solution for the introverted-extrovert. Popular annual events like the Superbowl, the Oscars, and even political debates used to be enjoyed in large groups, either in people’s homes or at any restaurant with a large TV, but in 2021 many people might still be hesitant to venture outside of their own familiar spaces. Designing an apartment complex with multifunctional spaces that could easily transform from a movie theater to a sophisticated wine bar makes every resident feel like they don’t have to leave home to be entertained. 

 

Large lounge spaces can bring the neighbors together as a community, so design your lounge space to be inviting enough that it feels like you’re going out for the evening when you’re just going downstairs. Make your apartment lounge upscale and convenient at the same time by adding features like self-serving beer and wine systems, like the WineStation, which can preserve wine for up to 60 days in a temperature-controlled wine dispenser, and can be accessed with the press of a button with no bartender required! 

 

4. Car Charge

No matter which city you choose for your next development or how many residents decide to work from home, traveling for work, pleasure, or simple errands is simply inevitable. Make jumping in the car for quick trips, or the daily commute, guilt-free and environmentally friendly by installing electric charging ports for the residents with electric vehicles. This kind of amenity will not only attract eco-friendly residents but in some states your building could receive tax credits for installing EV charging stations, so you can make big money while saving big money. 

 

5. Furry Friends

Last but not least, the best way to take care of your residents is to take care of their best friends in the world… the pets! As you may have seen over social media, many families chose to adopt a new pet during the pandemic, and after a very long year indoors, those families will be desperate to take their new family member out into the world. As the designer of a high-end apartment complex, showing potential residents that you care about their fur babies shows that you care about them. From small amenities like a fenced-in park for the pups to run around to going all out and setting aside space inside the building for a full pet spa will definitely set you apart from other luxury options. Plus, for outdoorsy pets, having a beautifully manicured lawn will make a big difference, especially if that lawn is connected to your beautiful walking trail we mentioned above. 

 

With the right amenities that keep modern consumers in mind, developers and architects can recover from the losses many endured during the pandemic. Eclectic and refined apartments and condominiums are a small step towards returning to life as we used to know it, and the greatest thing we’ve all learned from the past year is that the less you need to leave home, the more you can feel at home.