For those who love consistently warm weather throughout the year, Florida is known for its tropical, relaxed atmosphere. The palm trees and sunny days transport you to the Caribbean — especially in a residential amenity like Laguna Solé.

The lagoon is located in the heart of Solé Mia, known for being the “city within a city” that’s being built by two of the most powerful real estate dynasties in America, the LeFraks and Soffers. The LeFraks developed LeFrak City in New York and Newport, New Jersey, while the Soffers are known for developing much of what Miami is today.

KB Home Design Studio is known for working with customers as they are building a new home to help them personalize the space for their individual needs.

“Because each customer is unique with different tastes, we must be able to include choices that reflect many design aesthetics,” says Gena Kirk, Vice President of Design at KB Home.

This method comes readily at hand with a market that is continually evolving, with millennials currently making up the largest share of homebuyers in today’s market. We spoke with Kirk to learn more about how designers and brands like KB Home are staying on the pulse of emerging design trends and what millennials are really desiring in their homes.

What tools outside of work help inspire you while you work? 

These are some of the mediums that aid me in selecting the best choices for our KB Home Design Studio customer. In addition to the usual interior design outlets that inspire me, I am also inspired by our supplier partner’s innovative products and consumer research such as Moen’s Magnetix Handheld Shower and Shaw’s Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring.

We’re accommodating a wide variety of customers who are looking to personalize their home at an affordable price so the more information we have about the products being developed and available the better we can provide value products to our KB customer. 

Are there some that don’t inspire but help you get away from work?

I am personally inspired by such mediums as home design shows, decorating magazines, Houzz, Pinterest, Apartment Therapy, decorating blogs and following retail furniture trends. 

What kind of styles/trends are most prevalent in millennial-bought homes today, and why?

In millennial-built homes, we’re seeing from the KB Home Design studio a few things. For example, they’re prioritizing things such as flexible spaces within the home, an eye towards health and wellness, an interest in technology and a minimalist design. KB Home tracks these interests to make sure we’re offering our millennial buyer what they’re expecting and what they want to make their homes their own. 

Millennials are purchasing only the square footage they need verses the biggest home they can afford. This makes flexible spaces very important to these buyers and they want to make best use of that space.  

Millennials also have an interest in the home as a source of health and wellness. They have an interest in things like door fixtures that are antibacterial, or no-touch have become popular, as well as Energy Star HVAC that helps not only cut down on utility costs, but also provides clean indoor air. 

Lastly, millennials are looking to a minimalist design aesthetic. This also helps maximize their living space and provide a clean, modern look. They will use neutral paint colors, like greige, to warm the space. 

What has been your favorite project to work on at KB Home?

My favorite and most rewarding project to work on was designing, creating and building the new KB Design Studio. KB Home was able to highlight our personalization options in beautiful design studios across the company. Our suppliers have their product on display and are uniquely merchandised to promote customer interaction and product sales. Additionally, our customers love the interactive displays and organized choice making the selection process easy and fun!

Was there anything that inspired you specifically?

Designing the KB Home Studio was more challenging than designing a room. I considered the warm and welcoming feeling that I wanted the space to convey, as well as the idea that the KB Home studio needed to inspire our customers and provide them with a creative space to fully personalize and envision their new home.

On beautiful Lake Huron in in Sarnia Ontario, Canada, this home was originally custom-built by renowned Pineridge Timber Frame Homes. The 6,500 square feet of living space is detailed with a 37-foot stone hearth, Rumford fireplace and two more gas fireplaces.

“This unique, custom-built home features wood beams and walls throughout the entire main floor, giving it a log cabin type feel, with a modern twist,” says Jim Pumple of Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty who is listing the home for $2.5 million CAD.

The home also showcases a beautiful winding staircase, professional kitchen, four bedrooms, four baths, granite islands, heated floors under ceramic, marble and cement, a steam sauna, and a home theater with leather seating.

For more information, visit www.sothebysrealty.ca

This property originally appeared in Homes & Estates Summer Supplement ’19. 

With panoramic Pacific Ocean views, this exclusive and private compound is nestled in the Hermosa Hillsides in Northwest Pacific Costa Rica. The property spans two lots, each with over one-plus acres. It includes a main villa plus two guesthouses.

“Villa Vista Azul offers privacy, ocean views and flexibility as a family compound or executive or yoga retreat with rental income benefits,” says Linda Ann Gray of Coldwell Banker Coast to Coast Properties, who is listing the property for $1.675 million.

The compound is just 30 minutes to the International Airport in Liberia and a short drive to the full-service beach community of Playas Del Coco.

For more information, visit www.coldwellbankercr.com

This property originally appeared in Homes & Estates Summer Supplement. 

