Many already do. I don’t, but it’s not exactly a rare sentiment.
On the original post, though: I do wonder if there’s an extent to which this isn’t so much a design “choice,” as an attempt to modernize a 110 year old building and squeeze in an extra bedroom or bathroom without violating some obscure building code rule or having to rip out lots of other walls, wiring, or plumbing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the designers (privately) fully expect the buyers to put up (possibly unpermitted) walls.
My current home has a half bathroom in the basement. I asked the town what it would take to get a permit to expand it to a full. They said you can’t have a bedroom or full bathroom in a basement level, even for a raised ranch where the windows are big enough to meet egress requirements, because at some point that became a rule to prevent people from having unpermitted basement apartments.
