The house hunting process can be both exciting and distressing. Depending on your must-have features, you may or may not find everything you want. The best way to ensure your new home checks all the boxes is to rely on a custom luxury home builder like Wooddale to design and construct it for you. Keep reading to learn about five custom home essentials that you’ll want to include on your list of requirements.
A Kitchen Island (or Two)
When discussing custom home essentials, it makes sense to start in the most essential room of the house — the kitchen. A kitchen island is a popular and practical feature that allows additional space for seating or preparing and serving food.
More recently, many homeowners prefer to incorporate double islands. Two islands provide twice the counter space and even more functionality. One island can be used solely for preparing, serving, and eating meals while the other can be a station for work, homework, or the home’s center of operations. Or one may have a sink and/or dishwasher while the other includes a range.
Whatever your entertaining, hosting, or everyday needs, a double island can add even more personality and purpose to your kitchen space.
Concealed Outlets and Lighting
Finding an outlet when you need one can sometimes prove to be a tall order. And with so many chargeable devices today, outlets are often at a premium. When drawing up plans for your custom home, be sure to include plenty of electrical sockets — but find ways to conceal them so they are readily available yet don’t detract from the aesthetics of your décor.
In the kitchen, conceal outlets along the sides of islands and counters, or install them underneath cabinets and cupboards. For the family or living room, consider mid-floor outlets or plug-ins near optimal lounging spaces. Maybe tuck away a charging station, complete with USB ports, within a cabinet or under a shelf.
Likewise, covert lighting helps add ambiance without distraction. Under-cabinet lights in the kitchen provide extra illumination for food prep and cleaning. Canned lighting in media centers can be used to highlight photos or collectibles, and lighting underneath living room shelving contributes to a softer and more comfortable atmosphere.
Customized Built-Ins
Within your custom home, include customized built-in shelves to maximize storage — in any room. Mix up your designs and include some cabinetry with your shelving to hide away some items while showing off others.
A full-wall custom built-in can be the focal point of your family room, with spaces for electronics as well as displaying family photos, organizing books or other media, and storing board games. Your den, home office, or kitchen built-in may even incorporate a table or desk for added functionality.
Functional Closets
Closets are essential. But more importantly, functional closet space is vital. You want space for your clothes — both hanging and folded items, shoes, belts, and other accessories. When planning your primary bedroom suite, be sure your walk-in closet has everything you need for storing everything you have.
Include options for standard hanging items as well as longer spaces for pants or dresses. Add shelving or cubbies for shoes or to store seasonal attire. You may even like additional space for getting dressed, along with a full-length mirror. Perhaps you also want a center island, with drawers for shirts, socks, and undergarments and smaller, specialty storage for jewelry or watches.
Practical Mud Room
Another popular feature for homeowners today is a mud room. Usually located near the most-used entrance, these practical rooms are storage stations for coming and going. Depending on the needs of your family, your custom mud room may be equipped with all sorts of bells and whistles.
Be sure to include a designated space for each family member to hang up jackets; store shoes or boots, hats, and gloves; and allow wet outerwear or umbrellas to dry. You may also want to incorporate benches for sitting while removing or tying shoes. And if your family has a dog, include hooks for leashes and cubbies for storing toys, treats, or clean-up items.
Work with Wooddale
These are just five of the custom home essentials you may want to include on your list of requirements when designing and building your dream home. The team at Wooddale Builders has more ideas, and we’re happy to discuss those with you. Are you ready to build the home you’ve always wanted? We can walk you through the process. Contact us today and share your vision so we can get started on your design.