Designing Your Custom Kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of your home. Families cook, bake, eat, entertain, hang out and even work in this busy space. Since you’ll be spending so much of your time in your kitchen, it’s important that you design a room you truly enjoy. 

Have fun and take advantage of all of the possibilities that come with building a custom kitchen. Give your kitchen a style of its own.

• Farmhouse kitchen: open shelving, wide sinks, classic flooring and a big kitchen table.

• Rustic kitchen: timber, stone, brick, vintage appliances and fireplaces.

• Modern kitchen: frameless cabinets, sleek and simple hardware, strong horizontal lines and a lack of ornamentation, with the natural beauty of the materials shining through.

• Traditional kitchen: arches, raised-panel cabinets, a mix of antique finishes and furniture-like turned legs — even a chandelier.

• Contemporary kitchen: playful in form and finishes, including elements of other styles and creating its own reflection of the times.

• Craftsman kitchen: rich woods, built-ins, handcrafted tiles and well-made simplicity.

• Cottage kitchen: Beadboard, soft colors, vintage hardware, wood floors and colorful accents and curtains.

• Paris bistro kitchen: Intimate kitchen lighting, pretty cookware on display, tile floors and a striped awning ought to do it.

Incorporate easy living features to add extra comfort to the space.

• No reach corners

• Push-to-open drawers

• Island wine storage

• Temperature control

• Fully equipped pantry with slide-out drawers, shallow shelving and spice racks

• Clearances for wheelchairs in aisles and varied counter heights

More great resources to help you design your custom home:
Top 10 Questions To Ask Yourself If You’re Thinking Of Building A Custom Home
15 Questions To Ask Before Hiring a Custom Home Builder

When And How To Find And Hire An Interior Designer

Many homeowners who build a custom home incorporate their previous home’s furnishings into their new home, others choose to design an entirely new look and lifestyle into their new home. The expertise and resources of a professional interior designer can help you achieve the custom look and feel you desire, as well as provide much needed assistance during this busy time.

An interior designer can save you endless amounts of time researching products, brands and prices. However, you don’t necessarily need their services for your entire home. Instead, an interior designer can be particularly helpful with just a few elements that can transform your home into a polished and pulled together space.

If you have cherished pieces, collections or pursuits that your custom home must accommodate - a grand piano, a collection of glassware, a car collection, a yoga studio - you will need a special place designed to optimize the functionality of these items in a beautiful setting. On a smaller scale, you may just need someone with a creative eye to help you choose what colour to paint your walls.

Whatever your needs may be, a professional interior designer is typically involved with the building project from the beginning. Ranger Homes can help you find an interior designer that fits your budget and your personality.

Still need to define your design style? Start here:
Defining Your Home Design Style and Lifestyle
Store Ideas and Build Dreams With a Houzz Ideabook 

Your Custom Home: Lighting Sets the Mood

Think of lighting as the jewellery of your home. Lighting is essential for aesthetics, ambiance, productivity and functionality throughout your space. The more unexpected and unique your lighting choices, the more custom your home will look.

Antique chandeliers, recessed lighting, LED lights and solar walkways – each will affect the mood of your home. 

To make your home both comfortable and functional, consider the following questions:

• Am I lighting unexpected places?

• Does my lighting have layers?

• Do my lights dim?

• Do my fixtures reflect current styles?

• Is my lighting focused?

Lighting tips from the pros:

• Use a range of lighting in varied heights and locations.

• Prevent lighting fatigue by keeping different parts of a room at different brightness levels

• Make use of directed lights in the kitchen.

• Light vertical surfaces, like art or feature walls.

• Change your light switches to light dimmers.

• To create dramatic appeal, paint the lights with coloured LED lighting.

For more information on designing your custom home:
Create a Custom Home That Is Uniquely You
Defining Your Home Design Style and Lifestyle
Choosing The Perfect Floor Plan For Your Lifestyle