Congratulations! You’ve decided to build a luxury custom home and are ready to start envisioning exactly what you want it to be. You’ve booked in your first meeting with one of our experienced Design Managers to start creating the concept for your home, but you want to make sure you get it right the first time.
By taking some time in the lead up to your first design meeting to clarify in your own mind exactly what you do and don’t want in your home, you’ll be able to more clearly describe and articulate what you want to achieve to your Design Manager which will make the initial design process simple and straightforward.
To help you prepare for your first design meeting, it may be helpful to think about these key elements which will help us bring your vision to life.
The bottom line
The first (and possibly most important) step in designing your custom home is to know what your core requirements are.
There’s no point building an aesthetically beautiful home if it doesn’t meet the needs of your family and lifestyle, so it’s well worth dedicating some thought to what functionality you need. Start off by working out how many bedrooms you need, if they each need their own ensuite, and if you require separate living areas that will be out of earshot.
You can also consider if you would value having a private master retreat, direct access from the garage to the pantry to easily store away groceries, or dedicated his and hers studies. It’s also good to think about the type of floorplan you prefer. Do you like flowing, open-plan designs, or do you prefer smaller, interconnected rooms?
Once we have an idea of what your practical requirements are, we will be able to devise a floorplan that will ideally provide everything you need, along with some additional elements you may not have considered. What we’ll end up with is an optimal foundation on which we can start to build in the detail and personality that will breathe life into the design.
Define your style
Now you can start to think about the aesthetics of the home, stating with the overarching style you want to adopt.
Start by doing some research to develop your understanding of what various design styles entail to form the basis of what your preferred style is, remembering that it may be a fusion of multiple styles.
You may like minimalist contemporary designs with a touch of industrial. Maybe you’re drawn to Hamptons coastal luxury with a twist of traditional homestead style. It could be mid-century modern designs with a bohemian feel that gets you excited. Or maybe even class-filled classical design with a hint of glam luxury that you love.
If you’re not able to define exactly what style you’re envisioning, it could be helpful to start a Pinterest board where you can browse through various home and interior design images and pin the ones that appeal to you, gradually building a collection of images that demonstrate the various elements you do and don’t like. Bring it along to your design meeting to help your Design Manager interpret exactly what you want to achieve.
The final touches
Once you’ve formulated the ideal floorplan and overarching style you want to adopt, it’s time to think about the added features that will elevate the home to the next level.
It could be things like some well-positioned clerestory windows, the latest eco-technology, an entertainers’ alfresco, cantilever decking, a serene swimming or lap pool, an eye-catching water feature, an integrated aquarium wall display, expansive areas of glazing, specially crafted wood work, a timber-lined elevated ceiling or other custom-designed feature.
You name it—we can do it. If you’re not 100 per cent sure of what added features you’d like to incorporate, our designers can even make some suggestions around which features could become the real show-stoppers of the home.
We make the process simple
Whether you have vague or very specific ideas about what you’d like to achieve, we can help you devise with the perfect design.
Our team of highly skilled and experienced Design Managers are experts at interpreting exactly what it is our clients want, and bringing their ideas to life. Our design process is thorough and we ensure every single detail is considered and incorporated long before building commences.
As one of Melbourne’s leading luxury custom home builders, you can’t go wrong when you choose to build with Glenvill. To find out more about the Glenvill design and build process, simply contact us or drop into our Cremorne design centre.