Skip to main content

Form, Function and Lots of Lifestyle.

By February 2, 2016December 10th, 2020Updates + Best Practices
sun valley | general contractor
Ketchum | General Contractor
Sun Valley | General Contractor

It’s easy to decide whether the style of your home will be modern, rustic, or classic. It’s exciting to select the location and to envision the interiors and finishes. And, yes, you also need to think about the the “not-so-sexy” things…like storage.

When you break it down, the drivers in what will make you happy in the long run could be much different that what you think they are.

Place yourself in the future—what’s the purpose of this house down the road? How long do you plan to live there? Is this a vacation home that will turn into retirement home? Are your kids going to have families? If so, design that into the house. When grandkids visit, do you want them close or do you prefer some space between the babies and your Master Suite?

Are you building for resale? Look at the size of a modern family and design accordingly.

A great example of design foresight is a client who built a smaller home for very practical reasons. It was a second home and when they were there, they spent most of their time outside recreating. They didn’t need a big house for entertaining, nor did they want to take care of it. The function drove the size—it didn’t have to be a showcase, just a simple house.

The same logic applies to the finer details. Do you like to cook as well as entertain? Think about combining an open kitchen, dining and living room. It’s normal to be unsure about exactly what you want, so start with what you like about your existing house. When you visit friends, take note of what you like about the look and feel. Peruse magazines and websites and when something appeals to you, incorporate it into the design.

Pay close attention to current trends. Are they influencing your decision? Make sure you’ll still be happy with your choices in years to come.

Builders can often times show you previous projects. Walking through actual homes helps guide you toward materials— do you want high end finishes or is it important that it fares well with kids? Think about what kind of surfaces would work best for your family.

It boils down to both form and function. It’s fun to collaborate with your architect and builder imagining these spaces and figuring out what’s going to be best for your lifestyle. After all, you can’t escape the million dollar question…how much storage do you REALLY need?