Builder's Best

"Much of what we're seeing right now is the melding of external and internal living spaces," says Scholz. "The outdoor living room is very big, with dining tables, fireplaces, fabulous kitchens, comfortable seating. We're using covered loggias and trellis structures overhead for shade and privacy and delineation of space to give the illusion of actual rooms. The feeling is not formal, but settings can become quite elegant. The transition from indoors to outside is carefully thought out, relating to size and scale and the way in which people live. Good design merges interior and exterior space, creating a total home environment."

Big screen televisions and sophisticated stereo systems are making an appearance outside, along with fantastic swimming pools with waterfalls and rock ledges from which to dive. World events have triggered that trend called cocooning," explains Gary Aubuchon of Aubuchon Homes in Cape Coral, where people wrap themselves within the safe confines of home, sweet home. "There are no more lanais, no more swimming pools," says Aubuchon. "Now we build outdoor living spaces and pool environments with water features. It's Busch Gardens, right in your own backyard."

The same philosophy is changing the way builders utilize interior space. "Because people are staying home," says John Cannon of John Cannon Homes, "they need everything under their roof. We're building cabanas, exercise rooms, offices and oversized playrooms that house all of the media and electronics plus a pool table and maybe a wet bar or small kitchen."

The bonus room has been the big story for Jeff Eslinger of Eslinger Homes. Fifty percent of Eslinger's recent sales have featured this award-winning floor plan offering an oversized living space designed for multiple duty. "We created a large room with full bath and plumbing for a wet bar," says Eslinger. "The family uses it as a media center, the kids entertain their friends, parents host parties and the room also serves as guest quarters. We are very pleased with customer response."

In flooring, stone and acres of granite connect interiors with outdoor living space. Polished marble with intricate inlays, Saturnia, travertine and buffed limestone are strong. Sills and built-in ledges are being done in gorgeous slabs of granite. Windows and doors have become very important as homes open to the outdoors; and the big move is to high-end glass windows and doors such as Pella and Tichler, trimmed in mahogany for a rich look and warm authenticity.

The heart of the home has grown more handsome. Kitchen cabinetry is beginning to look like expensive furniture, says Cannon, with turned legs, carved details, library-style bookcases with fluted panels and inlay. "We're seeing cabinets with staggered heights and depths, lots of glass doors and panels on appliances. You never see the side of a refrigerator anymore."

Steve Miller, vice president of operations for London Bay Homes, says boutique cabinet companies like Christopher Peacock make their kitchen cabinets like fine English furniture and actually install the pieces first and then paint, finishing them in the home. Gary Roberts of Bamboo Builders sees a shift toward solid wood cabinets finished in gorgeous Olde World glazing techniques. "We're using the rich walnuts and maple tones or wood washed in buttermilk tones and then glazed in chocolate, honey and red cinnamon," he says.

Canac Kitchens offers a distinctive pewter glaze for wood cabinets that looks beautiful with stainless steel appliances and many of the black, silver and gray granites. And for those who want the look of granite but not the irregularities, DuPont now offers Zodiac. To create Zodiac, "actual granite is mixed with an epoxy, creating colors and designs that look like stone but are more uniform," explains Roberts. "The surface has no cracks or fissures and is less porous than granite, reducing the build-up of bacteria."

Salad prep areas with a separate sink are a given in today's larger kitchens, along with workstations, computer cabinets, writing desks and beautiful bookcases. Wine coolers are a must-have; and suddenly everyone wants two dishwashers, concealed in handsome deep drawers. "Buyers are selecting one large dishwasher for regular usage and a smaller one for light loads," says Cannon.

Details have always made the difference, and rich wood is the current trim material of choice. Buyers want heavy moldings, with chair rails, baseboards and double crowns in every room. Roberts is doing heavily detailed ceilings, such as waffle ceilings with wood trim and exposed wooden beams. Cannon uses detailed ceiling treatments to define spaces, varying ceiling heights and finishes to identify and separate different rooms within a flowing floor plan concept.

Arthur Rutenberg Design Consultant Amy Markley points to the buyer's demand for details like wall niches above fireplaces and kitchen cook tops, framed in hand-painted tiles and recessed to showcase books, cooking oils, a collection of art glass. Floor designs in tile, from sophisticated borders to whimsical rugs and geometric patterns, are in demand. Faux painting on walls to create marvelous textured finishes is still popular, along with columns that define space without obstructing line of sight.

High-tech homebuyers want structured wiring for their high-speed cable modems and home theaters, explains Miller. Plasma televisions are changing the way furniture is placed, with a 63-inch set already on the market and an 80-inch screen on the horizon. Recessed lighting s giving way to chandeliers. Cannon says his buyers are putting chandeliers in the master bedroom and dropping two chandeliers from 20-foot-plus ceilings in family rooms to add atmospheric warmth along with illumination.

"Today's buyer has an eye for quality and will invest in top grade finishes, so interiors are a bit more grand," explains Derek Nelson, president of Arthur Rutenberg in Sarasota. "Ceiling treatments, lighting, flooring and moldings are richer, more lavish. Tile is all imported, and every appliance in the kitchen is upgraded. People are spending more money on their homes, staying home and enjoying home."

Driving by, one gets the impression that Mediterranean influences are still strong in elevations. But this is not your father's villa. "We've moved away from precast columns, ornate railings, layers of stone on the outside, to cleaner elevations with Tuscan influences," says Miller. "Instead we're utilizing deep recesses to create shadow depths, inset windows and doors and lots of exposed wood in rafter tails, trellises and lattice. A higher-arched barrel tile in natural terra cotta tones offers greater authenticity;, and the new color is white with dark wood accents, much like the homes in Southern California."

Another interpretation of classic Mediterranean is what Cannon calls "Mizner Med" after entrepreneur Addison Mizner's influence on the architecture of Palm Beach and Boca Raton. This look is less about arches and columns than it is about beautiful finishes and details in wood, stucco and tile. "Mizner Med is more aligned with John Ringling's taste and the graceful proportions of Italian villas," explains Cannon. "We do many homes in that style, and the look still translates beautifully."

Natural stone accents on elevations and more interesting rooflines are in demand just now, although with multiple stories one may never even see the roof. "As land becomes more precious and waterfront property continues to escalate in price, the only way to build is up," says Roberts. "Look for two-story homes to become the standard and many buyers to go up one more level in order to achieve a certain square footage for living space." Arrive at your front door in style, along a very dressy driveway. Latest trends include individual thick pavers that look like brick or multi-colored round-edged pavers resembling cobblestones. Tumbled river rock is another option for purists who want the real thing.

Allergy sufferers can now build special filtration systems right into their home's AC units. Those concerned with energy efficiency will thrill to a new foam insulation product placed directly beneath attic eaves to alleviate 100-plus temperatures between roof and ceiling. Foil-backed plywood, zoned air-conditioning systems, insulated double-paned glass doors and windows and sealed soffits may be unexciting budget line items, but builders insist those investment dollars will return to you. Form and function equal true artistic beauty.