by Christy Heitger-Ewing | photos by The Home Aesthetic
While it’s true that homeowners love to create dynamite areas to entertain guests, including spacious kitchens, fabulous great rooms, and lovely patios, decks and porches, there is another area of the house that they tend to devote equal amounts of attention and money – the master bedroom, bathroom, and closet.
“I think the reason people are spending money there is because it makes them feel good to have a nice area to get ready in each morning and to relax in each evening,” says Joe Garcia, owner of G&G Custom Homes. “The master bedroom, bathroom, and closet are areas of personal sanctuary – designed just for them.” These days, new build homeowners are splurging on sanctuaries. They are dedicating more square footage, more dollars, and more creativity to create their ideal personal retreats.
In the master bedroom, he’s had clients request a fancy fireplace, a quaint sitting room, a decorative wood ceiling or a natural wood wall feature behind the bed. People also like to install a top-of-the-line TV with surround sound, decorative beam work in vaulted ceilings, and lavish chandeliers to make the room feel grander. Some want a coffee bar inside the bedroom so that they can prepare their morning cup of java without having to leave their room. They may even retreat onto their private deck that’s accessible from the master bedroom.
“Basically, it’s just like living in a swanky hotel room in terms of luxury,” says Garcia.
In the master bathroom, homeowners often want a free-standing tub or a posh shower with intricate tile and multiple shower heads and jets as well as heated flooring, upgraded faucets, fancy tile floors, and his-and-her cabinets and vanities with all the bells and whistles.
“If we are not doing his-and-her closets, we’re doing one big closet that’s separated in kind of a his-and-her area,” says Garcia. “A lot of it has to do with organization and making sure everything is nice and organized.”
One popular item here is a pull-out hair dryer with a stainless steel bin so that curling irons and other hot hairstyling tools can be closed inside the bin to eliminate clutter or the worry of something catching fire. Steam showers are also becoming a hot commodity.
“People just want to go in there at the end of the day, turn on the steam shower and relax,” says Garcia.
Another common wish includes building a master closet with jaw-dropping features such as lighting that spotlights clothing, an island that sits in the middle of the closet, and perhaps even an elegant chandelier.
“I don’t think we’ve done a home lately that didn’t include either a master closet, master bedroom or master bathroom that wasn’t fully decked out,” says Garcia. “Clearly, people like to splurge on their sanctuaries.”
In speaking with other custom homebuilders, Garcia notes that these are the trends that all builders are currently seeing. Though Garcia admits that women tend to care more about having a spacious kitchen and luxury master bath while men crave a nice garage and decked out man cave basement, both sexes really do appreciate having a nice master retreat.
“The bottom line,” says Garcia, “is that everyone likes to relax and unwind.”
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15530 Shining Spring Drive
Westfield, Indiana 46074
