Stone Surfaces

24/7 Wall St.: Eight Amazing Home Amenities for the Rich

Location: Spicewood, Tex.
Home price: $4 million
Square footage: 12,000

Stone may be found in fireplaces in older homes, but it is not often used in interiors, not only because of high labor costs, but because finding consistent high quality is expensive and requires considerable expertise. In mansions, such restrictions are eschewed, particularly in the choice of custom chiseled stone tubs. Bathers who do not like the feel of stone may prefer to soak in a $67,000 Kallista Archeo Copper Bathtub.
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Fire and Water F... Location: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Home price: $5.1 million
Square footage: 6,198

Who says fire and water don’t mix? Picture a backyard with lovely views, a large infinity pool, a gazebo offering relief from the sun. At night, standing urns are lit with fire that reflect on the water and also provide warmth to the homeowners and their friends lounging around the pool. This backyard entertaining space may also include built-ins such as a wet bar, a grill — or even a pizza oven.

Morris’s architectural view: If you live in an urban setting, Morris recommends a chimney, even if you’re outdoors. But he cautions that “The problem with a fire pit is smoke always goes right where you’re sitting."
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Wet Room Location: Los Angeles
Home price: $15 million
Square footage: 10,000

How can you enjoy the experience of water immersion without jumping in a bath or a spa? Build a well-ventilated wet room with multiple types of showerheads, including a steam feature, and install a bench to sit or lie down. If that sounds complicated and expensive, it is, but it is also likely to be a very popular room in your home. In an ultra-expensive version of a wet room, an owner might install slatted wood flooring made not from oak but from ipê, a South American wood deemed more sustainable than teak.

Morris’s architectural view: “The basic idea of a wet room doesn’t necessary add cost because you can put in one zone a separate bath, shower, steam. Some have LED lights, which are used for various effects.”
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Stone Surfaces Location: Spicewood, Tex.
Home price: $4 million
Square footage: 12,000

Stone may be found in fireplaces in older homes, but it is not often used in interiors, not only because of high labor costs, but because finding consistent high quality is expensive and requires considerable expertise. In mansions, such restrictions are eschewed, particularly in the choice of custom chiseled stone tubs. Bathers who do not like the feel of stone may prefer to soak in a $67,000 Kallista Archeo Copper Bathtub.
(iStock)

More From 24/7 Wall St.:
The Best Housing Markets for 2013
The Best CEOs of 2012
American Cities Adding or Losing the Most Jobs

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Technology and M... Location: Whistler, B.C., Canada
Home price: US $9,050,000
Square footage: 5,000

High-end media centers contain well-crafted paneling and built-in amenities such as a wet bar, a small catering kitchen, a refrigerator or a popcorn maker. All those creature comforts come with comfy seating and coexist with a bank of high-def TVs, cameras for videoconferencing and digitally controlled sound systems that may span the entire manse.

Lighting controls are another way that costs mount in a technology and media center. Depending on how the room is used, it should be lit differently, says Morris, so that “you can see what’s in your lap and still see the screen.”

Morris’s architectural view: “Those are becoming more like sitting rooms than movie theaters. Now all of the electronics are simpler. So it’s more like a sitting room or a family room and likely there’s a way to block off the screen when it’s not in use.”
(iStock)

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Wood Finishes Location: Beaver Creek, Colo.
Home price: $9,495,000
Square footage: 8,600

Some woods are more exotic and, therefore, more expensive than others. But that’s just the beginning of how costs can spiral with wood, according to the architect, Morris. As with stones or tile, close attention to grain patterns leads to a more consistent look, but also of course adds much more cost. Some homeowners opt for elaborate staining processes that entail as many as eight steps, Morris adds. And he has clients who want all their wood cut from the same log in the same sequence.

Morris’s architectural view: In rooms that use panels, you look for “book-matched graining — at the seam of the veneer it’s like a mirrored image — so there’s continuity in the pattern of the wood. Wood actually brings a color into a room and you can play off of it in [your choice of] the rugs and curtain.”
(iStock)

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Open Entertainin... Location: Saint Barthelemy, Home price: $21.8 million
Square footage: N/A

An open entertaining kitchen could be built in a suburb or perhaps beside a cool urban garden, either of which would be nice, but not nearly as expensive as locating it in a villa in the French West Indies. Sometimes location is the biggest differentiator, rather than room size, building materials or fixtures. At any price point, in an open entertaining kitchen you are seeking a casual yet compelling space to gather your friends or family. Altogether, this property is composed of several bungalows along a terrace, including a villa. The four bedrooms and a heated infinity pool face the sea.

Morris’s architectural view: In an open entertaining kitchen you may “use a giant island to act as a separator between the kitchen and dining areas. If it’s a casual (event), it’s a family-like space. If it’s a formal (event), you have staff working there.”
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Expanded Great R... Location: Chappaqua, NY
Home price: $1,875,000
Square footage: 3,519

Great rooms that stitch together living, dining and kitchen spaces have been around for several decades, but for high-end homeowners what’s new isn’t the size or purpose of the room, it’s a matter of quality fixtures, flooring and cabinetry.

And the details add up: “If you use large slabs of stone, or big wide boards, it’s harder to do, harder to control and install,” says Morris. “But it has a very high quality look to it. As the individual pieces of material get bigger it costs more to do and has a more refined look.”

“A lot of what fuels what people are building at this level is the thought of entertaining, which is bringing extended family, family and grandchildren together in a relaxed environment,” says Boomsma. “The formal dining room — I don’t know that we’ll see that coming back right away. Kitchens are becoming more manageable spaces — with backup prep space moved to a butler pantry or catering kitchen area.”
(iStock)

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Wine Cellar Ente... Location: Greve in Chianti, Italy
Home price: $14 million
Square footage: N/A

While living in a Tuscan villa may not be realistic for many Americans, the idea of entertaining in a classic wine cellar may translate well for upscale homeowners who have room to spare. On a related note, Boomsma reports that some homeowners are building wine bars in their bedrooms, which in some ways takes this idea a step further.

Morris’s architectural view: A wine cellar is “becoming more than just a closet with wine in it — it’s an intimate entertaining space. Some are in the style of a castle grotto with stone and wood and a little table to have dessert, even within the wine cellar. The lack of windows increases the level of intimacy.”
(iStock)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
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