As houses grow smaller and families larger, man's home is fast becoming his kiddies' castle. Already teen-agers have overrun the living room, kitchen and den, driving their parents into the last bastion of apartness—the fortress bedroom.
Gradually, rebelling against the open "living area," parents are rediscovering the joy of closed doors. Around the U.S., builders report that the master bedroom has become the single most important room in selling a house. "Houston women are no longer dazzled by built-in kitchens," says one Texas contractor. "The housewife would rather have a swanky bedroom...