On Philly-area buyers’ custom house lists: Cozy TV rooms, secret pantries, expansive mudrooms

Traditionally, homeowners have had to chose from different shades of light colors for their home’s siding. But materials and trends are changing, and dark colors — gray and blue shades — are becoming more popular, a Chester County-based home builder said.

It’s an example of how Peter Rotelle, owner and chief executive officer of the regional custom home builder Rotelle Development Co., is “reading the buyer” and trying to keep up with the latest emerging trends.

“Houses are being designed and laid out much more personalized to bring the end user joy and happiness,” he said. “And that, to me, is awesome.”

Home buyers are facing a limited supply of existing homes for sale, so purchasing new construction is another option. Rotelle shared a few of the design trends that more of his buyers are requesting.

Rotelle said the tiny house movement has helped influence how homeowners think about their spaces.

“It was ‘bigger is better’ for a long, long, long, long time. And it still is for a lot of people,” he said. But he’s seeing more people prioritize quality and personalized features over more space.

» READ MORE: Thinking big in small spaces: Six tiny-living tricks

“Today, it seems as if the houses are getting a little smaller, and the space is being a lot more thought out,” he said. “It gives the homeowner a lot more joy in areas that they use much more often.”

He’s seeing less of the traditional two-story foyer — “It’s expensive to heat. It’s wasted space.”

More people want “different, smaller rooms instead of your standard kitchen, family room, living, dining room.”

A homeowner may have a small TV/game room separate from a family room. It’s a space where a family squeezes onto one couch and shares snacks while watching a movie. Owners are carving out cozy central gathering spots, small studies, and little lounges where children can play or do homework.

Smaller spaces in certain areas of the home can be intimate and special, Rotelle said.

“It creates a different feeling and emotion inside that you experience that large spaces don’t provide,” he said.

Residents of a single-family house, especially one that’s detached, are likely to have an entrance they use regularly instead of their front door. They go in through a side door or a garage. That entrance is important to a lot of buyers, Rotelle said.

“Really it’s the first thing that you experience as a homeowner when you come home every day,” he said. “You know, I don’t want to go in there and stare at a corridor or a laundry machine.”

What Rotelle calls the “family entrance” is becoming more of a multipurpose space, he said.

“Traditionally, it was considered like a mudroom,” he said. “It’s basically a mudroom on steroids.”

These entrances are getting bigger and might include a pocket office or pantry and additional storage. Some owners have moved the laundry room off to the side or away from the mudroom completely. Owners are adding windows to bring in natural light.

“We have one where there’s a plant wall,” Rotelle said. “So the first thing you see is something that brings you joy and makes you smile.”

Another home design that is becoming more prevalent, he said, is “really sexy pantries.”

Home buyers are wanting professional restaurant-style kitchens and replacing cabinets with open shelving to display beautiful dishes or glasses.

“Which is killer, but then where do you put the rest of your stuff?” Rotelle said. “To pull that off, one thing that we’ve been working on are outstanding pantries.”

» READ MORE: The top priority in kitchen makeovers? A place to put everything

Homeowners have a kitchen they cook in with some staple features — sink, dishwasher, stove, oven. Maybe a microwave is tucked into the side of an island.

“But the countertop and everything can be clean and crisp,” he said.

In a large pantry, owners can put a toaster, a coffee maker, and other appliances that could make a mess. Sometimes there’s a second sink or dishwasher, and shelves hold labeled containers of ingredients and items bought in bulk.

Sometimes these pantries can be accessed on two sides. Rotelle has designed pantry entrances that are false cabinets owners push to get inside.

“Whether you cook more, less, or the same amount,” he said, “where you cook, people want to have a cooler space.”