There are many phases to the custom-home build process and designing the space is almost always one the most people think of first. It’s the phase where we “make a house look pretty” and although it is impactful, this is a long process that often begins before the foundation is even poured.

Inspiration

Before we sit down to set the design of a home, our designer Vanessa heads to Instagram, Pinterest, and oftentimes showrooms, to gather ideas and see if there is a spark. You’ll never find an exact copy of a found design in our homes, more a direction and a subtle nod to an influence. 

“I like to take pieces from everywhere and put them together first,” said Vanessa. “For example a bunch of tiles, cabinet samples, or paint colors.”

She continued, “Then if I finalize a tile, I sometimes visualize that internally and try to picture the rest of the room and see what comes to me. Other times, if I can’t make a decision in a room and the home has been framed, I’ll go sit in the space and see what it feels like.”

Inspiration can strike at any time, just like any other creative process. “Sometimes I wake up feeling inspired and other times I have to wait for inspiration to come to me.” 

Visualization 

After visiting showrooms, collecting pieces, and perusing our own stock pile of samples, these elements are pulled together in small groupings. Then, we sit with those groupings for a while to see if anything stands out or just feels right. Usually, there is one piece that jump-starts the design direction. This could be a fixture, lighting, a countertop, flooring, or tile. 

“Once I fall in love with that initial piece, it sets the tone for the whole space. I decide where that will go (which room) and then, I can get to work on designing the rest of the home,” said Vanessa. “I don’t have a special room I like to start with, I just start with my inspiration and then spread the design throughout the house.”

Although we build both spec and custom homes, our goal is to make each project special and unique. We want our buyers to feel like their home is always custom and doesn’t look like a production home. When we design a space, we take great care in ensuring no two rooms are ever the same, making each home truly one-of-a-kind.

“For certain projects, I can visualize and conceptualize all day long! But, at some point, decisions need to be made and the construction needs to begin. I settle on a design once I know that someone else will love it as much as I do.”

Construction

Once we have our sample pieces and a design aesthetic for each room of the home, it’s time to get to work on ordering the supplies and then building. In this phase, you really get to see a theme or a concept come to life as each room unfolds. 

“I don’t like to make each space too similar,” said Vanessa. “It’s important that rooms complement each other, but they need to have their own distinct feel. Every room should sit as its own space, with its own energy, but be able to feel like part of a larger environment,” said Vanessa. “It’s really a creative puzzle.”

If you haven’t had the opportunity to view one of our latest properties in person, head to Instagram or our Portfolio page to see for yourself our unique interior design aesthetic.