An often underrated way to style a room with is the flooring, which often ends up as a simple hardwood or tile design. While adding neutral tones to floors can allow other statement pieces in a room to pop, sometimes a bold flooring can be just what the space needs.

With that, here are some tips and tricks to designing a room around a bold floor or rug:

Photo courtesy of Chaplins Furniture

With this space, the bold rug has two main colors, with gold being its secondary color. Instead of choosing another blue for the chairs, the designer chose to use the rug’s secondary color. This way, the blue rug still adds a pop, rather than being one of pieces with a similar color in the room. By using one of the more minor colors on the floor, there is still a wide variety of hues to have a creative and comfortable style. 

Photo courtesy of WOW Design

3. Eclectic Style

Don’t be afraid of flooring that gets colorful and different. When styled correctly, this can be the selling-point of the home. Its uniqueness never fails to impress those who are looking for something different yet clean and airy. 

While this tile may look busy and complicated close up, take a step back and see the beauty it adds to the home. The mid-century modern design adds a flair unlike any other, while also staying sleek and refined.

This property originally appeared in Unique Homes Summer ’19. 

High ceilings have become a statement piece in homes and apartments across the nation, and buyers have responded. The National Association of Home Builders conducted a survey in which 67 percent of respondents in 2018 said they would be willing to pay more money for ceilings higher than 8 feet on the first floor of their home — and with the percentage steadily increasing over the past few years, it’s clear that high ceilings are a great addition to any home.

With so many different benefits, high ceilings can become the selling-point of the home. Here are some benefits involved with designing a home around high ceilings:

Photo courtesy of THREE MARKS

1. Dazzling Views

In apartments and residential homes across the country, high ceilings can allow for even more windows, and therefore add spectacular views. With the potential of higher ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows can provide spectacular views of the landscape before them.

At Summit New York, a private residential building located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the 15-foot ceilings allow for gorgeous views of the Chrysler building with the rest of the city in the background. The sheer height of the ceilings allows for a larger view, adding a dazzling feature to the home.

Photo courtesy of DooArchitecture

By using different materials and an eye-catching design, the designers have created a statement piece in the Ritz-Carlton Residences in Miami, Florida. They not only add a spacious and airy feel to the room, but its design allows for an artistic interpretation of the classic high ceiling.

Photo courtesy of Turnberry Ocean Club

By creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, the fireplace can always become the centerpiece of the home. With so many different styles, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make decisions based on the look of the room. Here are different styles that can be used to complement your own personality and the atmosphere of the overall home.

Photo courtesy of DelightFULL

2. The Simple and Sophisticated Fireplace

If you’re looking for a fireplace that warms the atmosphere without taking away from other statement pieces in the room, head in the direction of a simpler, sleek fireplace for your home.

For a more sophisticated style that blends into the background, look toward matching the color of the fireplace with the dominant colors of the room. Tans and light greens dominate the following space, with the chandelier in the center being the main statement piece of the room. To avoid taking your attention off of the chandelier, allow the fireplace to blend seamlessly into the rest of the room.

Photo courtesy of Brabbu Design Forces

3. The Space-Saver Fireplace

For those who live in apartments or are simply looking to save a bit more space, don’t rule out the possibility of having a fireplace in your home. For a more eclectic style while also saving space, look toward the stove fireplace. This style blends seamlessly into older-style apartments or spaces, and can add a pop of old-world flair to more modern rooms as well.

With more than 65 years’ experience between them, Sheryl Chinowth and Lee Cohen, co-founders of Chinowth and Cohen Realtors, have proven to be leaders in the luxury real estate industry. Their experience has granted them the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate (LRE) Fall Conference, being held in Washington, D.C., from September 24 to 27. 

Their firm has received several recognitions since its establishment in 2004, including ‘Best in the World’ Real Estate Company by Tulsa World readers in 2015 and 2016, along with ‘Best of the Best’ Real Estate Company in Tulsa by readers of Oklahoma Magazine for six consecutive years.

Photo courtesy of Luxury Real Estate

Jeff Hyland and Drew Fenton are thrilled to present The Glazer Estate, located in Beverly Hills, California. Totaling approximately 27,500 square feet, the massive concrete home with a modern museum-style aesthetic was completed in 1995, and has since replaced the longtime home Dean Martin originally purchased in the 1950s. The property was most recently owned by late real estate developer Guilford Glazer and his wife, Diane Glazer.

Guests are instantly greeted by a long, private driveway surrounded by park-like grounds. With no expense spared, The Glazer Estate makes entertaining on a grand-scale seamless, with the ability to host over 1,000 guests.