VIP PARKING

CONVENTIONAL WISDOM considers the garage less an extension of the home than an afterthought: four windowless walls to keep cars dry, out of the freezing cold or searing sun, and safe from the scratches and dings that all too often accompany street parking. But sometimes that kind of practical, style-free bunker is no match for an owner’s automotive enthusiasm.

Architects and real-estate developers are increasingly coming to the rescue with designs that upend the very concept of car storage, using clever layouts and inventive engineering to create more fluid connections between living areas and four-wheeled objects of affection. Interior glass walls offer views of bright, spotless garages, and in many cases cars pull right into furnished rooms, where they have pride of place as if they were billiard tables or multimillion-dollar contemporary sculptures.

With their prized Ferraris and Bentleys as the focal points, some owners enjoy these hybrid