New trends develop every year in the residential real estate market, both in the Nashville area and nationwide. Often an architect will create a new style or include a feature in a home that is discovered by the masses. It is soon mandatory in new builds and remodels.

In upper-end listings, for example, closets in the primary bedroom suite must have an island containing drawers for those who roam those cavernous closets. Showers have become two- or three-headed monsters, spewing water of all degrees and controlled by thermostat.

The ensuite arrangement is an absolute requirement, as no child should ever be forced to share a bath with a sibling. The bathrooms should be tiled and offer a soaking vessel.

When this country was settled, fine homes included wallpaper in all or almost every room. The trend continued until the recent past when paper went the way of vinyl records. But papered walls have made a comeback, and designs now ring from wall to wall. Vinyl’s recent comeback will spawn a spot for the turntable.

Kitchens have been in flux since stainless steel gave way to white appliances that succumbed to autumn gold and the putrid green, only to see the return of the white that once fell to its predecessor, the stainless steel.

Stove manufacturers have been ahead of the game by offering blue or red finishes. Staying with the kitchen, the dark wood cabinets that enjoyed their rule for years have been covered with a light paint or been exiled to the woodshed.

Sadly, for cabinet manufacturers, many kitchens are replacing cabinets with shelves. Perhaps they can retool the shelving in the cabinets for shelving that proudly hold the China and other decorative knick-knacks.

In an area that is usually behind – but certainly near the kitchen – there must be a scullery. The scullery is a spitting image of the galley kitchen that become so popular, yet now the room is an auxiliary kitchen used when on those daily occasions when the kitchen is overloaded.

The main kitchen, of course, must have a six-burner cooktop, two ovens, a warming drawer, a Sub-Zero refrigerator, icemaker – crushed ice only – plus a pantry, a coffee bar, wine bar and an instant hot water faucet.

The patio must have an outdoor dining area replete with an undercounter refrigerator, a gas grill larger than the stove inside the house and be topped with quartz, quartzite or granite countertop. The wine cooler and ice maker are semi-optional, depending on the price.

Blame it on COVID, perhaps, but there now must be two rooms suited for use as offices. The design must also have the appropriate electrical outlets and bookshelves, as some people from time to time find books helpful in their work.

An odd twist found in many of the high-end houses is the bonus-bonus room. This room is not to be confused with a bonus room, which is mandatory, but another room or two rooms with no closets. With all the children running around, the garage must have the capacity for three cars, and four would be a better fit.

Cubbies for said children to drop their belongings upon return for school are required, as children are so well-trained in the use of the cubby. Not since the demise of the original Musketeers has the word Cubby garnered this much attention.

As any wine connoisseur knows, there is a time and a place for everything, and fine wines must age properly. That cannot be accomplished without a room dedicated to the comfort of fruit of the vine and its accompanying bottle. Why have a lovely wine if it cannot be swilled in its own room? There must be space for the table and glasses.

After the wine, a dip in the pool or hot tub, then it’s off to the gala.

Sale of the Week

The Highlands of Belle Meade are getting prices as high as the land in Belle Meade. Last week, 153 Cheek Road closed for $3.4 million, $59,000 less than the list price veteran Nancy Brock placed on the 12-year-old home.

Measuring some 6,119 square feet, Brock and her client realized $556 per square foot for the property that she described as a “stunning, French Country home in the coveted Belle Meade Highlands.” Other features Nancy noted were the deep moldings, solid doors and an interior sprinkler system.

The exterior is loaded as well with an electronic driveway gate – a feature that is becoming more and more prevalent – along with a professionally landscaped lot and an irrigation system.

Jay Barron, whose musical expertise is only eclipsed by this real estate knowledge, was the buyer’s agent.

Richard Courtney is a licensed real estate broker with Fridrich and Clark Realty and can be reached at [email protected].