By AMY GREEN
For The Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. - You want that where?

Never mind the traditional home layout. Judging from the exhibits at the recent International Builders’ Show here, new homes now are increasingly about what their residents want, wherever they want it: Kitchens in the backyard, Jacuzzis in showers, laundry rooms near bedrooms and closets everywhere.

With bigger homes, and even in small apartments, people want easier access to conveniences, and are looking for ways to put things where they want them - and not always where you’d expect.

“I want to live how I want,” as Brian Maynard, a spokesman for KitchenAid, summed up the new wish lists.

Here’s what’s hot:

Kitchen equipment everywhere: You’ll find small refrigerators and pantries located in entertainment rooms and children’s play rooms. Outside, the rush continues to bring ranges, refrigerators, sinks and much else to within steps of the grill, Maynard said.

In smaller spaces some homeowners are separating refrigerators from freezers, positioning tall vertical ones on either side of a sink or another appliance, said Cliff Jin, a spokesman for Bosch appliances. Such refrigerators and freezers offer flexibility as small urban spaces grow popular among retiring baby boomers and young professionals.

No-walk washing. Homeowners have grown weary of lugging dirty clothes downstairs to the basement or outside to the garage, Maynard said. They want laundry rooms upstairs among the bedrooms, and they are seeking quieter machines for that reason.

Relaxation on the run. Homeowners are realizing they don’t have time to lounge in whirlpool baths, said Ginny Long, a spokeswoman for Moen fixtures. They want bigger showers or so-called “vertical spas,” with large shower heads and jets projecting water sideways to nurture muscles. “The shower itself is becoming the spa experience,” she said.

Closets come out of the closet. Closets today are everywhere, taking over laundry rooms, offices, mud rooms and much else, said Eric Marshall, a spokesman for ClosetMaid. As homeowners accumulate more stuff, they are less interested in tossing it in closets and shutting the door, he said. They want access to their things and are seeking to organize spaces other spaces as well.

Windows that do work. After 2004’s and 2005’s hurricanes, many windows and doors being made today are sturdier.

Broken windows not only allow belongings to get soaked, but they also can lead to roof damage because of pressure differences that build between the interior and exterior of a home, said L.J. Meynard, a spokesman for Weather Shield Windows & Doors. Some windows today are so sturdy they can stop a two-by-four projected at 80 miles an hour, he said.