Excuse me. I'm going to get personal for a minute. I just toured the New American Home, the 2012 showcase house for the National Association of Home Builders. I left with a bad case of toilet envy.
While the showcase home offers plenty of eye candy and new trends to admire, I cannot get the toilet in the master bath out of my mind.
At the touch of a wall-mounted LED pad that looks like an iPhone, you can auto-magically raise and lower the lid without touching it. And you can heat the seat and play music. Not only that, this smart piece of plumbing sprays, dries and has adjustable flushing.
As long as we're on the subject of bodily functions and before I move on to some of the new concepts more suitable to polite company, the doggie lawn begs mention.
Anyone who has ever cleaned up after his pooch will appreciate the Forever Canine Lawn from DuPont. The high-end faux turf has a flow-through backing that drains and anti-microbial blades chemically treated to break down and whisk away pet waste - with the occasional help of a hose. No unpleasantness to step in or scoop up and no more urine burn.
If this is what the future holds, count me in!
A fixture at the annual home builders convention, each New American Home is the tangible result of a forward-thinking architect and builder. This year that happened to be the same guy.
"It's a huge honor," said Phil Kean, the mastermind behind the 4,200-square-foot, two-story home, which happens to be in my Winter Park, Fla., neighborhood. I toured the place and talked to Kean about some of the concepts his home reflects.
"The point of these showcase homes is to be educational," said Kean, who is considering living in his creation. "No one house offers the perfect answer for everyone, but this one should let visitors take away ideas that may work in future homes."
Looking to the future
Here's what else future home buyers, builders and remodelers might look for, or at least think about:
More town less country. Many homeowners want to live closer to shops, boutiques and restaurants. "If you want to walk to these places, that may mean settling for an ugly-duckling lot," Kean said. Such was the case with this well-located but tight lot, which Kean made the most of.
Screen the scene. When neighbors are tall buildings with views onto your property, privacy is an issue. Kean oriented the home to maximize privacy and built long overhangs to keep eyes from the neighboring four-story apartment building from peering into private spaces.
Blurring the boundaries. To make the most of the small lot, Kean integrated the outdoors into the interior. "We pulled the outside into the middle of the house," he said. A covered lanai, terraces off the second-story rooms, lots of glass, roll-away walls and a flow of the same fabrics and finishes all blur the line between indoors and out. For example, chairs outside on the lanai and in the family room are the same, as are indoor-outdoor area rugs. Limestone, cut with the grain and set to look like hardwood, also flows from the outside in.
Domestic details. As the name implies, everything in the New American Home is from America. "You can get every building material locally from U.S. suppliers," Kean said, "no running to Italy for marble."
Healthy living. Keeping health and the environment in mind, Kean chose bio-friendly materials. "Nothing off-gasses and the home is super energy tight."
Open that kitchen. In a nod to making the kitchen the hub of entertaining, Kean did away with overhead cabinets because they block sight lines. Instead, in addition to lower cabinets, he installed cabinet corridors. All appliances are clad to look like wood cabinetry.
Living in art. In lieu of a living room, Kean has an art gallery with seating. He also has lighted art niches built into walls. "Art should be integral, not an afterthought; it's the salt of a home, not the dessert."
Modern makes a comeback. Kean chose to create a modern structure, because he says, "People are leaning toward more streamlined, cleaned-up homes." To his surprise, he said, even the most die-hard traditionalists come in and say, "I could live here."
