The beauty of a custom home is that it is just that – custom!
You have the flexibility and freedom to add quirky features that you’re unlikely to find in a pre-designed home plan. If you are building a custom home, these are a few of our favourite suggestions to truly make your home feel unique and luxurious.
Walk-in wardrobe:
Including a walk-in wardrobe in your bedroom is the perfect way to save space and avoid bulky storage solutions. The addition of a walk-in wardrobe can make any bedroom feel luxurious – you’re basically building a separate room just for your clothes after all!
There are so many options for customising the layout of your wardrobe to fit your storage needs – you can even split the layout into a his and hers design so that everyone gets their own space.
Some unique features you might want to consider adding into a walk-in wardrobe could be:
A built-in shoe rack – Having space to store your shoes keeps them neat, tidy, and protected. A shoe rack also keeps shoes off the floor where they might otherwise collect dust or get chewed on by the puppy!
A pull-out tie hanger – if you work a corporate job that requires daily use of ties, this can be a great way to organise them for easy styling. If you don’t wear ties, a belt rack could be an equally useful option.
Custom jewelry storage – you can get jewelry storage built into a draw in your walk-in wardrobe or add this in later with the plethora of jewelry organisers available. Including space for watches, rings and necklaces are a fantastic way to ensure your favorite pieces don’t get lost or damaged.
Include a full-length mirror – A full-length mirror will allow you to style your outfit and get dressed without even leaving your closet!
Walk-in pantry:
Keeping your kitchen neat and decluttered can be difficult – especially if you own a number of bulky kitchen appliances or have a large family to feed. A walk-in pantry, sometimes referred to as a “butler’s pantry” is a fantastic option for increasing your kitchen storage space and assisting with keeping your kitchen organised and mess-free.
Keep things neat and tidy – When selecting the layout of your walk-in pantry you could Include spaces to tuck toasters, blenders and mixers out of sight. This removes clutter from your kitchen benchtops and makes it easier to keep your kitchen looking minimalist and ‘display home clean’. You might even like to consider some quirky additions such as a spice draw or pull-out sauce rack to optimize space and keep cooking ingredients organised.
Chefs dream – If you love to cook, consider including a scullery into your kitchen design. A scullery design could include benchtops, a small sink, or even an oven to keep all food preparation out of sight.
Get stylish with your design – You might like to play with tiled designs, wallpaper or splashbacks to integrate your pantry with your kitchen design. Including a feature pendant light to make the space feel like a room of its own is another great way to infuse luxury into your home.
Raised ceiling:
Raised ceilings are a popular addition to home designs as they can add height to your room, creating the illusion of a larger space and exuding luxury. If you are considering a raised ceiling design, there are a number of different design choices you can make:
Raked ceiling – A raked ceiling can add a lot of height to a room that may otherwise feel small and cramped. Features such as skylight windows or timber paneling can be used in conjunction with a raked ceiling in common areas such as dining rooms or sitting rooms to create a beautiful and captivating open space.
Recessed ceiling – A recessed ceiling can work well in home cinemas, bedrooms or any room that is square or rectangular shaped. Recessed ceilings also look fantastic when paired with feature lights such as dimming downlights or a hanging pendant in the center.
Get fancy with your raised ceiling designs by adding cornices or wood features – Decorative cornices or wood trim can highlight your ceiling design and draw attention to the variation in height.
Custom storage:
Including some built-in custom storage options can become both a style feature and a way to optimize your home space. Some unique ways you can include storage into your design might include:
Built-in shelving between kitchen cupboards – This can be a great way to create a unique feature in your kitchen design. Adding shelving between your range hood and kitchen cabinetry can be a great way to make a feature out of space that cannot otherwise be used – it’s the perfect space to create your own cookbook library. You can also add open shelving into your cabinetry design or add open shelving to the end of an island bench.
Consider under stairs storage – Staircases take up a large amount of space, so you might as well make use of the area your stairs occupy by building in some storage solutions. Built-in draws or a built-in open shelving unit are useful additions for storing shoes, household appliances, toys or any other items that can clutter the floor. Open shelving can also be used to create a feature bookcase or reading nook.
If you love your wine, why not consider built-in wine storage – Building a vertical wine rack into your kitchen or pantry storage space can be a great way to store your wine and make a design feature out of it. Built-in wine storage could also be another great under-staircase option.
Induction cooktops:
Induction cooktops are a sure-fire way to add luxury to your home with innovative technology. This kitchen design choice can add sleek style and sophistication to your home, and improve your cooking experience.
Cooking made easy – Induction can make cooking quicker and easier as induction cooktops allow you to heat a pot or pan quickly and control the heat easier than other cooking methods. Induction also allows for easy clean-up as the surface is smooth and can easily be wiped down as there are no nooks and crevices that food can get stuck under.
Energy efficiency – Another pro to induction is that it uses less energy to cook than a gas cooktop. Induction cooktops heat up and cook quicker than gas, which means they are running less time than a gas cooktop and your food is ready sooner!
Induction cooktops do require special cooking equipment to be used, so keep that in mind.