Do you sometimes drive by an incredibly beautiful house, what you might call a luxury house and wonder what it looks like inside? Sometimes when looking at houses on Houzz, it's hard to imagine how many people can afford luxury homes that are more than 5,000 square feet and cost five million dollars or more.
Luxury homes once known as Mc Mansions are no longer popular. The trend today is smaller houses with amenities that support the homeowner's lifestyle and hobbies. Luxury homes tend to be found where there are great views of the city skyline, ocean or rivers or they're found in communities with gated security, a golf course, marina or even a landing strip.
By looking at trends in luxury homes, we can get a glimpse into the future as many new house ideas come from these trend setters who are willing to pay for the luxury of being first, of buying new products and materials before mass production makes them affordable for the masses. So join me for a peak into the world of luxury houses and try picking one feature and imagine how you could adapt the idea to use in your house today.
Overall Trends in Luxury Houses
Trend #1 – Rather than buying larger houses, upscale homeowners are choosing to update their current homes to enhance their lifestyle. Buyers who decide to build are spending more time working with their architects to design homes that are distinctive.
Trend #2 – High end textures are popping up everywhere. Where once you expected to see stone and tile backsplashes in the kitchen, luxury houses now have lots of exotic wall, floor and ceiling finishes. They're using raw stone, imported woods, glass and tile everywhere.
Trend #3 – Luxury houses have higher ceilings and with combination living room, dining room and kitchens, they're using different ceiling heights to differentiate the areas. Complimenting higher ceilings are large, floor-to-ceiling windows with great views.
Trend #4 – High-net-worth homeowners spend a lot of money on millwork from the paneling we associate with yesterday's mansions to extensive built-in cabinetry in the kitchen, the den and other rooms.
Trend #5 – Automation is helping luxury home owner manage their homes automatically from the lights and window treatments, to heating and cooling systems.
Trend #6 – Easy maintenance is popular throughout the home from the countertops and floors indoors, to landscaping with native plants that require less maintenance.
Kitchen Trends in Luxury Homes
Trend #7 – Kitchens are less formal with luxury homeowners building open entertaining kitchens for visits with extended family and grandchildren. Flexibility is important and with entertaining in mind, they're adding special prep rooms off the kitchen, with butler pantries and catering kitchens keeping food prep separated from guests.
Trend #8 – Outdoor kitchens remain popular with wood-fired pizza ovens a favorite.
Trends in Luxury Home Bathrooms
Trend #9 – Jacuzzi's are out and wet rooms are in. So what's a wet room? It has jets that you turn on and your're surrounded by water jets all around, and there might be a bench or slab to sit or lie down on.
Trend #10 – Master bathrooms are getting larger and luxurious, really more like spas. Alternatively you will also find some luxury houses with dual master bathrooms, his and hers. Marble is mentioned frequently in luxury home listings, for the bathroom – the bathtub surround sculpted out of marble, shower surround and floors.
Other Luxury House Features
Trend #11 – Outdoor spaces are expanding from a focus on outdoor entertaining spaces to bringing the outdoors in with screened porches, lanais and walled garden areas off the master bedroom.
Trend #12 – These homes have extensive media centers with whole house sound systems, banks of high-definition TVs and cameras for videoconferencing. Media rooms also have low tech features like wet bars, refrigerators, small kitchens and for movie nights, a popcorn maker.
Trend #13 – With more urban homes on the market, Trulia listed roof decks and terraces among the top 20 features included in listings of luxury homes.
Other features identified by Trulia include wine rooms, gyms, tennis courts, private elevators, wood burning fireplaces, ponds and walk-in closets.
So maybe you're not ready to buy or build a luxury house but
… which of the features found in luxury homes do you love best?
Leave a Reply