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It might be time to cut back on your living space—and expenses—but you don’t have to downsize everything: With fun sizing you can lean into your passions, too.

The expectation used to be that when people retired and became empty nesters, it was time to downsize from their family homes into smaller, more manageable houses, condos, and apartments. But times have changed; many retirees have decided that now is the time to enjoy the homes they worked so hard to create—and even improve them to make room for new dreams. Enter a new alternative to downsizing: fun sizing.

What is fun sizing?

Fun sizing—as AD calls it—is a home trend focused on individual goals, so it will look a little different for everyone. The general idea is that a significant life change allows you to reflect on what you want and adapt the design of your home to enhance how you and your family live. There’s an increasingly popular idea that life’s second—or third—act can be lively and exciting, with people using their retirement to explore their passions and share their homes with friends and family, rather than cutting back and shrinking it.

This trend isn’t limited to empty nesters. Lot of folks are finding that big life changes are opportunities to create something new for their homes. So, we spoke to a real estate pro and a real-life fun sizer to inspire you to adapt your home to help you get the most out of your life, whatever stage you’re in. 

Познакомьтесь с экспертом

• Josh Myler is a California-based real estate agent.
• Melissa Panszi Riebe is a maker and the owner of A D’Zine. She recently fun sized her own home.

Why Fun Sizing Is Getting Bigger and Bigger

Josh Myler, a real estate agent, has years of experience helping his clients use their homes to live well.

“Fun sizing has been around for a long time,” he says. “I’ve been selling real estate in Los Angeles for 20 years and I can’t think of a year when I wasn’t helping a client fun size. … Life changes, such as empty nesting, divorces, career adjustments, relocations, etc., are constant. Sometimes I feel like I’m in the life-changing business. How people react to change in the context of their shelter can be scary for some, but for many, it’s all about having fun and making the most of the new chapter in their lives.”

COVID (a major life change for all of us!) also impacted this trend. With more people staying at home, many decided to take the amenities they loved on vacations and bring them into their houses to fun size their daily routines by adding wellness rooms or upgrading their outdoor spaces for entertaining.

How to Start Fun Sizing

While fun sizing may sound like it might require an extensive renovation, it doesn’t have to. Think of any change as an opportunity for more fun! For some people, it’s as simple as updating old kids’ bedrooms to make them more friendly to a variety of guests who might visit or revamping an unused space to create a reading corner with items you already own.

Or, in the case of Melissa Panszi Riebe, Maker/Owner of A D’Zine, it looked like rearranging her house to accommodate her second-act career.

“As I decided to switch careers later in life and become a full-time jewelry maker and small business owner, the thought of an extra guest room as my studio became more real, and the transformation took place,” she says.

So, she shifted her teenage children onto their own floor and created a dedicated space for her creative endeavors. 

And the fun sizing is paying off for Panszi Riebe: “There are so many reasons I love having my office in my home—convenience and financial are some of the main ones,” she says. “I love that I can go and work whenever I want and for however short or long. It is great to have my own space to create. I also love that my family can see me at work. They see the process and not just the outcome … It is my happy space that I get to create in my home. My hope is that positive energy spreads throughout the house.”

If a renovation or adaptation of existing space isn’t an option, moving can be an excellent opportunity to think outside the box and create a playful “fun room,” as Myler puts it.

“A friend of mine just toured me through their house, which they are just completing now,” he says. “The husband is a motorcycle enthusiast. They had a room that was destined to become a secondary playroom for their kids. Instead, they designed it as a fancy man cave, including a wall of cubbyholes for his many motorcycle helmets (which was incredibly cool) and a wall with a built-in bench, on top of which they put one of his prized bikes. Playrooms are not just for kids!”

And, if you are moving, don’t forget to fun size the area where you live. Myler understands that financial goals aren’t the only thing on people’s minds when looking for their dream homes.

“I have more clients who are of retirement age base their decisions more on proximity to shops and restaurants and other fun amenities over the future ROI profile of the property,” he says. “For me, what is really gratifying is being able to help my clients figure out what fun really means to them right now and then guiding them on how to incorporate more of it in their home life.”

Remember, life can be expansive no matter what stage you’re in. So, embrace your space and create a home that caters to your goals. If a big change allows you to add more joy to your life, snag it! And if it doesn’t? Make your own reason to fun size!

Связанный: Must-Do Upgrades for Aging in Place in Any Home, According to Experts

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