Inside The New American Home

I really love the idea of a beautiful foyer that opens all the way through to the back of the house," says James Atkins as he rhapsodizes about the 8,000-sq.-ft. home he is building in Folsum, La., an hour north of New Orleans. The foyer features a fountain at the center of an intricate spiral staircase. The house will have a media room, a wall-size aquarium, five bedrooms, plus all kinds of ideas that he has collected in 10 years of exploring the real estate landscape.

Atkins sounds like a decorator, but he resembles a doorway. He's 6 ft. 7 in., 350 lbs. and a veteran National Football League lineman who spent the past decade trying to keep other large, angry men from mangling his quarterback. Now, though, Atkins is like the rest of house-hunting, house-remodeling, house-rich and house-proud America. "I want my dream house to incorporate lots of features that reflect my interests," he says, "so my home will remain appealing and comfortable to me throughout my lifetime."

Home ownership has never been more pervasive across the U.S., and judging by the success of television's Trading Spaces and hgtv and the introduction of new shelter magazines such as Cachet, LivingRoom and Chic Simple, neither has home obsession. Low interest rates and an inhospitable stock market have redirected money and attention back to real estate. Home sales, although slowing a bit recently, should break a record, according to the National Association of Realtors. Rising home values also contribute to an increase in remodeling, as families find themselves priced out of the next step up. They add space by renovating, which can be half the price, per square foot, of building from the ground up. Restrictive zoning laws have had a similar effect. Owners can add space only by removing walls.

The national tragedy of 9/11 reinforced a trend that was already under way: the home is not just everyone's castle, it's becoming a resort, an island of comfort in an ocean of insecurity. It's command central for the modern family in all its configurations, the place to huddle, socialize and strategize in an increasingly complex world. Says Kacey Fitzpatrick, who heads Avalon Enterprises, a design and construction firm in Mountain View, Calif.: "The families I work with are trying to find a balance between comfortable refuge, multifunctioning utilitarian facility and showplace."