Home, Customized Home.

Developers build apartment homes for the most discriminating residents

The dining room has recessed lighting and a multi-level ceiling accenting a gorgeous chandelier. A few steps away, a gas log burns brightly in a stone fireplace whose hearth brings out the flecks of gold and tan in the room's Berber carpet. Hidden stereo speakers project music through the room and into the kitchen, with a ceramic tile floor and oak cabinets. The baths too are luxurious with black marble counters and sinks, and some even have both garden tubs and stand-up showers.

But this isn't a private residence. Nor is it an upscale suite in a top hotel. This is the face of apartment living, and customization is the key. No longer will white walls and brown carpets suffice. Even the single-car garages of a few years ago are being replaced by their larger, two-car siblings.

As high-tech corridors expand across the country, the professionals they draw are largely choosing to rent. They move around a lot in their jobs, but that doesn't mean that they demand any less luxury in their apartment home. It's quite the opposite. These residents want features and amenities that used to be found only at the swankiest hotels. As developers are discovering, these are the renters of tomorrow.

All About Style

"The smallest homes in our area start at $250,000 and they go all the way up to $1 million," says Stan Efferding, manager of Horizons at Rock Creek, a resort-style, property in Superior, Colo., built last year. Currently in lease-up, the property was designed to attract the same residents as in a neighboring homes, and the design shows it. Some of the amenities found on the property include:

* cut-in archways,

* window seats,

* interior pillars,

* gas fireplaces,

* mirrored bookcases,

* recessed picture hanging walls,

* kitchen islands, and

* his and her bathroom sinks.

Additionally, kitchen islands give those rooms a "gourmet" feel, while mirrored shelved-in areas with dish grooves bring an upscale aura to dining rooms. When it's laundry time, residents don't have to go to a central laundry facility or try to fit everything into a closet since each apartment home features a washer and dryer.

These features aren't just exclusive to Horizons at Rock Creek. Matt Perrin, an architect with Mark-Taylor, Inc., in Scottsdale. Ariz., says he's seeing much of the same kinds of touches on apartment homes there. "In general," he says, "what you see more of are single-family home types of features." These include: rounded bulknose corners, raised panel doors, and arched interior doorways and passageways.

Some of Perrin's recent projects have incorporated such features as: designer light fixtures in dining areas; ceiling fans in every room; nine-foot ceilings rather than vaulted ones; and ceramic tile floors in kitchens and baths. He says that last feature has revolutionized how he thinks about flooring on properties.

"Looking back, it was such a good decision," Perrin says. "It so dramatically outlasts vinyl, which you're constantly repairing. The amount of money you spend repairing vinyl floors is substantial. I don't know how often we've replaced tiles, but it's not much. The wear and tear is much better on ceramic floors, and they look dramatically better."

Kitchens that Perrin builds includes: natural wood cabinets, functional islands, and fixtures that stay away from trends. "One of the keys, at least for us as a developer, has been to not get caught up in some of the trendy design fads--the white laminate cabinets," he says. "We tend to stick more with the timeless solid oak, solid maple. Things like that." The reason is because solid materials generally require less touch-up as time goes on. Plus, color and design schemes don't have to be replaced nearly as often as their trendier counterparts.

The Word of the Day: Technology

While walls feature accent colors and unusual drywall effects such as arches, it's what behind the surface and between the studs that developers say really makes a difference. Residents are demanding the fastest, most up-to-date technology in upscale communities, and that means thinking ahead to the technology of tomorrow. It's no longer enough to put a dedicated computer line in the bedroom or home office--laptops travel throughout the home, and residents want access no matter where they are.

"We're adding ports for data and phone lines in every single room," Perrin says. There has been a huge advancement in technology. Not only has Internet access become big, but now you're seeing the high-speed digital services." In fact, his newest property features a potential for six phone lines in each apartment home, to accommodate two or three phone lines, a fax line, as well as a computer line or two. Since the lines are generic, they can be customized to each resident's individual needs. Residents can opt to hook up one line or all six.

Security systems have also gone high-tech. While the individual apartment keypads that made headlines a few years ago are still popular, today, they're only the beginning. New properties feature individual door cameras; monitored alarm systems; electronic key fob access; and individualized options for residents to choose from, both in their own apartment homes and in common areas such as garages and laundry rooms. Safety is at a premium, and today's upscale residents are willing to pay for the best.

At Your Service

Efferding says that not only is the physical design of a property vital to attracting today's residents, but amenities that go beyond brick and mortar are just as important. "A lot of the focus is on customer service," he says. On his property, that means a wide array of services like those found at a resort or luxury hotel.

The property includes: an on-site hair salon; a wellness clinic; and a business center that includes office space for lease and a secretary. Concierge services, including valet dry cleaning, round out the offerings, along with a continental breakfast on Saturday and Sunday for all residents.

The property, built adjoining both a community lake and the largest shopping mall in the state, features amenities such as a indoor basketball court, racquetball courts, men's and women's locker rooms with hot tubs, and a 40-seat movie theatre. Additionally, residents can take advantage of nearby paddleboats and a path that leads directly to the mall. The community's 25,000-square-foot community center has hosted everything from private parties to wedding receptions, and an onsite restaurant is scheduled to open in the near future.

"Everybody talks about 24-hour customer service, but what they really mean is service for the property owner," Efferding says. "We're pushing true 24-hour customer service--you need a light bulb changed at 10 at night, you call the office and the staff's there to do that."

That's what residents of many of these upscale properties are demanding and architects are trying to meet those demands in their designs.

Kim Fernandez Ms. Fernandez is a freelance writer for trade and consumer publications who lives in Bethesda, Md. A former managing editor of Units, she has written about the multifamily housing industry since 1984.