About the Author: Kevin Reed is the owner and president of Bluestone Construction, with nearly 30 years of experience building luxury custom homes. He’s also a member of the NAHB’s Builder 20 group, where he shares insight on construction, finance, and building performance.
You’re ready to build a new home and want to know about all of it, from home decor to house architecture.
Where do you go for the best home design and architectural styles inspiration?
Ten Design Resources For Building Your Dream Home
1. Pinterest
Pinterest is an amazing tool for design and home decor, but it can also be overwhelming. There are roughly 200 billion pins out there, which averages to 667 pins per user. It’s easy to lose track of that fabulous porch or home gym or custom built desk for your new home office.
The key to Pinterest? Organization!
Here’s a great post on how to use Pinterest like an interior designer, from a woman who studied design right here in North Carolina.
2. Houzz
Houzz is only slightly less overwhelming than Pinterest, with over 20 million interior design photos. But it can really help you style your new home if you use it right.
Under the “Get Ideas” tab, you can search:
– Home decor broken down by room
– Architectural or design detail (Pergola or backsplash?)
– Before and after shots of renovations
– Case studies
– Renovation costs
You can also use Houzz to find local builders, architects, designers, and landscapers.
Sometimes Houzz interviews top builders, such as Bluestone Construction, about important topics like a pre construction services agreement.
And sometimes Houzz gives awards. Bluestone won the Best of Houzz Award for Client Satisfaction, based on on-site reviews from verified clients.
3. Instagram
Following the Instagram feeds of fantastic luxury builders, architects and interior designers can help you come up with new home decor and design ideas.
4. Local and Regional Publications
Interested in house styles that are popular in your particular area? North Carolina has some great publications focused on luxury homes and home decor.
Build WNC features our work, as well as the work of other outstanding architects, builders, and designers. It’s a great place to browse, if you’re serious about building a new home in the Carolina mountains.
Carolina Home & Garden also highlights our work and that of other local designers and builders.
5. Travel
We wrote an entire post about why a European vacation is the best way to find inspiration for your new home.
6. Your Favorite Neighborhood
Plan your dream home by checking out someone else’s. Take a walk around neighborhoods you like. Note the houses you love and what appeals to you.
– What architecture style are they?
– What kind of landscaping do they have?
– How are they situated on the lot?
7. Our Portfolio
Excuse us for tooting our own horn, but our portfolio is full of homebuilding awards. Our motto is “Be Inspired” for a reason.
8. Architecture and Design Blogs
ArchDaily has a nice residential architecture section.
Here’s a great list of home decor blogs.
9. Mountain Home Blogs
We’re located in Asheville, North Carolina, which is the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of course we enjoy mountain home design blogs.
Two of our favorites:
10. Your Current Home
It may seem counterintuitive. You don’t love your house, that’s why you’re building a new home. But your current house can provide a lot of useful information.
Make a list of the things that work about your current house and the things that don’t. Is your master bedroom closet too small? Do you need twice as much space? Three times as much? Measure it, so you’ll have an idea of how big that closet should be in your new house.
The most amazing part about custom building your dream home is that you can keep everything that you enjoy about your current house and get rid of all the things you hate. This is your forever home, so you can also add all the things you wish your current house had.
And when you’ve exhausted these resources…
Get in touch with us. A seasoned, award-winning home builder is the best resource of all. We can help you choose an architdect and walk you through every step of the custom home-building process.
