When you’re designing a new custom Florida home, you’re usually concentrating on the elements that work best for you and your family, and the must-haves you know must be in your floorplan.
It’s easy to overlook out-of-the-box thinking to solve design conundrums, or to add a little architectural pizazz to your new pad.
Fear not. We at ICI Homes have your back. Here are a few creative features for custom homes.
Incorporate a drop zone with a mini-home office
You’re probably aware of the popularity of mudrooms or “drop zones.” They’re entrances off the garage where each family member has an individual space to plop keys, backpacks, coats and so on. Drop zones corral all that clutter and keep it from being “dropped” through the house.
If you like the mudroom/drop zone idea, take it one step further and design a mini-home office just off the mudroom. A desk, some drawers and/or shelves for storage and a charging station for electronics make household organization sing.
Encircle it with half walls, but don’t wall it off from, say, the kitchen or informal eating area. A large chalkboard or memo board can be helpful here, to calendar household activities.
Walk-in shower
This one’s more mainstream, but still genius. Who wants to mess with shower curtains and rods? Even sliding glass shower doors?
Practicality says to keep one bathtub in the house, and you’ll need splash protection if you use their shower capability. A good location is guests’ or kids’ bathrooms.
But for a master bathroom (assuming no accessibility or health issues), go low-maintenance. A no-barrier, walk-in shower where you don’t step over something or down, is simple luxury. Its room-facing side usually is protected by a glass wall or a half hall topped by a glass panel.
Rinse your shower after every use. Mix white vinegar or lemon juice with baking soda (google the amounts) to clean the glass wall on a regular basis, and you’re set. Speaking of cleaning…
Dark tile grout
Who wants to scrub white or light-colored grout?
We don’t either.
You can ask the same question of white floor tile — and it’s a valid question — but white floor tile is a classic look that never goes out of style. Our advice? Use white tile with dark grout.
It can be more striking visually, and it’s sure easier to clean. If you think we’re hammering an already nailed-peg, think about scrubbing stained grout lines with a toothbrush.
Or, spraying your bathroom or flooring tile with stinky chemical cleaner that will purge mildew and grime, but also force you to turn on every fan in the house and vacate for a half day while it does its thing.
A window wall
If the lot and floorplan for your new custom home includes stellar views at the rear of your home, consider using a window wall in place of a real wall to showcase it.
Small windows and an exterior door — even sliding glass doors — won’t do the view justice. Another option: have your ICI Homes designer sketch out a wall of generous french doors topped with windows that still let in the light and views.
