Any Way You Want It
Today's high-end home buyers want personalized design features that soothe the psyche, promote togetherness, and build sanity into everyday life.
Source: BUILDER Magazine
Publication date: 2005-08-01
By Jenny Sullivan
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN 9-foot ceilings and walk-in closets were the stuff that luxury upgrades were made of. That was before the housing market went on steroids and super-sized homes with cathedral ceilings and three-car garage-mahals became the new gold standard. Size still matters—but today, so does substance. The luxury market is shifting, in part, because of who's buying. Americans ages 50 and over now control more than 75 percent of the nation's wealth and possess more than 50 percent of all discretionary income. Here are some tips for winning the hearts and wallets of these coveted home buyers.
1. FLEX YOUR MUSCLE
Flex spaces that can be tailored—as extra bedrooms, playrooms, home offices, studios, fitness rooms, etc.—go a long way. In this same vein, detached dwelling units such as accessory casitas, cabanas, and carriage house suites are hot properties for guest retreats, mother-in-law units.
2. EMBRACE THE OUTDOORS
Outside has never been so in. Buyers in all markets (not just warm climates) are clamoring for floor plans that maximize views, breezes, and solar exposure with gourmet grills, woks, wine and/or keg refrigerators, showers, saunas, and fireplaces, as well as old standbys such as water features and dining furniture. At the same time, elements of the natural world are making their way indoors, creating options in color and texture beyond the granite standard. Materials such as exotic hardwoods, soapstone, limestone, and slate are in vogue. So are flooring materials such as bamboo, cork, and wide-plank boards from salvaged lumber.
3. STORE AND CONQUER
News flash: Affluent home buyers have tons of stuff, and they need places to put it. This accumulation is fueling demand for bigger garages to shelter extra cars as well as big-ticket toys ranging from golf carts to motorcycles to snowmobiles. Inside, don't be afraid to give up square footage for salon-style grooming closets and walk-in kitchen pantries to house a proliferation of small appliances and bulk food items. The sanity that comes with adequate storage can't be understated. “Nothing reduces stress like great organization,” says Dawn Ritchie, co-author of The Emotional House. “ When you have items that make your life work, that's luxury.”
4. REINVENT THE RULES
If today's gourmet kitchens are centers for so-called “hiving,” try outfitting them with multiple work zones. Decadent spaces double up on appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves, and prep sinks, as
KEY INGREDIENTS: A heavy timber–trussed ceiling and custom ventilation hood make a powerful statement |
And who says appliances have to stay in the kitchen and computers have to stay out? Intuitive floor plans recognize the way homeowners truly live and respond accordingly. If the kitchen is the hub of the house, don't fight it. Designate areas there for computers, messages, schedules, and family meetings.
5. OPEN UP AND SAY SPAAAHHH
If the kitchen is command central, then the master bath has become a sanctuary for privacy, pampering, and rejuvenation. Make it transcendent with transom windows, skylights, fireplaces, imported tiles, waterfalls, massage tables, and/or warming drawers for towels. Deep-soaking tubs are gaining ground on whirlpool baths. Sleek, no-threshold showers with built-in seats are gaining cachet with older buyers anticipating an eventual need for accessible design.
6. DELIGHT IN THE DETAILS
In the end, decadence knows no limits, and the lines between custom and production are blurring. “Luxury is about convenience and space and emotional well-being, but luxury is also about luxury,” says Stephanie Henley, co-owner of Beasley & Henley Interior Design in Winter Park, Fla. “It's high-volume ceilings with incredible detailed beams, decorative paintings, murals, carvings, and moldings. It's beautiful fabrics such as silks, mohair, and high-end velvets. It's about touch and feel and how materials affect your senses.”
For one client, Beasley & Henley finished a hallway in Venetian plaster and gold leaf as a backdrop for the owner's collection of medieval armor on display. In another room, ornate capitals top decorative Corinthian columns that feature hand-carved representations of indigenous animals. “People want high-end stuff, and the architectural detailing is as important as the furniture,” says Henley.
“I think production builders and custom builders are starting to see people moving toward a different kind of luxury,” says architect Sarah Susanka, whose Not-So-Big books have catalyzed a different way of thinking about architecture and its role in creating a sense of emotional well-being.
A LA CARTE
Little indulgences can go a long way. A tasting menu of savory design elements:
· Decorative kitchen built-ins that look like furniture
· Appliances in drawers—including refrigeration units, dishwashers, and warming units
· Eight-foot interior doors
· Glass-front cabinetry and appliances
· Staircases in both the front and back of the house
· Fireplaces not only in the great room, but in bathrooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and courtyards
· Custom trims and moldings, with a focus on the ceiling as a “fifth wall”
· Raised snack bars on peninsulas and kitchen islands
· Fun for the whole family, manifested in everything from basement bowling alleys to climbing walls in the garage
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