The thing that separates the way the wealthy live from the rest of us is not so much how they furnish their homes, but how they can indulge every family member's interests and need for personal space within the homes.

"It's a function of our economy," says Bryan Ashbaugh, co-owner and CEO of the Street of Dreams. "If people can afford it, they prefer to have more square footage so they can have their own private space."

Kimberly Smith/Staff Photographer (ENLARGE)

Exterior view of 'The Mayberry,' by Hillcrest Homebuilders, one of the homes at the 2007 Street of Dreams at Tributary near Douglasville, GA

Kimberly Smith/Staff Photographer (ENLARGE)

Exterior view of the 'White House,' a home from Capstone Partners at the 2007 Street of Dreams at Tributary near Douglasville, GA

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Nowadays practically every upscale house is built with a private bath in each bedroom, including the guest suite.

Master suites have not one but two walk-in closets, although one is usually larger than the other, presumably for the woman of the house.

Children have their own dens and arts-and-crafts rooms, mom has a spa, meditation room or her own study/retreat and dad has a place in the basement to smoke cigars, sip vino with his buddies and watch sports without being disturbed.

Even the family mutt is taken into consideration these days. Doggie-style baths are being built for Fido in or near the garage, replacing the galvanized tub in the backyard as a suitable place to wash the pooch.

When well-heeled folks want to come together as a family, they have a variety of shared spaces to choose from, such as a family room, keeping room, exercise room, outdoor room or music room, without ever leaving the house.

Welcome to the 21st century, where the options for luxury living are endless.

The features that homeowners feel they must have these days are showcased in nine houses on one winding block in the Tributary at New Manchester in Douglasville, the site of the 2007 Street of Dreams.

During it's six-week run, the annual tour of homes attracts nearly 40,000 visitors eager to see the latest trends in luxury living.

Janice Taylor, an interior designer from Lawrenceville, is one of them.

She likes to visit the Street of Dreams for design ideas and gives this year's tour high ratings.

"There were some homes over the top and some you could see yourself living in," she says. "I think it's fun to see the colors and the neighborhood."

"They did a really nice job. The extra rooms are interesting," says Dani Osewalt of Smyrna. "One of the things that shocked me was you'd see an exterior of a home that looked like an old grandmother's house, but inside it was very contemporary."