Using circulation spaces like foyers, hallways, and stair landin…
Using circulation spaces like foyers, hallways, and stair landings makes for a home that feels at once gracious, lived-in, and space-savvy.
Shaker Lodge, Houston. Architect: L. Barry Davidson Architects, Houston; Builder: Pyramid Constructors, Houston
Bob Narod
Here’s a spot where it’s easy to imagine being curled up wit…
Here’s a spot where it’s easy to imagine being curled up with a book on a rainy day, and inspiration for places like these can come from surprising places. Builder Sean Ruppert takes his cues from popular culture and old movies. “The interior details in ‘Home Alone’ are amazing,” he says.
Cabin John Crossing, Cabin John, Md. Architect: Greg Sparhawk, Architect: Greg Sparhawk, GPS Designs Architecture, Kirkland, Wash.; Builder: OPaL, LLC, Cabin John, Md.; Interior Designer: P Four, Lanham, Md.
Jeff Goulette
The front door is an ideal place to get a little daring with col…
The front door is an ideal place to get a little daring with color, hardware, detailing, and one-off design touches that make a home feel truly original. The house that this door belongs to is new construction, but classic proportions, salvage elements, and vintage-style details—provided they’re done really well—make it look and feel like it’s been around for awhile.
Firefly Hill, Buchanan, Mich. Architect: Sullivan Goulette & Wilson, Chicago; Builder: Jacob Construction, Berrien Springs, Mich.
Bernard Andre
Off-the-shelf material like 3-Form resin panel embedded with bir…
Off-the-shelf material like 3-Form resin panel embedded with birch twigs can be backlit for a striking island that provides seating, a work area, ambiance, and a memorable kitchen centerpiece.
Zen Kitchen, Hillsborough, Calif. Architect/Interior Designer: TRG Architects, Burlingame, Calif.; Builder: J.P. Lindstrom, Inc., Burlingame
Don Puccini
Too often, closets are an afterthought, says Marie Newton, owner…
Too often, closets are an afterthought, says Marie Newton, owner of Closets Redefined. In this new home, the owner wanted “non-active pantry storage” (as opposed to her go-to pantry) where she could store special-occasion platters and appliances that don’t see everyday use. Still, this one is as organized—and even appealing—as a pantry you’d use every day. It also looks like a great way to re-purpose an underutilized closet.
Custom Pantry, Southern Massachusetts. Architect: Oak Hill Architects, Weston, Mass.; Builder: Custom Designs Incorporated, Natick, Mass.; Closet Designer: Closets Redefined, Weymouth, Mass.
Tony Soluri
A hinged gate and limestone bench help define a side entryway to…
A hinged gate and limestone bench help define a side entryway to a home, turning it into a loggia that’s as welcoming as the front way in, with a gently sloped ramp that makes it wheelchair-accessible. Stone columns, painted trim, and a tongue tongue-and and-groove ceiling give this circulation space extra-special presence.
The New American Bungalow, Evanston, Ill. Architect: Cohen Hacker Architects, Evanston, Ill.; Builder: Sturm Builders, Northbrook, Ill.
Matt McCourtney
This house has an inside-meets meets-outside flow shown exemplif…
This house has an inside-meets meets-outside flow shown exemplified by its outdoor living space, with a design that’s as simple and striking as it is utility-driven. The butterfly roof helps channel the western breeze while offering shelter from sun and rain. During a downpour, the roof directs runoff onto the main roof and into a cistern.
Power Haus, Sarasota, Fla. Designer/Builder: Josh Wynne Construction, Sarasota
Troy Thiess
Ideas built into the floor plan have staying power, like a well-…
Ideas built into the floor plan have staying power, like a well-equipped mudroom with nice hooks to hang coats and shopping bags, a flat space to set heavy parcels, baskets and cubbies for bike helmets, baseball mitts, and cleats, and an appealing floor finish.
Wisconsin Farmhouse, Boyceville, Wis.; Architect: Rehkamp Larson; Builder: Red Cedar Construction, Menomonie, Wis.
Larraine Henning
A staggered array of tea containers cling to a magnetized wall, …
A staggered array of tea containers cling to a magnetized wall, creating dramatic and beautiful storage. The practical idea is a simple one, and it translates well to home kitchens—works great for spices.
Great Wall Tea Shop, Vancouver, British Columbia. Architect: Marianne Amodio, Vancouver; General Contractor: Woodworks Custom Developments, North Vancouver; Millwork: Fullbore Design, Vancouver
Thomas McConnell
The glass walls of this bathroom are lifted straight from mid-ce…
The glass walls of this bathroom are lifted straight from mid-century design, and they're made from off-the-shelf blocks. The wall looks striking from both inside and out, and it drenches the bathroom behind it in light while affording maximum policy. Four Palms, Austin, Texas. Architect/builder: CG&S Design/Build, Austin.
