Yes, there are some trends in the luxury housing market that are surviving; even flourishing in this “down market”. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal’s Real Estate Journal mentions a few of these designs.

• Better, Not Bigger
  

  Homes may not be getting bigger, for the most part, but that hasn’t stopped builders from packing them with pantries and decks — increasingly, several of each. John Laing’s new best-seller, a 4,121-square-foot called Plan 2 that sells in the $1 million range at Ravenna in San Clemente, Calif., has two butler’s pantries, two decks, with an option for a third, and two fireplaces, also with an option for a third. Orleans’s Bradford Grand II has two walk-in closets and two optional bookcases in the master suite, and four optional bay windows on the first floor.

• Standard Sunrooms
  

  Once marketed as a luxurious upgrade, sunrooms are now a standard feature in many builders’ top-selling models. More energy-efficient windows have made it easier to create walls of glass without making the house cold and drafty, builders say; and opening up the outdoor views makes homes look bigger.

• Angles Walls Or Entryways
  

  The best-selling La Jolla model by Drees Homes in Fort Mitchell, Ky., puts the front door off to the side of the house instead of at the center, which creates a slanted hallway to the main rooms. Bensalem, Pa.-based Orleans Homebuilders’ Bradford Grand II twists the center staircase so it opens to the side rather than the front, opening up the sightlines throughout the house.