With the real estate market just rising from the ashes of the housing bubble, talking about designs for luxury new homes has been more or less out of favour for some time. However, with a resurging market confidence in the real estate industry, designing and building luxury new homes has made a strong comeback in recent months.
The general trend for building luxury new homes is to combine attractive, innovative design and true functionality. Almost everyone has done away with the palatial, 14-room mansions of the early boom years, and space is becoming more and more valued. People tend to demand optimum value for their money, and when it comes to personal space, they prefer to keep it more modest and cosy.
The Top 3 Trends for Today’s Luxury New Homes:
1. Back to Basics – With the economy down and people losing jobs and investments by the hour, the trend for luxury new homes has seemingly followed suit. More and more people want to have their dream homes reduced to the basics—with the trend moving from mansion-type luxury homes to more basic but elegant bungalow structures. People are becoming more pragmatic and opting to scale everything down a bit, from the bedrooms to the kitchen. Lot sizes are also shrinking, with more people investing in smaller parcels of land in luxury residential areas, rather than finding an acre of land in far-flung towns.
Nowadays, homebuilders receive more orders for luxury new homes that feature the essentials: bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a comfortable bathroom. But that doesn’t mean that style and design is being left behind. Stylish and luxurious homes are certainly attainable, and even if somewhat downsized, can still combine excellent design and appealing functionality.
2. Green is In – With talks on global warming and preserving nature well established in the social and environmental fabric, another continuing trend in designing luxury new homes is to consider the structure’s environmental impact. More and more people are asking homebuilders to create designs that won’t significantly alter the natural landscape. When it comes to construction materials, eco-friendly paints, concrete and wood are also dominating the market.
One of the most prominent architectural designs today is earth sheltering, or allowing a natural landmass or structure to serve as the foundation or major wall of the house. Bill Gate’s Xanadu 2.0 home in Medina, Washington, is an example of this type of architecture—a design that allows natural heat conservation and maintains a steady air temperature inside.
3. Home Sweet Home – An interesting trend is developing in the luxury new homes market. While the age bracket of luxury new homes customers is going down, the home design trend is increasingly becoming more traditional. Many people are now requesting the old-time front porch and two-room bungalow styles. Southern country style houses with garden patches are also becoming a favorite, along with historical, Victorian-inspired designs. Others request the old-time, brick-walled beauties, with matching chimneys and fireplaces.
Luxury home experts explain that this tendency may be brought about by the overly modernized world that people are living in—a world of glass and steel, as a well-known poet puts it.
At the end of the day, people would just like to go home to comfortable and familiar luxury new homes that create a sense of nostalgia coupled with the best modern conveniences. What’s not to like?
Greg Nelson
Greg Nelson is the owner of Nelson Construction & Renovations Inc. He is a Florida State Certified Building Contractor, creating artistry in all areas of design and construction projects. He is a musician, and artist. A husband and father, Greg appreciates all the wonderful elements of family life.
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