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Design Curve: Grand Garages

By Brian Dunshie

Real Estate Agent with Russ Lyon | Sotheby's International Realty SA570853000

August 17, 2009 10:21 AM

garage

Garages are more than just a spot to keep your wheels out of the elements. Homeowners are now decking out this once forgotten catchall with luxury amenities and eye-catching design—just like the vehicles it houses.

For so long, the garage was very much an afterthought when it came to home design. Not anymore. “The garage is the last blank canvas in the home and there is plenty you can do with it,” says Brad Randolph, vice president of sales and business development for Phoenix-based PremierGarage. And when you think about it, it only makes sense that homeowners are finally paying attention to the effect the garage has on their dwelling’s curb appeal. “The [garage is the] only room in the home that people can really judge you by, the only one out there that everyone can see,” says Chad Haas, founder and president of Beaverton, Ore.’s Vault, a firm that provides furnishings for upscale garages. “The garage is the first visible architectural feature that dominates the front landscape of most homes. This is how most Americans come and go from their home.” With fashion-forward design elements, lush amenities and square footage that rivals that of some houses (one of Randolph’s projects measured more than 9,000 square feet, though between 5,000 and 8,000 is more common), the garage is finally—truly—coming to the forefront of the home.

Unlike many areas of the home, garages require certain building and design materials that can withstand natural elements, like temperature changes and humidity. Therefore, in premium garages today, metal cabinets are used instead of wood varieties, and polished concrete and porcelain tile take the place of traditional, oil-stained concrete. Such materials can also be more visually pleasing, as cabinets can be made available in striking colors, and innovative flooring (i.e., Vault’s Garazzo flooring system and PremierGarage’s PremierOne systems) gives off high shine and can be purchased in
different textures and hues, from black to white and everything in between.

Garage door design has even upped the aesthetic ante, featuring lovely details, hand-forged hardware and fine woods. “If you have a multimillion dollar home and you throw vinyl garage doors on it, where’s the charm?” Haas posits. “There is a homogenization of the same look in every neighborhood. The homes that really appeal to people and have curb appeal have addressed the garage door.” (Haas, for example, is a fan of carriage doors. “They are really beautiful and maintain architectural harmony.”)

Homeowners and designers are also approaching the garage as more than just a car port. “We are having a lot of requests for incorporating more of a lifestyle into [the garage],” says Randolph, whose clientele includes professional athletes and celebrities. Hobby areas are being integrated into the garage; even wet bars and seating areas are making appearances. “We have designed almost an entertainment environment for more than just hopping in a car and showcasing your cars to friends and other people,” he says. Even when it comes to getting greasy and working on vehicles, homeowners and hobbyists now have a chance to do so in an attractive atmosphere.

Haas recalls one client who treated his garage, which happened to be a separate carriage house, like a museum, with architectural lighting and cathedral ceilings accented by wood beams. The same structure even housed an office and wash/detail bay. “[The client] owns several cars [worth more than] $1 million and treats them no different than he’d treat a Picasso,” says Haas, who founded his company after being displeased with his own messy garage. “He wants to show it off; he is very proud of it. He doesn’t want to throw a car cover over it in a crammed garage space. He has put it front and center and created almost an art gallery in his home.” The client has even used the opulent area, which carries a price tag of more than $1 million, as a party space—just another example of how garages are the new black when it comes to home design.