Onyx+East Data Reveals What American Homebuyers Want Now

Onyx+East constructed 227 homes in 2025, and has built 1,200 since launching into the residential development scene in 2015. New data released from their design team spotlights ways Americans are looking at function as much as aesthetic in home design. As buyers skew older, and stay in homes longer, they’re approaching home design with future-proofing top of mind. 

“Building great homes goes deeper than how it looks,” says Joanna Mahoney, Director of Design at Onyx+East. “Homeowners today are focused on creating homes that make life easier now and as their needs change over time.”

Why homes today have to outlast trends

Americans today aren’t moving as often. They’re spending a median of 12 years in their home, up from 6.5 years back in 2005. The National Association of Realtors homeowner survey shows 28% of buyers today have no plans to ever move again. 

Homebuyers are also skewing older. The National Association of Realtors estimates the median age of the American homebuyer at an all-time high, with first-time buyers close to 40 years old and the median age for repeat buyers at 62. 

“The majority of owners we work with are in their 30s and 40s, and nearly half are first-time buyers,” says Mahoney, whose team at Onyx+East designs both move-in-ready and semi-custom new construction homes.

Most homes are getting older, too. New construction accounted for only 4% of total owner-occupied housing stock as of 2024. The median age of owner-occupied homes in America now sits at 42 years.

“Not everyone needs a brand new house, but a lot of homeowners just aren’t interested in retrofitting a property,” says Mahoney.

As homes shrink, function takes priority

American homes are trending smaller. The median size of newly constructed homes sat at 2,176 square feet in 2025 after peaking at 2,466 in 2015. Townhomes are now a record 17% of the single-family market, up from 10% in 2009. 

That same period saw growing consumer interest in living large with less space. The rise of brands like West Elm, whose furniture designs are more compact than sister brand Pottery Barn, came from what Architectural Digest called a burgeoning small-space phenomenon. 

Onyx+East, which got started in urban residential development, has recently been expanding to more suburban markets where buyers are interested in the brand’s focus on making homes work harder without significantly increasing cost or square footage.

The priorities of a functionally designed home

Functional home design prioritizes how a house will be lived in, focusing on layout, flow, flexibility, storage, and natural light over purely aesthetic or decorative choices. It follows the architectural principle “form follows function” introduced in 1896 by American architect Louis Sullivan.

A functional home will often include:

• Flexible rooms that allow space to shift use as needs change
• Living areas that are clearly defined but allow smooth flow between rooms, balancing connected sightlines with more acoustic control compared to pure open-concept design
• Expanded storage areas and use-driven spaces like mudrooms, walk-in pantry, butler’s pantry, or full scullery
• Lots of natural light, prioritized for its research-backed role in mental well-being and better sleep patterns
• Rooms sized in proportion to how they’ll actually be used

What data shows about homebuyer priorities 

Onyx+East tracks data on selections made by homeowners during new residential construction. Buyers work with a Design Consultant to choose from a list of options to tailor the floorplan and finishes to their lifestyle.

“We still offer a la carte selections. They’re curated to cut down on the complexity and financial risks of building from scratch, but leave plenty of room for personalization,” says Mahoney.

Their choices inform what architectural and design teams prioritize or make standard.

“It used to be buyers focused on how a home will look. Now people are thinking more about how it feels to occupy the space,” says Katie Muegge, Design Manager for Onyx+East.

Warm, nature-based finishes that transcend trends

Onyx+East selection data shows buyers shifting toward options that align closely with elements of biophilic design, where natural materials, light, and greenery are used to support wellbeing.

According to Onyx+East home design selection data from 2025:

• 95% of material choices include wood, stone, or other natural textures that tend to age well, up 40% over the last 5 years
• Warm wood-tone cabinetry selections are up 60% from 2023
• 90% of buyers chose warm, earthy neutrals over cooler grays or stark whites
• Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) stairways, which mirror the look of natural hardwood but resist scratches and come at a fraction of the price, top the list of structural home upgrades chosen over the last five years

Brands like Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore announced warm khaki and rich espresso brown as their respective featured colors for 2026. They offer what Sherwin-Williams describes as livability and longevity.

“These are also finishes that historically never go out of style. These palettes won’t dictate or restrain their style down the line,” says Muegge.

