Newest interior designs tear down old walls

American life is becoming increasingly casual.

Formal living rooms are going the way of parlors as people change how they live and entertain.

New home buyers today are choosing to purchase houses that offer wide open living areas where spaces flow into one another and allow for varying uses, depending upon the circumstances.

And when the weather permits, indoor and outdoor spaces are more likely to merge in today's new homes, allowing for a free flow of guests or family members.

"Lately, our buyers, even if they have children, seem much more concerned about how they are going to use a house for entertaining than how they are going to use it day-to-day," revealed Nicolle Bastian, senior sales manager for Toll Brothers' Hawthorn Woods Country Club.

And since everyone - both family and guests - seem to congregate in the kitchen anyway, homes are being designed where the living/entertaining spaces open onto a gorgeous kitchen.

"Buyers look at a new home with an eye for how they are going to set it up when they have family and friends over. They want the socializing spaces to be close to where they put out the food and drinks and when the weather is good, they also want to be able to spill out onto the patio," Bastian explained.

"As for toys and the children's stuff, they are looking for somewhere else to put that - the bedrooms or the basement," she added.

At Hawthorn Woods Country Club, Bastian said their most popular golf villas offer great rooms that are separated by two-sided, two-story fireplaces with different looks on each side of the fireplace.

"We have found that during a party, it can be used as one big open space with women gathering on one side of the room to talk and men on the other side watching a game on the large-screen television," Bastian said.

Other buyers use the space as two separate rooms with a great room on one side and a more formal living room on the other.

"Everyone wants to be close to each other and to the food, but this arrangement cuts down on the noise and makes it easier to really converse," she said.

Jacobs Homes is having a similar experience with their semi-custom homes at The Sanctuary Club in Kildeer. They, too, have opted for open floor plans in their living areas.

"People are looking for the heart of their home to be accessible and open so we are connecting the home's most used areas architecturally. But we are making them somewhat separated by using a two-story wood-burning fireplace," said Juli Jacobs, director of marketing for Jacobs Homes.

"This way you end up with two very different rooms with the common thread of a soaring fireplace," she explained. "The look of the fireplace can be totally different on the two sides, however. In our model we have the traditional wood and marble fireplace on the dining room side while on the family room side we have gone with a stunning, stamped and brushed aluminum on the mantle and surrounds."

In some models at The Sanctuary Club, the fireplace separates the dining room and family room, which are both located next to a very open kitchen, creating a wide open plan with only the fireplace and a few columns interrupting the expanse.

"And even though we typically think of a ranch home in connection to empty-nesters, families with children have also been very interested in this plan because the space has been so thoughtfully and strategically laid out, and mothers like the open kitchen concept because they can see the children when they are playing in the family room," Jacobs said.

"Buyers of all ages seem to want their family members and friends nearby, but not on top of each other, whether it is during a party or during a quiet evening at home," she added.

This same concept can be seen in Joliet at Country Club Villas, a community being constructed by H&D Enterprises Group Inc.

"We wanted to create something that was light and bright and not all cut up by hallways. We wanted it to be wide open to the point that you could see the entire unit from the front door," explained Don Smyczynski, one of H&D's principals.

They succeeded because at Country Club Villas the units are so wide open you cannot tell where one room begins and the next ends. The only thing that defines the space is furniture placement.

Smyczynski has also noticed that open rooms like the ones he has built are much more accessible for those in wheelchairs, which will become increasingly important to the empty-nesters to whom he is marketing.

Many homeowners are also taking the open space concept outdoors during much of the year.

Harris Custom Builders is currently finishing a home in Barrington Hills that includes a very rustic, stone and cedar screened porch that leads onto a large stone patio, punctuated by a free-standing stone fireplace.

"The homeowners have tried to create a private courtyard feel with landscaped stone walls that encompass the outer edge of the patio and give it a more cozy feeling," said Dean Snow, general manager for Harris Custom Builders.

"It is a wonderful mix of environments," Snow continued. "The screened room has extended their living space and entertainment area, and the fireplace has extended the months they can comfortably use the area."

"Besides, the homeowner is an outdoorsman who enjoys the cool weather. So he is looking forward to spending a lot of time out there in the spring and fall," he added.

Another trend worth noting is that of adding casual living spaces devoted exclusively to the family on the second floor.

After extensive talks with customers, Dan Kittilsen, president of DJK Custom Homes of Plainfield, came upon the idea of building homes with twin family rooms, one above the other.

He discovered that many people, particularly those with children, don't want a two-story family room because they feel they are too noisy, carrying sound upstairs to disturb sleeping children.

In addition, he had buyers tell him that when they are entertaining, they don't want adults and children or teens to have to be together.

So about five years ago DJK started building a second-floor family room above the main family room, essentially taking up the space that would have been used for a volume ceiling.

"People often want to be able to have that kid-adult separation. So many have, in the past, finished their basements," he explained.

"We have found that adding a duplicate family room on the second floor is more cost-effective," Kittilsen asserted. "And my buyers have told me that it is the perfect place to gather for a nice quiet time right before bed since it is upstairs next to the bedrooms."

Depending on the wishes of the buyer, the duplicate family room can include a fireplace identical to the one downstairs, wet bar area for snacks and popcorn, computer space for the children and even a wood-beamed, vaulted ceiling.

Even empty nesters and working couples are getting into the second floor amenity act by enhancing their loft areas with so-called morning kitchens.

Kimball Hill Homes is offering this as an option in their Mayfair townhouses in Naperville.

A small area of the loft is enhanced with a Corian counter, sink and cabinets with space for a small refrigerator, coffee maker and microwave so that the owners can enjoy coffee and snacks without returning to the big kitchen downstairs.

"Two of our models feature owner's suites with sitting areas and then there is also a loft. So when we add the morning kitchen to the loft, this whole area becomes a retreat for the owners," explained Jackie Morey, area sales manager for Kimball Hill.

"Many buyers use the loft as an exercise room, so with the morning kitchen option, they can get a cold bottle of water or whatever when they want it," she continued.

"We are marketing these townhouses to empty-nesters and I know that a lot of them come home from work and after dinner they just want to retreat upstairs, watch television, work on their laptop and relax. This way they can have access to a minimal kitchen, as well," Morey said.

Toll Brothers has even made access to the second-floor amenities, as well as the bedrooms, easier by including dual staircases in many of their models at Hawthorn Woods Country Club.

Some rear staircases are hidden and some are prominently displayed, according to Bastian, but both are becoming popular with homeowners who don't want to have to tramp through the entire house and the foyer to access the second floor.

"It gives a more informal, comfortable look to the home and makes a lot of sense, too," Bastian concluded.