3 Top Tips for Chic Single Family Home Designs

Single family home designs are as individual and unique as each one of us. If you’re like me, you’ve grown quite tired of shiplap everywhere, and the “Modern Farmhouse” look of plain white houses, with black trim on the windows. This popular look– seemingly inspired by a popular TV show that transformed ugly homes at eye-bustingly low budgets (only in Waco!)-- has become so common that we have maybe forgotten how to tastefully personalize our homes to our unique needs and styles. Even the most discerning tastes seem overwhelmed by this trend, which has popped up all across the area, including Washington DC, Kensington, Potomac, and Bethesda. No more we say! Read on for 3 top tips to achieve a chic family home design you’ll love. May this refresh you like a tall drink of water on a hot summer day!

More than ever, a single family home’s design needs to be restorative: a personal sanctuary that nestles you and loved ones, and allows you to bring family and friends into your inviting, warm embrace. But, how??

1 DEFINE YOUR STYLE

To design your single family home, first seek to understand the spaces that you enjoy, that bring you comfort, and set you at ease. There are numerous styles that may suit you, including some of these common categories:

Industrial: Inspired by factories, think exposed bring, steel-cased windows, concrete floors, and towering ceilings. In the 1960s and 70s, artists popularized this style almost by accident, when long-forgotten industrial spaces in New York’s Garment District and SoHo were brought to life anew when artists moved into these low-rent spaces, reconfigured them, and popularized the idea of exposing structural elements of a space. In urban settings, this remains a chic choice among some single family home designs.

Art Deco: A product of early 20th century France, this style defined what it meant to have chic taste. Like the architecture of the Chrysler building in New York City, the design often features intricate, geometric designs, whimsy, stylized florals, and sleek lines. Vibrant colors, bold materials, and opulent details might be just what suits you for your single family home. The sleek lines are often softened by bold, scallop-edged feature furniture pieces.

Farmhouse: Shiplap, rustic materials like stone or rough-hewn beams, and white paint everywhere. This has become so popular in recent years that it will likely come to define this era.

Bohemian: Free-spirited and eclectic, this style incorporates influences from around the globe, multiple textures and patterns, and combining vintage, and handmade elements. The design often reflects a person’s life or history, and creates a collected-over-time look. Plants feature prominently.

Location-inspired: from southwestern to coastal to mountain, these motifs take inspiration from the geography in which these styles were popularized in single family homes:

Southwestern: Think Georgia O’Keefe, and a desert-sunrise-inspired color palette. Round, natural wood beams, stucco walls, bold patterns, warm lighting.

Coastal: light and airy colors, with lots of blue, comfortable rugs and slouchy couches, linen window coverings and upholstery, light oak wood, grasscloth wallpapers, and maritime-inspired styling.

Mountain: Lush woods, mountain peaks, rugged beauty. Wood paneling, stone fireplaces, neutral durable materials like wool and leather feature prominently.

Rustic: More laid-back and inspired by nature, this style often features live-edge wood tables, raw-finished fabrics, and stone. Antiques, and neutral, warm color palettes.

Scandinavian: Clean lines, light tones, and uncluttered styling. Form always follows function, so nothing should be frivolous or draw attention for this home design.  

Mid-Century Modern: Inspired by Bauhaus and Scandinavian design, this style emphasizes functionality, beautiful craftsmanship, sleek lines, low profiles. You will also find organic and rounded shapes, earthy tones, and natural materials like wood and leather.

Traditional: Timeless and enduring, this style features elegant woodwork, leather, velvet, and silk, and incorporation of dark colors. Antique furniture matched with classic moldings and patterns, like plaids.

2 PERSONALIZE YOUR SPACE

Chic family home designs must suit its inhabitants! Once you have defined the style that feels right for you, it will likely come naturally to include various elements and furnishings that you already enjoy in your home. Maybe it’s a keepsake dresser, or your grandmother’s kitchen table, but don’t hesitate to ensure that your home reflects your life and priorities.

The chance to show off your own style is one of the best things about designing your home. One family in San Francisco wanted to upgrade the bathroom in a living space that was commonly used by visiting family and friends. They wanted it to reflect their style and personality, and both worked in creative fields. They sought a space that would bring brightness and levity to a dark, ground-level space.  The choice of material and finishes created a jovial and fun space.

The clients considered it their little shining jewel!

Another client had traveled the world with their family, collecting various artifacts and pieces along their way through Africa, Asia, and Europe– and eventually Kensington. They sought to respect the traditional architecture of their Stick Victorian home, while marrying the bones of the old home to their own lived experience that drew them to a more Bohemian or eclectic style of design.

3 GO HIGH AND LOW

It never fails that one’s ambitions for a home design will likely exceed the feasible budget. Thus, we look to focus investments on high-traffic and high-use areas, such as kitchens, bathrooms, or other shared spaces that may be used for hosting. We often look to create savings in secondary spaces and kid zones. Just as one example, a recent design of a single family home saw us utilize three different types of recessed lights, splurging for the latest and greatest in the kitchen and other task-heavy spaces, while using less expensive (but still great!) recessed lights in hallways and areas with few or no task-oriented uses.

We also find clients may swoon for a key furniture piece that pulls a room together, and if we stretch the budget for such an item, we’ll look to create savings elsewhere in the design by sourcing second hand side-tables or other vintage finds to complete a look. In one home, our clients had a gorgeous heirloom console table that fit perfectly in their entry. We completed the space with some consignment finds, a legacy table lamp, and a CB2 mirror.

A TRÈS CHIC HOME

In just three steps, you can be well on your way to the chic single family home design of your dreams. First define your style, then be sure to include important personal elements that make the space feel like home, and then execute your vision by splurging where it counts and saving where it hardly shows. And as always, we’re here to help you define and implement your vision to make your home yours.