Upstairs is a master suite, coffee bar and balcony. Reed built a stairway in Ryan's house with oak rail, pickets and treads, but mahogany veneer on the risers and skirt board. Ryan and his partner, Wesley Chenault, can sit anywhere in the house and see something that is beautifully made, such as a mahogany inlay that marks the entry-hall floor. Pam Sessions, president of Hedgewood Properties, says Susanka's ideas are taking off here. When you have this, people will give up a lot of extra space.
Fireplaces can go in the middle of the house.
Visually interesting roof lines. Small, unused spaces like dormers used as reading nooks. High ceilings are dropped, the wasted space used for loftlike studies.