The style and design of a home isn't just found on the outside

No one wants a naked house.

That's why builders use art niches, columns, tray ceilings and other architectural elements to dress up a home's interior.

Art niches bring a touch of refinement to a home. Columns define spaces and add a bit of formality, while a wood-beamed ceiling might enhance a rustic ambiance. Rich architectural details add character and drama to a home's interior. They bring a beautiful home to life.

Three area builders - Charles Page, Merit Builders and Empeco Custom Builders - told us how they incorporate the architectural details clients are requesting. They said that they are getting more requests for volume ceilings, arched openings and columns with ornate bases.

Charles Page, architect and builder

A signature feature for Page is a kitchen gathering area, a cozy place where family members can congregate and share stories about their day while the cook prepares dinner.

In a Winnetka French château, Page showcases a stunning ceiling treatment in the gathering area with a vaulted maple beamed ceiling, a border of understated textured wallpaper and a red handblown Murano glass chandelier imported from Italy.

"We've combined the family room and kitchen into a great room and created a gathering area in the kitchen," Page said. "That's where people spend most of their time with their families or entertaining guests. The gathering area is very popular. I very seldom put in living rooms any more, even in larger homes."

He said buyers are looking for a different look in their kitchens.

"I think people have gotten tired of the old symmetrical kitchen cabinet look, which we've been doing for 30 or 40 years. They like the look of more custom furniture with a variety of heights and trims - more like a free-standing piece of furniture."

Page is also known for designing unique libraries. In this home, the library features a cherry double-door entry, beamed tray ceiling, cherry built-in bookcases with carved crown moldings, oak flooring and fireplace with cherry carved mantel plus marble surround and hearth.

"Most people envision a traditional library with beautiful woods, extensive bookshelves, beamed ceilings and a fire roaring in the fireplace," Page said. "Our libraries certainly include these features, but may have some unexpected twists, including balconies and hidden doors to inner workrooms."

Page builds specialty rooms on lower levels with the same fine finishes and attention to detail as the upper floors. Popular specialty rooms include game rooms, gyms, wine rooms and home theaters.

"Buyers have been opting for slightly smaller homes in the past few years, but at the same time, they are using every square foot of the home to enhance their personal lifestyles," Page said.

Merit Builders

The Forester spec home at The Enclave at The Reserve at the Merit Club in Libertyville showcases many architectural details that are typical of homes by Merit Builders.

The great room features a 14-foot volume ceiling, French doors leading to a patio and a half wall with columns separating the great room from the kitchen. The room also has a stone fireplace with raised hearth, white oak floors and built-in cabinets.

"People want details - arched openings, columns and more decorative casings," said Jeri Szatko, director of sales and marketing. "They're looking for architectural detail in their cabinetry - doing a little fluting on either side of the cook top and sink and adding detail to the island. With the designer cabinets we use, we can accommodate their wishes.

"Because we are a custom homebuilder, we don't have limitations. If someone wants dentil molding on a crown or casing, we can do that. If the client wants a contemporary interior, we can change the casings to fit the style of the home."

In The Enclave, which caters mostly to empty-nesters and young professionals who enjoy single-level living, the Forester is a popular ranch with three bedrooms and 2½ baths.

"Our buyers don't need four or five bedrooms; they want something cozier, easier to manage and easy to heat and cool. We build a more manageable size home, but with all the high-end luxury products available," Szatko said.

"We make sure our buyers have a lot of design flexibility. If they want to upgrade to Brazilian or mahogany flooring, it's more affordable because they're starting at a high level of standard inclusions."

People are attracted to the architectural design of the ranch plans with high ceilings, open floor plans and a feeling of spaciousness. Kitchens, family rooms and living rooms flow into each other for convenient entertaining, while separate bedroom areas provide privacy and personal space. The media room converts into a study, living room or fourth bedroom.

Empeco Custom Builders

Visitors to the Berkshire model at Long Meadow Farms in Long Grove enter the home through an arched mahogany door that opens to an elegant foyer with staircase. A spacious interior features 10-foot ceilings, high-end décor with warm colors and rich architectural touches.

"This is the most exquisite model we have ever crafted, one that embodies everything we stand for," said Mark Perlman, president of Empeco Custom Builders.

Highlights of the home's architectural features include the dining room's picture frame molding with an elegant stencil glazing, an illuminated cove-lighted ceiling and walnut inlay.

The first-floor study features a coffered ceiling, cherry wood paneling and a floor that mirrors the design of the beamed ceiling in a combination of oak hardwood and slate tile. "We do a lot of drywall and wood beamed ceilings with crown molding on either side of the beams and recessed lighting inside," Perlman said.

A large, second-floor computer loft provides space for kids to do their homework. "Almost every home we build has an office/computer room for the family often done in a masculine motif, and we've done a lot of paneling - cherry, oak, mahogany - with built-ins," Perlman said.

"We've always done arched doorways that add a classic look to a home," Perlman said. "We're doing a lot of columns with ornate bases trying to be true to the architectural style, while the more contemporary designs call for cleaner lines and fewer of the heavy architectural details.

"In this home, the walkout lower level is like a private home within a home," Perlman said. It includes a super deluxe home theater room with a 106-inch screen concealed behind red velvet drapery, a high definition digital projector, graduated-height theater seating and an integrated electronics system.

"We seem to be getting a lot of requests for theater rooms. We're also getting a lot of people asking about green features who have never asked about it before," he said.

"We're a custom builder, so we dance to the tune that the client wants us to."