Considering the inside of your new custom-built Florida home as a giant, blank canvas should be one of the “oh goody” aspects of building from scratch.
Yes, we know some of you would rather hide in a closet than choose paint colors, but since we’re being straightforward here, it’s your house, not ours.
What’s our role? To help you make those design choices as easily and painlessly as possible. And the process really can go smoothly if you commit your time and attention.
You’ll choose all your interior finishes and materials during two visits to the ICI Homes Design Center. The first (and shorter) visit is an introduction to all the categories — cabinetry, that aforementioned paint, decorative tile, flooring, countertops, and so on. You’ll tentatively make your selections so that your sales agent(s) can include those estimated material costs in your contract.
Once you sign your contract to build your new home, you’ll re-visit the design center within a time period stated in your contract. This appointment is all day — you can do it! — which gives you and your ICI Homes design consultant room and time to finalize all those interior details.
But you definitely must take ownership, in more than one way. Here are three more reasons why you must make your design decisions.
Design consultants are guides, not crutches
While our talented folks who helm the design center are happy to help, they can’t be you.
“My job is to tell you if it looks good, but I’m not the one who’s going to live there and look at it every day,” says Janna Pettegrew, an ICI Homes design consultant.
We get you feeling awkward about something you likely have no expertise in. Most of us want our homes to look nice and function well, but many of us don’t read shelter magazines, or consider much more than whether we prefer tile over carpet in the bedroom.
Since you’ll be paired with a consultant who’ll walk you through every step of your design sessions, utilize that person’s knowledge.
“I don’t like to ever make the decision for them,” Pettegrew says of customers. “And a lot of times they’ll ask you your opinion. So I tell them the pros and cons of things and let them make the decision.”
Winning your design sessions allows you to show off later
Want to impress friends during a future social function? Regale them with why you chose luxury vinyl tile over traditional hardwood flooring for your new custom home.
We’re only kidding (a little bit). If you do this, please report back how it went!
And, winning your design sessions — being fully involved and committed to their outcomes — means you literally can show off later, once you’re living in your new home. You want to be proud of, and eager to share those attractive, livable interiors with family and friends.
You don’t have to be a design pro to make good design decisions
That’s why Pettegrew and her co-workers run our design center. Follow their lead.
What you do have to do, is be willing to do a little research and know what you like and don’t like. And, be brave enough to base your decisions on it!