Edward Caldwell
The 18-inch-deep bathtub is a drop-in standard model from Kohler…
The 18-inch-deep bathtub is a drop-in standard model from Kohler that fits in a 5-foot alcove. The bath area is built into a window bay that cantilivers out into the garden. Stepped Douglas fir cabinetry in the Asian tansu style makes the most of a small room, adding storage space as well as visual interest.
Idea Garden, Healdsburg, Calif. Architect: Arkin Tilt Architects, Berkeley, Calif.; Builder: Earthtone Construction, Sebastopol, Calif.; Cabinet Maker: Higgins Cabinetry, Duncans Mills, Calif.
Art Gray
A pivot door gets a special—and a spatial—assist from a slat…
A pivot door gets a special—and a spatial—assist from a slatted wood wing that warms up the modernist look of the outside. The added element embellishes and shelters the entry at the same time. What’s more, the wing helps the front door appear wider and more substantial than it really is in relation to the elevation.
Rotenberg Residence, Malibu, Calif.; Architect Minarc, Santa Monica, Calif.; Builder Lannen Construction, Los Angeles
Michael Weber
Appealing color like a clear, deep blue helps the favorite room …
Appealing color like a clear, deep blue helps the favorite room of the house linger in memory. This isn’t fancy Italian custom stuff. It’s off-the-shelf, from Ikea.
Glass Onion Loft, New York. Architect/Interior Designer: Christopher Rawlins, New York; Builder: Leeway Construction, Pearl River, N.Y.
Lisa Romerein
Last year, a survey by the American Society of Landscape Archite…
Last year, a survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects ranked an outdoor fireplace as second only to a cooking area on the list of most-requested outdoor features for a home. This one, in a LEED Platinum Home, is both warming and striking, thanks to its sculptural flue.
Sycamore House, Los Angeles. Architect: Kovac Architects, Los Angeles; Builder: 44 West Construction, Topanga, Calif.
Spring selling season makes us think about getting the details right. Which makes us think of the oft-quoted line ‘God is in the details (architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is credited with the phrase though he’s probably not the first person to use it). Truth is, paying close attention to the details is a large part of what makes a home appealing to buyers. If the clever and memorable touches known as memory points make a home stand out from the crowd, it’s more like this: the deal is in the details.
“You don’t want to get lost in the next bunch of houses,” says builder Sean Ruppert, principal of OPaL LLC in Cabin John, Md. “You want them to be in the Honda Accord, on the highway, talking about your house.” Ruppert doesn’t stop with details; he makes sure his salespeople make good use of the comments those touches elicit from potential buyers (i.e., of a reading nook, “Can you imagine sitting here on a snowy day?”). Ruppert says he spends $2,000 to $5,000 per house on memory points, a fraction of the home price, yet “people think they’re worth a lot more than what you spent on them.”
Joan Marcus-Colvin, senior vice president at the Aliso Viejo, Calif.–based New Home Company, says that “the most successful memory points are the ones built into the floor plan,” citing rooms like a walk-in pantry, a wok kitchen, or a large laundry room with a built-in desk. “It’s part of the structure and the merchandising budget,” she adds.
But proceed with caution, advises architect David Kenoyer, principal at KDK Design in Raleigh, N.C., who designs production homes. “When you start worrying about Italian marble before you get the bones right, there’s a problem,” he says, adding that expensive items plugged in won’t compensate for mediocre design and won’t make for memory points. Plus, details haphazardly used can come off as cartoony. Like Marcus-Colvin, Kenoyer says the best memory points are a part of the plan, like a mudroom outfitted with handsome hooks, beadboard walls, and shelves with baskets. “I struggle with convincing builders that it’s not OK to enter the house through the laundry room,” he says of the back entrance. “But there’s a way you can market that space.”
When it comes to clinching the deal, enabling potential buyers to imagine living their lives in a house is one of the most powerful sales tool of all. “Special details create an emotion in people,” Ruppert says. “They leave that home with a feeling they didn’t get in any other home. It reflects in sales and what people are willing to pay for a house.”
Amy Albert is editor of Custom Home and a senior editor at Builder. She covers all aspects of design. Previously, she
was kitchen design editor at Bon Appetit;
before that, she was senior editor at Fine
Cooking, where she shot, edited, and wrote stories on kitchen design. Amy
studied art history with an emphasis on architecture and urban design at the
University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Los Angeles. Write her at aalbert@hanleywood.com, follow her on Twitter @CustomHomeMag and @amyatbuilder, or join her on Custom Home's Facebook page.
