Is your luxury home plan luxurious enough? Or are you falling behind in the race to keep pace? So what if you have an elegant swimming pool; countertops of mottled granite; and your master bathroom features a steam shower. Nowadays these features are old-hat and pedestrian. Today’s truly luxurious homes must have whirlpool baths, double height living rooms with atriums, and of course all stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen. Here are some more ideas for designing the luxury home par excellence.
Radiant flooring is sine qua non in cold areas of the country. Who can be bothered to put on slippers – besides it’s more fun to walk barefoot in frigid weather. You can keep your feet toasty by installing an in-floor heating mat under your tile flooring in the bathroom; or anywhere in the house where there are ceramic floors. The $500 / sq. foot cost is a pittance compared to how great it feels on the tootsies! The luxurious bathroom of today also features towel warmers: for a mere $800 you can have a stainless steel warming drawer with an electric chassis at the bottom which lets heat rise to warm your towels, with a timer which starts the warming while you are still soaking in the tub, to bring the feel of the spa into your own home. Also a joy in cold weather is the sauna room, which bears as much resemblance to the sweat box of the 1970’s as Republican politics bears to the New Deal. The contemporary sauna room is spacious, is constructed of exotic wood lumber, has cushioned seats, and features one-way glass walls which give a scenic vista of the great out-of-doors.
In luxurious prairie plans house and other homes designed to blend in to the outdoor environment, an outdoor kitchen is becoming a standard feature in the pool / entertainment / recreation area. In fact, outdoor entertainment areas consisting of a cabana with a kitchen including granite countertops, wine cooler, ice maker, stainless steel grill, and warming drawer costing from $50- to $250,000 are becoming standard in areas with mild year-round climates; and even for summer use in the northern states. Even swimming pools are becoming more luxurious, with cheapo kidney-shape designs going out of fashion as $500,000 tiled models come in.
Luxurious homes today, even traditional country French house plans and colonial revival house plans, incorporate “smart-home” features based on computers which can cost $50,000 and up. The computer system controls electrical components linked to sensors throughout the house which enable the homeowner to control the pool lighting from the living room; or to draw a warm bath from the kitchen. These systems also have the capability of sending text messages to a cell phone whenever the sensors pick up movement around the house outside, which enables the homeowner to log in to the surveillance cameras which monitor the back and front yards, garage, and pool area. The computer system also permits the homeowner to make sure that doors are locked and adjust temperature in the house, even from afar.
The contemporary luxury home plan gives new meaning to the word extravagance. Today’s computer technology can be applied to traditional country French house plans as easily as to modernistic prairie plans house to produce a luxurious lifestyle worthy even of you!