Building a custom home – or renovating an existing space – can be both exciting and daunting at the same time. Homeowners get to weigh in on everything from floor plans to lightswitches. But before tackling a laundry list of decisions about paint colors, hardware, finishes and more, you’ll have to choose a design aesthetic that sets the tone for the entire home.
An aesthetic (a set of guiding artistic principles) helps homeowners and designers focus design plans and enjoy a more streamlined decision-making process. Use these tips to choose your home design aesthetic and move forward with confidence.
What Do You Want Your House to Feel Like?
Close your eyes and think about opening the front door of your dream home. What do you want to feel when you step inside? Whether you envision something light and airy or want functional independent spaces, focusing on how you want the house to feel can direct you toward an overall aesthetic.
Start with broad ideas and get more specific to narrow them down. Perhaps you want to feel like you’ve stepped into the pages of a minimalist magazine photo shoot rather than into a cozy coffee house. That simple distinction gives the designer a starting point from which to work, and guides the planning process toward open floor plans, clean lines and high-end furnishings.
Focus On Your Likes
It’s not every day you get to build a custom home, but focusing on your likes in everyday life will help fine tune your home aesthetics. Do you gravitate toward a certain color or prefer neutrals? Do you fancy wood finishes over metals? These questions help weed out aesthetics that don’t compliment your tastes. Rather, they define a design style that makes you and your family happy. If you enjoy color, you’ll be more open to artistic decor over minimalism. Favoring metallic finishes might direct the designer toward industrial style.
Use The Internet
The internet is full of endless inspiration to help pin down an aesthetic or blend two together. Use Pinterest to curate a collection of different aesthetic photos that appeal to you, or browse Instagram to garner home design ideas from a stylish influencer. Even if you can’t pinpoint exactly what you envision, this process may uncover the styles and elements you want to exclude in your design.
If you find a hot design trend you want to replicate, make sure it’s a trend that’s expected to stick around for a while. Some trends (like open shelving in kitchens) can work against the resale value in the future. Stay true to yourself, but always do the research to make informed decisions – especially if you want to avoid major updates in a few years.
Stay Consistent
Consistency is key with aesthetics, but it doesn’t mean you have to “copy and paste” the same furniture or color in every room of the house. Instead, think of your design aesthetic as a book, with each room representing a different chapter of the story. Various characters exist and plot twists unfold but the author connects them together to tell one overarching narrative. In other words, you can mix more than one aesthetic in a single home, but strive for a cohesive look overall.
Ask for An Expert Opinion
If choosing a design aesthetic for your custom home or renovation project intimidates you, talk to a professional. The expert team at Weaver Custom Homes can help you bring your vision to life. We invite you to visit our home Design Center in Wooster for interior home design ideas that spark excitement and fuel inspiration. Come see and feel these materials in person and ultimately nail down the look you love.
