What Makes the Perfect House Design?
Updated: Sep 14, 2021
Designing your new house can seem like an incredibly daunting task. There are a lot of decisions to make and little details to think about. You also want to make sure you do not miss anything and that everything is absolutely perfect.
The problem is, there is no such thing as perfect – particularly when it comes to home design. A home is an incredibly personal thing that should reflect the people that live there. It should suit their requirements, display their style, and fit with their lifestyle.
As such, instead of stressing over creating a ‘perfect house’, you should focus on what will make the property perfect for you. There are a few key personal considerations and design features you need to think about to do this. Here we take a look at what these are and how they can help you create your perfect home.
Your practical requirements for a house design
When designing a house, it is best to start with the must-haves. Most of these are fairly straightforward, like the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you require. However, you should also consider if there are any other special features you need, like:
A home office: If you regularly work from home, you may need a dedicated office space. This should be large enough to store your work materials and able to be closed off from your living areas.
Separate living spaces: If you are a larger family, having the space to spread out and each do your own thing is important. Having multiple separate living areas can help with this, giving you the option of being together or apart, as desired.
A second master suite / self-contained unit: Depending on the composition of your household, having multiple master suites or a separate self-contained space may be beneficial. This is particularly useful for multi-generational families, as it allows greater independence and privacy.
These are just a few of the special requirements you might have for your home. But the perfect house will be tailored to suit all of your specific needs. As such, when designing a home, it is worth spending some time working out exactly what your requirements are.
Additional space for your home design
In addition to providing your must-haves, the perfect house design will include additional touches that make it feel like home. Importantly, it will feature extra areas that make living there more comfortable or enjoyable. Exactly what this looks like will be deeply personal, but libraries, rumpus rooms, and home theatres are commonly added extras.
While considering what to include, remember that all additional internal space comes at a cost – both during construction and ongoing. As such, you may need to weigh up the costs and benefits of any additional spaces you would like. As part of this, consider how often you will actually use the space and if there are other ways to get a similar level of functionality.
For example, flex spaces are becoming an increasingly common feature in custom home builds. These are areas that can be used for different purposes (e.g. a home theatre that doubles as a home gym). This increases the functionality of the space and removes the need for dedicated areas that are only used occasionally.
Zoning
More than simply providing the space you need, the perfect house design will have a layout that suits your lifestyle. It will structure the various spaces in a way that supports how you and your family want to live. It will also take into account both your desire to spend time together and your need for privacy.
In Australia, open plan living spaces are highly sought after. These usually feature a kitchen with a large island bench and minimal visual barriers between the kitchen, living, and dining spaces. This allows family and guests to be together and reflects our love of socialising and entertaining.
The location of bedrooms is also a key consideration in many custom home designs. For privacy, some people prefer to have their master suite situated away from the main living area. Others choose to have the master suite off the main living space and place any additional bedrooms in a separate area.
The perfect house design will also have a layout that is adaptable. Extra spaces should be able to be closed off when not in use and opened up when required. This provides extra control and caters to your changing needs over time (e.g. as the family grows or the kids move out).
Home Design and Storage Space
Storage space is often forgotten about when designing a home but can have a significant impact on its liveability. Without sufficient storage, you cannot put things away and keep things out of sight when not in use. This can lead to a lot of unnecessary clutter, which is both an aesthetic and practical problem.
As such, the perfect house design will take a considered approach to the inclusion of storage. It will provide enough space for you to comfortably house all of your stuff. It will also include different types of storage located throughout the house – from kitchens and bedrooms to bathrooms and laundries.
In many ways, there is no such thing as too much storage. However, as previously noted, all additional internal space comes at a cost – and this is particularly true for storage. As such, when planning your storage solutions, it is best to have a view of how much you really need.
Long-term suitability when considering your home design
The perfect house design will meet your requirements both now and in the future. It will be adaptable and can evolve with you as your family grows and changes.
As such, when designing your house, it is important to think about your longer-term plans. If it is where you are going to be for an extended period, it should be designed to suit your changing needs. For example, if you are planning to have more children, additional bedrooms and living spaces may be required.
Similarly, if you expect your requirements to change significantly in the foreseeable future, your home should be designed accordingly. Maybe you anticipate the need to have a parent or elderly relative move in, so include a second master suite. Or maybe you want to plan for your own potential mobility issues, so keep the design completely free of stairs.
Whatever your future requirements may be, the perfect house design will take these into account.
Green credentials and house design
If you are environmentally conscious, the perfect house design will help you live more sustainably. Exactly what this looks like will vary from home to home but will usually focus on reducing waste and resource consumption. Generally, any green features will also be built into the home’s design in a way that minimises the impact on functionality and liveability.
At the most basic level, this will mean that the home is orientated to minimise heating and cooling requirements. This usually means having north-facing living areas and south-facing sleeping areas. It also often means allowing for natural ventilation or investing in making it a passive structure.
You may wish to take this a step further by including some form of power generation in your design. The most obvious option here is rooftop solar, which can be used to produce electricity and hot water. Battery power storage solutions have also become a common feature of custom home builds.
For many, minimising the environmental impact of construction will also be a key feature of the perfect home design. This usually means sourcing recycled or sustainably produced materials that are environmentally friendly. It may also mean adapting the design to reduce the earthworks required – and by extension, the disturbance of the natural ecosystem.
Landscaping and outdoor living
When designing a new home, most of the time and attention goes into perfecting the internal spaces. However, the structure’s surroundings can have a major impact on how a home looks and feels. As such, the perfect home design takes a holistic view and also considers the external spaces.
Landscaping is particularly overlooked when designing and building a new home and is often treated as an afterthought. But more than simply looking good, great landscaping helps to ground a home’s design and makes it feel more settled. As such, the perfect home will embrace the power of landscaping to bring the whole design together.
Moreover, to make the most of our temperate climate, dedicated outdoor entertaining spaces are essentially a must in Australia. Whether it is a simple patio or a fully fitted entertaining space, a great outdoor living area significantly increases a home’s liveability. In fact, outdoor living areas are often treated as an additional room and an extension of the internal living spaces.
Need help designing your perfect home?
If you are worried about getting your new home design just right, contact Carmel Homes. As a leading builder of custom homes in Melbourne, we are across the latest design trends and features. We can also work with you to further refine your design and make sure it is perfectly tailored to your needs.
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