What's Your Custom Home Architectural Style?
Do you know your custom home architectural style? Some people just have an innate sense of what they love. They have a clear vision and come to me ready to share their ideas. I love designing for people who are so in touch with their sense of style.
Or are you the opposite? Do you love a lot of different looks and have a little trouble when it comes to narrowing down to a single style? As someone who tends to lean this way sometimes, too – I can assure you, it’s perfectly fine.
Whether you’re style savvy or need a little extra help, here are four things you can do to discover and curate your personal architectural style.
Eliminate Distractions.
First things first, set aside all the nitty-gritty details that can stifle your vision. Things like timeline, location, site, geographic climate and budget can all be incredibly distracting when it comes to opening your mind and being creative.
Determine What You Really Love.
This is the fun part. At Springhouse, we want you to embrace what makes you happy – what makes you feel relaxed and right at home. These are the things that will inspire your architectural style. Find as many sources of inspiration as you can. Don’t worry about exterior materials or colors matching. Don’t pay attention to functionality or size. Forget about where specifically, it will go in your home or whether it will fit. Just find examples of what you love.
But how do you know if you really love it? Sometimes we look at art and it’s beautiful, but it’s not necessarily “us.” The key is to look beyond the initial beauty and decide if it evokes positive emotions or not. Does it make you feel comforted and safe, or excited and inspired? These are the kinds of things you want to feel when you come home at the end of the day.
Collect Visual Examples.
Think back to creating a collage in art class. This step is kind of like that without all the mess. Whether you like to flip through the pages of a Restoration Hardware catalog, or scroll through images on Pinterest or home design websites like houzz.com where you can actually click on photos and it will create a book of all your ideas – just collect pictures of things that make you ooh and ahh from the inside out. And I don’t need physical photos – you can create a digital file, drop them on a thumbdrive, create a Pinterest page – however it’s easiest for you to share your ideas with me.
But how many? Collect as many as you want. Lighting, floors, art, chandeliers, exterior photos, and anything that shows a living space that sparks joy. If the process is overwhelming, grab five or ten. I’ve helped people determine their style with less. If you are inspired easily – go for it and grab dozens.
Don’t limit your search to just things. Also look at how high the ceilings are, how much natural light a room needs for you to rise and shine. Can you see your book collection on display in floor to ceiling built-ins? Do you like the rustic appeal of live-edge wood? If you come across something that intrigues you – like live-edge wood – Google it and look at the images. You’ll get to see tons of ways it can be used that you may never even have considered.
And don’t get hung up on terms like mid-century, contemporary or craftsmen. I don’t need a label to understand your vision.
Show and Tell.
So you’ve collected images that you love, now what? Now we sit down and go through them together. I want to understand why you chose them – how they made you feel. Through a stack of images a personal style will emerge, I promise. It may seem like a mess of photos to you, but to me, it paints a clear picture.
The bottom line is, it’s ok to have a clear, defined style. And it’s ok if you don’t! Either way, with a little inspiration and reflection, together, we’ll be able to determine your personal style and begin work on your custom home.
If you have any questions, you may want to consider joining our free Facebook group. It’s a great place to ask me questions as well as others who are wondering about their architectural style, too.
