What is Jewel Box Architecture?

Style, sophistication, luxury, and an eye for detail isn’t exclusive to America’s largest homes anymore. As today’s homeowners begin to downsize their properties, it comes as no surprise that smaller homes are now crafted with the same quality and meticulousness as larger properties and are surging in popularity. These homes, often called jewel box homes or jewel box architecture, are created using top-of-the-line material, upscale design, and custom finishes. 

Most jewel box homes bring in natural light to emphasize their dazzling beauty and unique features. They’re best described by their name — a customized exterior that holds brilliant gems that are precious to the homeowner. They are comfortable to live in and designed to be low maintenance, focus on livability, and beauty. 

These types of homes appeal to all demographics, from young professionals and newlyweds to those looking to enjoy a second home in their retirement. Partnering with a professional and experienced architectural design firm, like us at Urban Design Associates, will ensure the home fits your needs and style.

What Sets Jewel Box Architecture Apart?

Key themes of jewel box architecture are how it’s built for the homeowner. Every detail is meant to make home life easier and more liveable — they’re built to fit the homeowner; the homeowner doesn’t have to change to fit the home. It’s more than just space, though; each room is lovingly designed with the homeowner’s taste in mind. 

The home is meticulously crafted using locally-sourced, highly durable, low maintenance, and good-looking materials, such as adobe. They’re not built to be trendy — they’re built to suit the needs of the homeowner for years to come. 

Jewel box homes usually have everything on one floor, wider halls and doorways, walk-in showers, and convenient items to fit the height and unique needs of their owners. This includes little features like raised dishwashers, counters at various heights, and roll-out trays in cabinets. 

Planning is Everything

In smaller homes, planning is essential for maximizing both space and comfort. It is essential that every area has a meaning and creates a personal escape for the homeowners. Every surface has to have a purpose — using bright reflective finishes, pocket or barn doors, decorative fixtures, light-colored walls, and a lot of natural light with continuous flooring through the home help maximize both space and function. 

Careful planning also makes the space feel clean and natural, without any obtrusive details or shadowed corners, thus allowing the entire home to shine. 

The Urban Design Associates Difference

If you want your jewel box home to stand out from the rest, then choose a reputable, award-winning, full-service architecture firm like Urban Design Associates to walk you through the entire process. 

From the first conversation to the final nail, UDA spares no effort in bringing you home.

Our vast experience has given us intimate knowledge of the many design review boards, building techniques, and community requirements, helping streamline design, approvals, and building. 

Urban Design Associates specializes in putting together the best team to take your project from the planning stage to moving in. We will coordinate your project with interior designers, landscape architects, engineers, and general contractors. 

Any challenge you bring to us, large or small, we will tackle with the utmost enthusiasm and professionalism. We take pride in guiding clients through our interactive design process. We believe the key to a successful design relationship is the ability to listen to clients to fuse creativity and functionality to create your perfect place for celebration and renewal.

Just because it is small, doesn’t mean it lacks involvement, intricacy, or passion. For UDA, the exact opposite is true. Our team is passionate about smaller projects and engaging with the homeowner on their jewel box architecture process. We understand that in these types of projects, every detail and every inch counts. We look at everything and use both restraining and creativity on a different level to make your dream home a reality. The key to making something small extraordinary is balance and contrast in geometry, color, and texture. 

If you want your future jewel box home to truly shine, then contact Urban Design Associates to get started on the design process. 

To wrap up, here is a before and after photo of the Gainey Ranch, a jewel box architecture project we recently completed.