4 11-
0Poimili3O0
Th
m
..11111
1111111
s '"•••"--
....k
MI1111111111
tlIfiltil
1.
**4
-
I
•
.•••jir
.
■
Above: In this home, the wall of
fieldstone contains a fireplace and
niche. Its rough texture contrasts
with the smooth, shiny floor and
contemporary decor.
petitive market, with a lot of people
vying for a very small populace who
demand expert workmanship,"
notes one builder. Builders who want
to stay in business have to provide
a high quality product, "because it's
all word of mouth and that can make
or break you," he adds.
Builders across the country are
echoing the sentiment that in the
32
HOME
high-end home market, "people are
looking for lifestyle." Brian Killian of
Brian Killian & Co., interior designers
in Birmingham characterizes it, "The
space shuttle system for the house."
TVs, security alarms, phone inter-
coms, stereos, lighting, closed circuit
TVs, central vacuum cleaner and all
other electronic units are massed
behind a central panel, allowing
fingertip control of the entire house.
Builders predict that while this
system is still very expensive, in the
next three to five years it will become
an industry standard.
The trend in luxury custom homes,
the experts agree, is to larger homes
with an increased ability to handle
public functions and private desires
in an elegant manner. While you
won't necessarily find many homes
with five or six bedrooms, what you
will see are separate living rooms and
family rooms, as well as libraries, din-
ing rooms and enormous kitchens
and huge master bedroom suites
with room for sitting areas, enormous
master bathrooms and large built-in
closets. "The master bathrooms are
so big," says Patricia Shea of
Bordener Realty in Birmingham "you
could throw a dance in there!"
And, oh, the private fantasies these
master bedroom suites can fulfill.