At Home with Marni: 2012 New American Home flush with design, building innovations

While the showcase home offers plenty of eye candy and new trends to admire, which I will get to in a minute, I cannot get the toilet in the master bath out of my mind. Kohler clearly has some smart woman on its design team, because, ladies, this commode is for you.

At the touch of a wall-mounted LED pad that looks like an iPhone, you can auto-magically raise and lower the lid without touching it. And you can heat the seat (men, you will never understand), and play music. Not only that, this smart piece of plumbing sprays, dries, and has adjustable flushing. I know! Now get a hold of yourself.

Phil Kean is the architect and builder behind the modern, 4,200- square-foot, two-story home, which happened to be in my neighborhood of Winter Park, Fla. I toured the place and talked to Kean about some of the concepts his New American Home reflects.

"The point of these showcase homes is to be educational," said Kean, who is considering living in his creation. "No one house offers the perfect answer for everyone, but this one should let visitors take away ideas that may work in future homes."

Here's what else future homebuyers, builders and remodelers might look for, or at least think about:

• More town, less country. Many homeowners are looking to live closer to shops, boutiques, churches and restaurants. "If you want to walk to these places, that may mean settling for an ugly-duckling lot," said Kean. Such was the case with this well-located but tight lot.

• Screen the scene. When neighbors are tall buildings with views onto your property, privacy is an issue. Kean oriented the home to maximize privacy, and also built long overhangs to keep eyes from the neighboring four-story apartment building from peering into private spaces.

• Blur the boundaries. To make the most of the small lot, Kean integrated the outdoors into the interior. "We pulled the outside into the middle of the house," he said. A covered lanai, terraces off the second-story rooms, lots of glass, roll-away walls, and a flow of fabrics and finishes all blur the line between indoors and out. For example, chairs outside on the lanai and in the family room are the same, as are indoor-outdoor area rugs. Limestone, cut with the grain and set to look like hardwood, also flows from the outside in.

• Healthy living. Keeping health and the environment in mind, Kean chose bio-friendly materials. "The home is super energy tight."

• Open that kitchen. In a nod to the trend of making the kitchen the hub of entertaining, Kean did away with overhead cabinets because they block sightlines. Instead, in addition to lower cabinets, he installed cabinet corridors. All appliances are clad to look like wood cabinetry.

• Living in art. In lieu of a living room, Kean has an art gallery with seating. He also has lighted art niches built into walls. "Art be should be integral not an afterthought; it's the salt of a home, not the dessert."

• Modern makes a comeback. Kean chose to create a modern structure, because he says, "People are leaning toward more streamlined, cleaned-up homes."

Syndicated columnist and speaker Marni Jameson is the author of "House of Havoc" and "The House Always Wins" (Da Capo Press). Contact her through www.marnijameson.com