So for starters, can a luxury mansion and a small footprint "green home" have anything in common? In my opinion, I often feel happier in rooms with tall ceilings. This is something that I have noticed in every style home. From starter homes, green homes and large mansions, everyone feels more at home in rooms that feel open. What else could make a room feel open? How about windows? I have noted that even in many of these green homes and modern homes have large windows. Windows always make the room bright and open. There is also a great feeling of openness and balance from choosing the right colors in the rooms. The wrong colors can make even a large room feel cramped or un-inviting. Many of the ideas involving a proper balance of lighting, scale and colors can show where both styles have a common interest.
After having said all of that, there are obvious, stark differences to green homes and many modern mansions. However there are still many things that could equally define luxury living in every world. On any given showcase that I have been through, a home was staged with beautiful furnishings, artwork, landscaping and location. No matter where you are in the world the most important rule in real estate has always been and always will be "location, location, location". Is it any wonder why this rule is so important? Is the property in the vicinity of an important landmark? What kind of views do you have? How far away are you from shopping? The freeway? Civilization? These answers are treasures to all people. Although every want or need is different, they bear the most important factor in a persons decision to buy or build a house.
When touring a luxury home, there is an obvious expectation for impeccable interior design. I have seen where an interior designer took a large open family room and placed over sized furniture to scale the room. I have also seen where large rooms were advantageous to views and therefore low lying barcelona chairs and modern furniture were best used. My tastes may be different from say Donald Trumps, but I believe that even Donald himself would be disappointed if a luxury home was poorly furnished.
Probably my biggest satisfaction in homes comes from the outdoor living areas. I don't know if this comes from my living everywhere in the world, but I do know that it is vitally important to have areas outside the home where one can enjoy the sun and breathe fresh air. In my travels I have seen pools and pergolas that have wowed me but nothing compares to a backyard that was planned by a landscape architect in conjunction with the home. When you have envisioned what you could see out of the windows inside the house, you may have been able to properly plan for electrical, gas lines, plumbing and so on. A landscape architect is a professional architect just like a home architect. A luxury home should always been landscaped in conjunction with one of these guys!
There are many more features that could be shown here in this article. What do you think should be seen in a luxury home? We would love to hear some of your answers. Do you like mansions or smaller foot print homes? What styles do you prefer? Do you dream of backyards that rival a resort? Tell us and we will maybe even quote you in our next article. Write your thoughts and answers to dan(at)utahluxury(dot)com.
