The New American Home at the 2013 International Builders’ Show had it all, but when you have 6,700 square feet to work with, that’s not such a tall order. For more modest footprints, try these great luxury design ideas.
1. Dual kitchen islands. Multiple walls of cabinets can make a kitchen feel like a cave. Try offering two islands to boost storage and workspace without interrupting great room sight lines. Dual islands also serve as a solution when some kitchen walls, such as those in the New American Home, are dedicated to windows or patio doors.
2. Non-traditional bath lighting. As long as overall lighting is bright enough to illuminate toothbrushing, makeup application, and other tasks, there’s no reason bathroom light fixtures can’t be fun. Stepped pendants in this bathroom (there are nine throughout the home, including five half-baths), add a little bling to the space.
3. Mirror as backsplash. The New American Home’s cooking space backs to the home’s stairwell. Rather than a field of tile to finish the backsplash wall, a giant mirror was incorporated. The surface is easy to clean and continues the space’s clean sight lines rather than interrupting them with a tiled wall or upper cabinets.
4. Wrap-around countertop reveals. Several kitchen, bath, laundry, and entertaining spaces in the 2013 New American Home showcase a trend in wrapping the sides of cabinet runs with the countertop material. The matched reveal lends itself well to the modern, linear style of the home, but can work in almost any design. The effect also eliminates the need to finish cabinet ends in places where they would otherwise be exposed. —Lauren Hunter, senior editor, REMODELING. twitter.com/LaurenHunter_HW
