It's easy to get lost in dreamland while wandering through dream dwellings on the Luxury Home Tour. On the east side of the metro area in Lake Elmo, you can drool over a modern mountain-style retreat appointed with stone fireplaces and seats from Mile-High Stadium, in honor of the owner's Colorado roots. Or to the west, you can experience an 11,000-square-foot Old World-style mansion on Lake Minnetonka.

Both dream dwellings will be open to the public through June 23, among the 17 high-end custom homes on this year's tour, up from 10 homes last year. After several years of sluggish sales due to a fizzling economy, the luxury home market is back.

Sales of homes priced at $1 million or more jumped nearly 20 percent last year, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors.

"In the luxury market, we're building twice as many homes as we did two years ago," said David Bieker, president of Denali Custom Homes, which has two decorated showplaces on the tour, including the 9,300-square-foot contemporary interpretation of a mountain lodge.

In fact, only four houses on the tour are spec homes; the rest are pre-sold and designed and built for specific owners. The rebounding of upper-bracket properties is due in part to the rise in home values, the strong stock market and the availability of jumbo loans at low interest rates, said Steve Fox, president of Greenspring Media Group, which launched the Luxury Home Tour 13 years ago. "People with means and wealth are enjoying the best of times," he said.

Many of the luxury homes' interiors illustrate a trend toward cleaner lines and less ornate detailing, said Bieker.

There's also an emphasis on automation systems that control lights, TVs and security systems from smartphones and tablets. And instead of a separate designated media room, builders are adding multipurpose entertainment areas with a bar, big-screen TV and game room.

Expanses of glass seem to be everywhere, including a Lake Minnetonka home's floor-to-ceiling retractable sliding door and even a glass-walled wine cellar.

Take note of unique light fixtures in a wide range of styles and materials, the "jewelry of the home," said Kristen McCormick, designer for Studio M Interiors, which created luxe decors for three of the homes. "They're functional and look like pieces of art."

Today's buyers are more concerned about building a "right-sized" house rather than one with more space than they need, which was typical during the housing boom, according to Bieker. But "right-sized" is still relative. "Homes on the luxury tour are going to be bigger than what most people own," he said.

Lynn Underwood • 612-673-7619