If asked to describe the perfect house, how would you respond? At Foley, the homeowners we talk to and work with tend to describe their dream homes in different terms from one another. Yet what it most always comes down to is that people want a home that their family will enjoy living in for years to come.

The “perfect” home, then, is made up of features that fit your family’s particular needs. What qualifies as good Northern VA home design hasn’t changed much over time. No matter where you build a new custom home, or how big or small a potential remodel, if you keep these 10 essential timeless elements in mind, your home will continue to deliver value and livability.

Good Northern VA Home Design

Good home design:

1. Takes its cue from the family that will live in the finished home. Your family’s lifestyle and how you plan to use the home defines your living experience. Size, shape, where rooms are located in relation to each other – all come together to create your perfect home.
2. Recognizes and adapts itself to its surrounding environment. Climate, neighborhood culture, lot topography, solar access, and more all influence a home’s floorplan and orientation.
3. Reflects the local neighborhood’s character and retains, interprets, and uses local history and customs to help create and maintain a sense of place. When your home complements (not copies) the homes around it, it helps build the community itself.
4. Makes efficient and responsible use of building materials. Often referred to as green building, a successful home design is one that uses the minimum materials required without compromising function or aesthetics.
5. Uses principles of scale, texture, and massing to create harmony. Visual harmony creates beautiful homes that stand the test of time.
6. Is authentic. What does that mean? Not using vinyl siding finished to look like it’s wood, or window shutters that aren’t functional. Fake columns, cheap roofing materials manipulated to look like wood shakes, and stucco desperately trying to look like stone all qualify as less-than-honest home design elements.
7. Embraces innovation but doesn’t lose sight of what has always been true. There’s a reason most homes share so many common basics – they work!
8. Is intuitive. You know that feeling you get when you walk in the door and immediately feel at home? That’s intuitive design at its finest: less about art and more about livability and comfort.
9. Adapts to your family’s evolving needs and lifestyle changes. It plans from the start for future demands or surprises. Multigenerational living and aging in place are two great examples of adaptable design.
10. Knows that quality wins every time. Quality workmanship, design, materials, finishes, furnishings, and other details enrich your family’s life and ensure your home will last longer and be an asset to the community.

Perfect is Relative

Every homeowner wants the nicest home on the block, complete with perfect finishes, amazing natural light, the latest innovations, and more. At Foley, we’re committed to the idea that good Northern VA home design means making sure each family we work with feels that way about their newly built or remodeled home when the job is completed.

No home is without small imperfections here and there, but that’s actually a good thing. Those quirks give your home its unique personality and keeps it from being just another cookie-cutter design. If, at the end of the day, your home expresses who you are and meets your family’s needs, you’re going to love it. And that is the true definition of good design and the perfect home.

10 Principles, 10 Reasons

If you’re ready to start designing your Northern VA custom home, remodel your existing home, or just want to know more about the principles of good design, schedule a conversation with us today. We also invite you to download our free guide, the Top 10 Reasons to Choose Foley to learn more about who we are and how we can help.