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Bigger is less vital, but better is all the rage.

Article Excerpt
Byline: JoAnn Amicangelo

One might say the executives and business owners buying million-dollar custom-designed luxury homes these days are getting selfish. Architects and designers say their clients want homes that fit their particular needs and define their personality and style.

"They're less concerned about what future buyers of their home might want. They figure, `If I'm not going to use a tub, then I'm not going to put one in,' '' said Todd Young, vice president at Young & Young Architects of Bloomfield Hills.

Designer Fred Flock at Bella Cucina in Sylvan Lake agrees.

"A lot of our clients are empty-nesters and building one of their last homes. They plan to live in the home for the foreseeable future, so they're not as concerned with resale value and are more willing to do something out of the box,'' Flock said.

Not only do today's luxury home buyers know what they want, they know how and where to get it.

"They're coming in with a list of what they want and asking if we know about certain systems, because it's easier for them to research these things now,'' Young said.

At the same time, there's a trend toward more sensibility. For example, home buyers are foregoing a fireplace in every room.

"It's the realization that we don't need it all - at least not everywhere,'' Young said.

Here are other trends in the upscale luxury home market:

Home size

At an average of $200 to $300 a square foot, custom-designed homes today are as big as...

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