For Kelly Fernandez, it was granite countertops. Cindy Blackburn had to have a killer shower but she sacrificed the Jacuzzi tub, which she only used once a year in her former home.

They're typical of today's home buyers, who are looking for amenities - smooth granite, exotic woods, 9-foot ceilings and to-die-for kitchens and baths.

We want a place to entertain and be pampered, and there's no place like home.

It's not like we want a bigger place. After the average home size mushroomed from 1,660 square feet in 1973 to 2,459 last year, it's expected to decrease slightly to 2,330 by 2015. What we're more interested in are high-tech homes and conveniences, like a central vacuum system so we don't have to kick the Cheerios under the kitchen table.

The National Association of Home Builders recently released a report on what architects and home builders expect homes to look like in 2015. Family rooms will be critical, while the living room will shrink or vanish, turning into an office or library.

Although we'll be concerned with energy efficiency and green building materials, we'll also want 9-foot ceilings as standard with 10- to 12-foot ceilings in upscale homes. Ranches will become more popular among the wealthy but the average homeowner will remain in a two-story.

The mud room is coming back, and it's not just for shedding coats and dirty boots. We want benches and lockers.

Of course, we want our home theater rooms and wiring throughout so we can have a plasma on any wall and listen to jazz in the family room and news talk in the kitchen.

Outdoor kitchens will become more common, with fire pits, sinks, cooking islands, wine coolers/beer dispensers and of course, a spot for music and TV. Upscale homes might even have outdoor heating.

Ed Neaves, vice president and partner of Stelle Homes in Bloomington, is seeing a demand for upgrades and technology, whether a home's $250,000 or $450,000. In one of Bloomington's newest subdivisions, Eastside Harvest Pointe, all Stelle homes will be wired for technology and security systems.

"We've brought all our amenities from the higher-priced homes and put them in there," he said. "Consumers want smaller houses but they don't want to sacrifice the amenities."

They are willing to sacrifice features that were a must 10 years ago. At least half of his clients in the past year have replaced the garden tub with a spacious spa-like walk-in shower.

When Blackburn moved to Bloomington last summer, she designed her walk-in shower system with tiled walls, multiple jets, recessed lighting and a ceiling "rainmaker" showerhead.

"We love it," she said. "We've always had a Jacuzzi tub. We've even had hot tubs and we used them, but we never used the Jacuzzi, maybe once a year."

Vic Armstrong, president of Armstrong Builders in Bloomington, is seeing more demand for homes with first-floor master bedrooms or ranches and he's also noticed buyers going upscale with countertops and flooring.

"A couple of years ago, if I had granite in a house, there'd be very few people who even knew what granite was," he said.

Oak is out and big squares of colored tile, along with maple, cherry and exotic woods like Brazilian teak, bamboo and cork, are in.

"Everything was oak for years and now, my designer doesn't even want to use oak on the floor."

Oak trim is disappearing too, with the majority choosing painted woodwork, he said. And we're getting more experimental with color on the walls. White has faded, the NAHB survey confirmed, and isn't expected back any time soon. Blackburn's home is washed in shades of gray, gold and navy.

The contemporary colors complement her kitchen, which is stocked with stainless steel kitchen appliances, another new standard.

"The kitchen takes on a different flavor when you do all stainless," she said.

We want big kitchens and islands fit for a party with built-in wine coolers and a "veggie sink," a small sink for carving and cleaning vegetables or filling with ice.

When it comes to room design, we still want an open kitchen and family room. That's what sold Kelly and Kyle Fernandez on their Bloomington home when they moved from New York a year ago.

"It was the open floor plan for the kitchen, eating area and family room," she said.

She also liked the rounded walls and wrought-iron railings in her Eagle View home.

In upscale homes, closets are taking on a little more depth with built-in drawers that replace the bedroom dresser.

"The days of the old wire closets are gone," he said.

Even with all the added features, energy-efficiency ranks high with buyers and the national industry expects green construction materials to be in demand.

As lot sizes shrink, green outdoors is becoming more important too. One of the most common questions Armstrong gets is whether an area has an open space or park nearby.

"That's a big deal. They want the green space. Maybe their lot's not very big but they want to feel like a part of a community."

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Future homes

The National Association of Home Builders surveyed architects, designers and manufacturers throughout the country on what home buyers will want in the future. Here are the results:

• Homes won't be getting bigger; the average new home will be about 2,330 square feet in 2015; down from 2,459 in 2006.

• Nine-foot ceilings will become standard; in upscale homes they'll be at least 10 feet on the first floor, 9 feet on the second.

• Two master bedrooms and an outdoor kitchen will be designed in upscale homes.

• 65 percent of homes will be two stories or more; 34 percent ranches and 1 percent split-level.

• Rooms most likely to increase in size are bedroom bathrooms, the basement, bedrooms, entry foyer and mud room.

• The living room is expected to decrease in size and become a library/office, parlor or retreat.

• Look for more recessed lighting and hanging fixtures designed to look like artwork.

• White walls are fading; expect bolder interior colors.

• Emphasis on low-maintenance exteriors; upscale homes will use stone.

• Front porches will remain popular and expansive patios with built-in fire pits and outdoor kitchens will be hot.

• Basic technology will take hold in the average home: a security system; automatic lighting controls and an energy management system.

• Structured wiring is being installed in about 40 percent of new homes today but use of wireless technology may enter the market in a big way.

• Look for multi-line phone systems, zone-controlled heating and cooling and remote-controlled fireplaces.

• There's a trend toward universal design/handicapped accessible homes.

• Energy-efficient appliances, windows and mechanicals will be in demand.

• We'll demand more dedicated green space/communal space in subdivisions. Lot sizes will shrink. Look for more mixed-use facilities, walking/jogging trails and recreational opportunities.

SOURCE: National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C.