Layouts and features that increase usability

Onyx+East's selection data shows home buyers investing in adaptable and highly-functional spaces where everyday life concentrates. In the last 5 years, Onyx+East data shows:

• Chef's kitchens and buffet counters rank among the most-selected upgrades in the last 5 years
• Fireplaces remain a consistent pick, adding a focal point with the added benefit of functional heating
• Scullery options are being expanded, allowing cooking and cleanup to happen out of sight while the kitchen is used for guests or entertainment

At-home hosting space is a growing priority, with recent surveys suggesting as many as 7 in 10 Americans would rather stay home with friends than go out. 

“People want space to gather and clutter and mess out of sight. If there's room for a drop zone, we include it on the floor plan. Everyone wants them. They also want more cabinet doors,” says Muegge.

Internal systems that make homes more manageable

Sustainability is a less-visible form of functional design, helping owners better manage the home’s operating cost and performance. 

Onyx+East includes energy-efficient systems standard in new construction homes, with all homes built since 2021 incorporating:

• ENERGY STAR windows, which can reduce household energy costs between 6-12%
• High-efficiency HVAC systems that offer 10-50% lower heating and cooling cost depending on the age of a homeowner’s previous system
• Electric water heaters and smart home technology that help manage energy consumption

Home buyers are also given the option to add EV chargers. 

“You won’t see these things daily, but you feel them when utility bills come each month. It makes homes more affordable to live in long-term,” says Muegge.

Starting functional home design at the dirt level

Functional home design begins at the land acquisition and site planning stage. Considerations like lot orientation, dimensions, setbacks, and topography determine whether functional layouts and design qualities are possible to achieve. 

“Whether a home gets good natural light can be just as much about the lot layout as window placement,” says Mahoney. “Our designers and architects weigh in during land acquisition and site planning to ensure potential land purchases will allow home design to meet the functional priorities of our buyers.”

Prioritizing functional community design

Functional community design is when a neighborhood or broader area offers long-term functional value to residents. 

Community design is a factor Onyx+East teams consider within the development, through green space and shared amenities, and in the surrounding area. They prioritized development locations that include: 

• Strong local economies with major employers and steady job growth
• School district quality and academic ratings
• Access to arts, culture, dining, and entertainment
• Parks, greenways, and outdoor recreation
• Walkability and connection to community "town square"
• Public safety rankings
• Proximity to airports, highways, and major commuter routes
• Access to top-ranked hospitals and healthcare systems

Take Flora, an Onyx+East community in Carmel, Indiana. The small city north of Indianapolis placed #1 in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 national list of Best Places to Live. The site checked every box: from being zoned to the #2 School District in Indiana, sitting on major commuter routes near award-winning entertainment and recreation, boasting top safety scores and 100+ corporate headquarters. 

“People want intentional neighborhoods. If people aren’t moving as much, they need their area to continue meeting their needs as time goes on and priorities evolve,” says Mahoney.

Adjusting functional design to local lifestyle

Climate and local lifestyle change how a home gets used, and true functional design calibrates to both so homes are connected to the people and environment around them. 

In Florida, most homes built by Onyx+East incorporate tile or LVP that are more long-lasting in the humid subtropical climate. Tile is used in most main living areas. That’s not the case in the builder’s Midwest developments.

“That’s because Floridians are in a tropical climate, and they can almost set their watch to the afternoon rainfall. They need a house that holds up to wet foot traffic,” says Mahoney.

Onyx+East uses local round tables with realtors and conducts studies on market buyer preferences to calibrate architecture and design by location, often adjusting in real-time using sales team feedback. 

Near Cincinnati, a city that’s home to the largest and most-intact urban historic districts in America, Onyx+East buyers tend toward more traditional aesthetics. 

“They’ll pick granite counters over quartz and tend to lean towards darker flooring. Ohio buyers love adding fireplaces, which is functionally helpful in their colder weather,” says Mahoney.

About the Author

Onyx+East is a regional residential developer that constructs high-quality, design-forward homes and townhomes across the Midwest and Florida. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the company was founded in 2015 and focuses on building in highly walkable, connected urban and suburban neighborhoods.

If you're looking for a new home built for how you live today, that can continue to adapt to you over time, explore Onyx+East's communities and schedule a guided tour for an in-person look at functional design in action.