Downsizing from mansions or estates doesn't have to mean giving up on luxurious living. It's all in how you "redeploy" interior space. Let's define "smaller" as less than 3,000 square feet, since the median size of new homes being built, which was 2,467 square feet in 2015, according to Census Bureau statistics. So, what should a smaller luxury home include? It should embody good design of course, which means a well thought-out circulation plan with graceful connections between rooms and between interior and exterior. There should be well situated and sized bathrooms in addition to the powder room; walk-in closets or a dressing area; a pantry and/or a laundry; built-in cabinetry; a flexible space of some kind, and sheltered space for outdoor living and entertaining. Let's look at smaller-scale luxury in several floor plans.
Luxury in a Modern Style
Leon Meyer Architects design in a minimalist Modern style that is luxurious in its use
of glass and stone, high ceilings, and elegant flow between indoors and outdoors, as shown
here and at the top of this post in Plan 496-21. Window walls blur boundaries between the great room
and deck, making both spaces feel larger. And see how the glass corner and extended hearth draw the eye into the view, further adding to a sense of expansiveness.
Here's the master bath, treated as a serene spa with vessel sinks and a transparent shower that maximizes spaciousness. This 3 bedroom 2.5 bath house is only 2,282 sq. ft.
Luxury in a Traditional Style
William Poole designs feature-filled plans in a welcoming simplified Colonial style, with multi-paned windows, deep porches, and French doors as here in Plan 137-261.
Though from the street it resembles a cottage, it contains three bedrooms and 3.5 baths in 2,157 sq. ft.
There's room for a breakfast area opening to a screen porch for outdoor dining, as well as a dining room. The great room opens both to the dining room and the kitchen -- through the passage tucked under the central stair -- for a smooth circulation pattern with no dead-ends. The master suite also boasts double vanities with
a stall shower and a platform tub. Each of the upstairs bedrooms has its own bathroom and there is space for a future recreation or media room off the central hall.
Luxury in a Beach Cottage Style
Gulf Coast Cottages, Inc. has reinvented the Cottage style for coastal communities, as here in this four bedroom 4.5 bath Plan 443-13. At 2,728 sq. ft. it's only 49 sq. ft. larger than the average house size mentioned above, and would clearly be considered very luxurious as a second home.
The design celebrates easy indoor-outdoor living with porches off the major rooms on two levels. Three bedrooms -- one of which includes bunk room alcove (a good idea for grandchildren!) -- are on the ground
floor along with a laundry-mudroom. The upper floor contains the master suite and the great room, with distinct areas for
living, dining, and cooking. There's also a spiral stair leading up to a mezzanine or loft overlooking the great room -- which is just visible in the photo below.
Details like the generous tile backsplash in the kitchen and the dining area and the built-in glass-fronted cabinets add an extra level of refinement.
So, as these homes demonstrate, the only thing you might be giving up if you move from a large and sumptuous mansion to a smaller luxury home might simply be -- excess space!
To browse a collection of larger luxury floor plans, click here.
Luxury in a Modern Style
Leon Meyer Architects design in a minimalist Modern style that is luxurious in its use
of glass and stone, high ceilings, and elegant flow between indoors and outdoors, as shown
here and at the top of this post in Plan 496-21. Window walls blur boundaries between the great room
and deck, making both spaces feel larger. And see how the glass corner and extended hearth draw the eye into the view, further adding to a sense of expansiveness.
Here's the master bath, treated as a serene spa with vessel sinks and a transparent shower that maximizes spaciousness. This 3 bedroom 2.5 bath house is only 2,282 sq. ft.
Luxury in a Traditional Style
William Poole designs feature-filled plans in a welcoming simplified Colonial style, with multi-paned windows, deep porches, and French doors as here in Plan 137-261.
Though from the street it resembles a cottage, it contains three bedrooms and 3.5 baths in 2,157 sq. ft.
There's room for a breakfast area opening to a screen porch for outdoor dining, as well as a dining room. The great room opens both to the dining room and the kitchen -- through the passage tucked under the central stair -- for a smooth circulation pattern with no dead-ends. The master suite also boasts double vanities with
a stall shower and a platform tub. Each of the upstairs bedrooms has its own bathroom and there is space for a future recreation or media room off the central hall.
Luxury in a Beach Cottage Style
Gulf Coast Cottages, Inc. has reinvented the Cottage style for coastal communities, as here in this four bedroom 4.5 bath Plan 443-13. At 2,728 sq. ft. it's only 49 sq. ft. larger than the average house size mentioned above, and would clearly be considered very luxurious as a second home.
The design celebrates easy indoor-outdoor living with porches off the major rooms on two levels. Three bedrooms -- one of which includes bunk room alcove (a good idea for grandchildren!) -- are on the ground
floor along with a laundry-mudroom. The upper floor contains the master suite and the great room, with distinct areas for
living, dining, and cooking. There's also a spiral stair leading up to a mezzanine or loft overlooking the great room -- which is just visible in the photo below.
Details like the generous tile backsplash in the kitchen and the dining area and the built-in glass-fronted cabinets add an extra level of refinement.
So, as these homes demonstrate, the only thing you might be giving up if you move from a large and sumptuous mansion to a smaller luxury home might simply be -- excess space!
To browse a collection of larger luxury floor plans, click here.
