Kitchen, Closets, Laundry Are on Move in Homes

ORLANDO, Fla. - You want that where?

Never mind the traditional home layout. Judging from the exhibits at this month's International Home Builders' Show, new homes are increasingly about what their residents want, wherever they want it: Kitchens in the backyard, whirlpool baths in showers, laundry rooms near bedrooms and closets everywhere.

With bigger homes, and even in small apartments, people want easier access to conveniences, and are looking for ways to put things where they want them - and not always where you'd expect.

"I want to live how I want," as Brian Maynard, a spokesman for KitchenAid, summed up the new wish lists.

Here's what is hot:

Kitchen equipment everywhere. You'll find small refrigerators and pantries in entertainment rooms and children's playrooms. Outside, the rush continues to bring ranges, refrigerators, sinks and everything else to within steps of the grill, Mr. Maynard said.

"Kitchens have no walls," he said. "I want to cook when I want where I want."

In smaller spaces, some homeowners are separating refrigerators from freezers, positioning tall vertical ones on either side of a sink or another appliance, said Cliff Jin, a spokesman for Bosch appliances.

Such refrigerators and freezers offer flexibility as small urban spaces grow popular among retiring baby boomers and young professionals.

"You can put them anywhere," he said.

No-walk washing. Homeowners have grown weary of lugging dirty clothes downstairs to the basement or outside to the garage, Mr. Maynard said. They want laundry rooms upstairs among the bedrooms, and they are seeking quieter machines for that reason. Especially popular are front-load machines, which are more expensive but more energy efficient.

Relaxation on the run. Homeowners are realizing they don't have time to lounge in those souped-up whirlpool baths that are the hallmarks of many master bedrooms, said Ginny Long, a spokeswoman for Moen fixtures. They want bigger showers or so-called "vertical spas," with large shower heads and jets projecting water sideways to nurture muscles. Such a shower can awaken in the morning or soothe in the evening, Ms. Long said.

"The shower itself is becoming the spa experience," she said.

Closets come out of the closet. Closets are everywhere, taking over laundry rooms, offices and mud rooms, said Eric Marshall, a spokesman for ClosetMaid. As homeowners accumulate more stuff, they are less interested in tossing it in closets and shutting the door, he said. They want access to their things and are seeking to organize spaces other spaces as well.

Windows that do work. After 2004's and 2005's hurricanes, many windows and doors being made are sturdier.

Broken windows not only allow furniture and belongings to get soaked during a storm but they also can lead to roof damage because of pressure differences that build between the interior and exterior of a home, said L.J. Meynard, a spokesman for Weather Shield Windows & Doors. Some windows today are so sturdy they can stop a two-by-four projected at 80 miles an hour, he said.

(c) 2007 Augusta Chronicle, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.