What is the right design style for my house?

So you’re planning a home build, yay! But before you can get to the stage of actually putting things together and even landing on a designer, it’s a good idea to get a feel for what type of style(s) you are after. If you have something specific in mind, maybe you look for a team that specialises in that? Let’s take a look at some of the top design styles and our personal favourites.

Art Deco

Art Deco became popular just before World War Ⅰ and swept across the nations AND different design areas. We know here, of course, we’re talking about Art Deco houses. You can also find that Art Deco design has made its way into graphic design, fonts, interiors, cars, jewellery and pop culture! Common features of an Art Deco house include:

  • Flat roofs/ clean rectangular design
  • Smooth walls (often made with stucco)
  • Bold exterior decorations
  • Straight lines
  • Geometric patterns and shapes


Famous example: The Chrysler Building in New York!

Biophilic 

Biophilic design is a unique style that attempts to connect a building’s inhabitants closer to nature. It is well proven that exposure to the natural world in our daily lives has powerful mental health benefits. The incorporation of plants and greenery also elevates the air quality, giving us that much-needed clean, healthy 02. Biophilic comes from the word ‘Biophilia’, meaning ‘love of nature’. Features include:

  • Natural light
  • Pure ventilation
  • Incorporation of natural landscape 
  • Presence of water
  • Non-rhythmic sensory stimuli 


Minimalism

A minimalist home ties together the notions of function and simplicity. Minimalist homes have a very straightforward, sensible and clear design space. This modern trend of minimalist homes will often be white or light-coloured to help create a feeling of freedom and openness, with clean lines and purpose-driven storage options. Minimalism is much more than a home design style; it is a lifestyle for people who wish to live more by living with less. Common features include:

  • Clean lines
  • Bare essentials
  • Monochromatic or light colour palettes
  • Smooth walls and finishings
  • Uncomplicated cladding 


It is often tied together with natural wooden features!

Eco-homes

An eco-house is an environmentally low-impact house designed with features to reduce its carbon footprint and enables the homeowner to live a more sustainable life. Eco-homes will often incorporate natural and renewable materials where possible and focus largely on the home’s long-term impact on both the homeowner and their environmental impact. Features include:


In case you couldn’t tell, this is one of our favourite areas of design AND our area of expertise! 

Japandi

Although Japan and Scandinavia may be more than 8000 km apart, design aspects of these two cultures have moulded together to create the idyllic design trend of Japandi. Japandi is a hybrid trend, marrying the timeless elegance of Japanese style with the modern flair of Scandinavian design. Features include:

  • Hand-made and bespoke pieces
  • Incorporation of the natural world
  • Use of raw materials
  • Simple and functional features


Japandi incorporates an element of minimalist design!

So, which design style most suits you and your lifestyle??