9 luxury house design ideas
The 9 luxury house design ideas we share in this blog are based on the beautiful properties that we build all the time. One of the most exciting aspects of building and renovating high-end properties is the point at which the true nature of the project is revealed to us. How the client and their architect are planning to use the space. What’s the vision? What kind of facilities, materials and design are we dealing with?
Each project presents its own very different challenges allowing us to make good use of our knowledge and experience. We’re always excited to be part of the design team, alongside the architect and their client. Our single-minded aim is to ensure buildability of a project so that we deliver the dream home exactly as envisioned by our clients.
Creating hard-working, inspirational homes
These days people want and need so much more from their homes. Feeling safe and fulfilled, and being productive are priorities that the pandemic simply reinforced. We were all forced to slow down and spend more time in our homes so now well-being is the mission that your architect and we, as construction partner, are keen to accomplish.
It used to be that your home was little more than a hotel. Now it’s also your office, your child’s classroom. It’s where you work out, relax and entertain on a grand or modest scale. Your home empowers the Monday to Friday and recharges you at the weekend. Essentially, we’re creating hard-working, inspirational homes.
What constitutes a luxury house is different from family to family, and that’s where the fascination lies for Galower Build. Here are 9 luxury house design ideas that we’re regularly working on:
1. Mood-enhancers inspired by nature
We humans have been seeking inner peace in our built environment for centuries. We turn to the ancient Chinese art of feng shui, where spatial positioning corresponds with energy flow. Or wabi sabi, the Japanese practice of embracing an imperfect aesthetic. Then there’s ancient Rome’s use of earth-tone colours and geometric patterns.
Design trends continue to use such ancient cultural references to make us feel emotionally at ease. It’s all down to the choice of materials and physical proportions which we transform into the finished build. Think stoneware, terracotta, marble, and wood. The raw, porous, imperfect nature of these organic materials adds depth and visual interest while replicating the calming, restorative elements of the outdoors. In some instances we use reclaimed and vintage materials.
2. The internet of things
Our clients are well-versed in technology and naturally want the same digital advantages they use in their working lives to be present in their homes. The fundamentals are security and access systems, temperature control, lighting and heating, etc. But technology also takes centre stage with leisure where remote and touchless solutions enable maximum enjoyment with gyms, media centres, games rooms, home cinemas and swimming pools.
We install a very broad range of convenient and energy-saving ‘smart’ (eg wi-fi connected) technology, catering for individual decisions such as ‘when, where, how much and how long?’. In many cases, this technology is managed in the ‘plant room’, a sophisticated control centre that essentially runs the house like a small engine-room.
3. Working out at home
Exercise is pretty critical to well-being. However, our exhausting lifestyles can mean the self-discipline required to get down to the gym escapes us, especially in the colder, darker months. Having a beautiful and inspirational space could be all the motivation you need – an environment that makes you want to work up a sweat. Working closely with architects and designers, we’ve created gyms that embrace the mood, and incorporate the materials, used in the rest of the house: functional and industrial or chic and aesthetic. Designs follow light, bright, energy-stimulating palettes or traditional themes using materials such as wood, leather, and metals like steel and bronze.
4. Swimming pool
Indoor, outdoor or a combination of both? The latter is of course, the best option, whereby a system of movable walls and glass partitions retract into the floor to create an indoor or outdoor swimming pool as the weather and your mood dictates. A series of finishes and features contribute to the enjoyment and comfort: waterfalls, water fountains, jets, streams, bubbles and currents, ambient lighting, in-water seating and spa features.
5. Working from home
Just like the rest of your house, your home office space must meet your individual needs. So, what do you do for a living: consultant, designer, physiotherapist? Do you need customised storage? (Hopefully you’ve reached paperless status but you might have an extensive book or vinyl collection.)
Do you plan to broadcast from your home office and want a quiet, dedicated area to create your podcast? Will you need room to pace, or a vista to contemplate? What kind of lighting should we fit? In which part of the house are we locating your office? If you have clients visiting, then space and access will influence your working environment.
Working from home is a permanent feature so the days of of seeing your office simply in terms of plonking your desk, chair and filing cabinet in an empty corner are long gone.
6. Entertainment centre
Entertainment and leisure areas are just as personal and individual as every other part of your home. A basement, lower floor or outhouse are popular and successful locations for a home cinema, music room, games area, dance floor and bar. We’ve created reference grade cinemas with luxury seating, acoustic fabric walls and star ceilings. Our games rooms range from bowling alleys and indoor football pitches to pool tables and games consoles, with bespoke cabinetry, and specialist flooring and lighting.
7. Family rooms
A ‘family room’ is where you all gather to eat, relax and catch up at the end of a busy day and week. We’ve created many different types of family spaces; large, roomy kitchens with either zoned or open plan dining areas. Built into the basement, they can feature large glass walls that encourage an indoor-outdoor style of living for both family and guests. Boot rooms (below) and laundry / utility areas are popular additions as are play or chill-out rooms.
8. The boot room
Dogs + children + British weather make a boot room a bit of a necessity. Flooring is often brick, flagstone, or concrete while granite or quartz is ideal for work surfaces. However, the boot room doesn’t have to be an unloved or completely utilitarian space. Hard-wearing marble, for example, can add a low-key luxurious feel to a boot or mud room. And we regularly use our considerable carpentry skills to create elegant, bespoke storage with hanging space, shelves and baskets.
9. Supreme Storage Space
And so, finally, to storage. Being able to plan the kind of storage you need, so your belongings fit exactly, is a luxury. From the kitchen pantry and wine cellar to libraries, media units, walk-in wardrobes and elegant places for shoes, bags, and jewellery. Invariably, the finer detail is worked out as the project progresses and our clients can pinpoint exactly what they need.
Which luxury house ideas are right for you?
These 9 luxury house ideas are based on the kind of projects we’re working on now where the architecture, materials and interior design work together to create hard-working, inspirational homes.
Your house is your home – somewhere to re-energise but also work, make plans and raise a family. A home tells a story and expresses your interests. So what’s important to you?
Once you and your architect have got the designs in place, get in touch so we can help get you to the first, buildability stage.