Preparing for your colour selections
Your colour selection appointment is arguably the most exciting and important part of building your new home. It’s the final stage before building commences, and it’s also the moment you get a sneak peek into what your future dream home looks like.
As one of the most exciting, critical steps in building your dream home, it’s understandable to be a little nervous or overwhelmed. To make sure you get the most out of your colour selection appointment and ease any worries, here is all you need to know about the process.
How to prepare for your colour selection
The best way to prepare for your colour selection appointment is to do a little research and brainstorm about what your dream home looks like. Preparing and planning is the best way to ensure success!
Your colour consultant is highly trained and experienced in guiding you through combining finishes, explaining the features and benefits of upgrade offerings, and answering all your questions.
They ask many questions about your lifestyle, preferences, and, most importantly, your budget to ensure they guide you in the right direction.
Research and preparation
Before your appointment, spend some time browsing websites and magazines dedicated to homes. You can browse the Icon Homes website, look at Icon Homes Instagram or Pinterest, and even visit our display homes in-person to get a feel for what you might want. Don’t forget that magazines and home-inspo images focus on the more expensive or luxury items in a build, so not every design will fit your budget.
Take note of the different brick colours and how they look under various lights. Even the smallest detailing, such as the colour of the gutters or the front colour finish, can give you some idea of what you want and don’t want.
Consult the specifications in your quote, and note anything you might want to upgrade or if it fits your budget. It’s important to decide which upgrades you want early on to avoid extra costs making changes later on.
Write down your questions ahead of time
Colour selections are an overwhelming process, and in the excitement of everything, you might forget to ask all the questions you want. Important questions such as costs, colours, finishes, and even time-frames should be on your list, just in case you forget to ask.
Selections
Exterior Selections
Your appointment will most likely begin with your colour consultant walking you through external selections of your home. This can include the roofing, bricks and mortar, guttering, render, facades, features, and even the design of your driveway.
To make this selection process easier, we suggest doing it in three’s: using just three colours over three textures. It will help you avoid complicating your home’s facade, can be used on any size house and ensures that your overall exterior looks polished.
Interior Selections
- Flooring
Interior selections usually begin with floor coverings, everything from tiles, carpet, wood, and laminates — endless choices!
There is a flooring selection to suit every budget, so be upfront with your colour consultant about which option works best for your home and family’s needs.
Most builders will include tiles as a standard because they’re durable, easy to clean, and incredibly versatile. Many families choose to tile if they have pets or children. If you decide to tile family areas, you can use rugs or small carpets to help bring a little warmth to the space.
- Interior Wall Colours
Now it’s time to choose what colour you want your walls to be. To help you decide, your colour consultant will choose colour swatches with you, test the swatches in the room to see how they look and even experiment with different lighting options to see how the colours look in natural and artificial light.
- Kitchen
The kitchen is the heart of the home and often the most exciting step of the colour selection process for people. As with the exterior, work in threes, so you don’t overcomplicate your kitchen.
Begin with your basic colour palette, and then look at the kitchen layout and the overall design. Locking down a basic colour palette will make it easier to choose finishes, benchtops, and even details such as faucets. You’ll be able to make the whole space feel more cohesive.
Remember that your kitchen should be designed with practicality in mind. This means ensuring that there’s room for a bin near your sink, space close to the oven for you to cook properly, and easy access to appliances such as a dishwasher, the fridge, and the microwave.
- Cabinetry
Next, you’ll be looking at cabinetry for your kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, and any other room that you want cabinets in, using your main colour palette as a guide.
Some people even choose to install cabinets in their mudroom or walk-in pantry. After cabinetry, you’ll begin looking at benchtops, drawers, cupboards, handles, and splashbacks in the kitchen.
- Bathroom
Now, the bathroom. Bathrooms are usually the easiest part of the colour selection appointment because most people know exactly what they want in their bathroom. Aside from the necessities (toilet, sink), you only need to consider whether you want a shower, bath, or vanity in the space.
Some choose to have a shower and bath built together. Others like having a large, luxurious, free-standing bath. Whatever your preference, your designer will help you narrow your choices down.
Electrical Layout
The electrical layout of your new home might not be the most glamorous step, but it is the most practical. The electrical layout will determine where you can plug in your appliances and your everyday items like your TV, your phone charger, and even your vacuum.
Most likely, areas such as your kitchen and home office will require the most power outlets, especially with large appliances such as your fridge, oven, or microwave. Home theatre systems require multiple outlets, so plan if you want to use a powerboard or not.
The most important electrical component is where your internet access points will be. If you’re using WIFI, you may need to install a WIFI extender to ensure the internet connection is strong throughout the house.
Your colour selections are incredibly exciting, but it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. After all, it’s an important step in building your new home. See here what our client Elle Rose has to say about her design and selection experience with Icon Homes
When you build with Icon Homes, you can rest assured you’re in safe hands. Speak with one of our expert consultants today to find out how we can help you.
