Room Themes

Introduction to Room Themes

As a builder’s wife, I am often asked by clients, friends, or family how I chose a “theme” or “style” for a room. Admittedly, sometimes I try to study their eyes to see if they think perhaps my creations are weird. I love unique and tend to be a “rebel” and do what we prefer rather than what the current trends are. Trends come and go, but we have to live here. These rooms and walls need to mean something to us. Our homes are our sanctuaries, for lack of a better term, and they should bring you joy, comfort, ease, and meet your family’s needs—whether that family involves just the two of you, kids, and/or furred and feathered kids.

Drawing Inspiration from Travels

In our travels, we have come upon several different venues that offer a choice of room styles, such as “the Geisha Suite,” which is an Asian-themed room designed to transport you to the Orient; the “Log Cabin Suite,” reminiscent of a rustic vacation; and the “Venetian Suite,” where you find yourself in Venice, to name a few. We asked ourselves, why not apply this thinking to our custom home?

Building from the Ground Up

The beauty of building a home from the ground up is the ability to envision how you want your space to be. In a couple of our past homes, we chose a basic homogenous theme—western throughout—with similar colors and themes. These were beautiful homes, but this time, I really wanted to have fun—choosing different color palettes, trim, flooring, granite, fixtures, etc. And boy, have we had fun! The only caveat in room design would be resale. In one of the previous homes Buck built, we knew it wouldn’t be our “final home,” so our real estate agent advised that the “farmhouse” theme was what was selling. That pretty much took out all of the fun for me. The home sold and was beautiful, and had Buck’s “maker’s mark” on it, but wasn’t much fun for me. So the point of this long diatribe is that if you are looking to resell fairly quickly, you should moderate your “style.” That being said, let’s get back to the true fun!

Making Your Mark

We are currently in a home that was meant to be “the one”…well, maybe next time. We are selling this home for more acreage for a barn and riding arena. But the style, design, and thought process that went into the rooms in this home made me feel like Michelangelo. Guess I will have to dig deep for the next one. There are always ways to improve and “exceed” yourself!

Considerations for Room Design

The most important feature for me is the grand entrance—a super tall ceiling, big windows, a giant chandelier—height and statement. That is what I love. But for you, it may be something entirely different and come out just as spectacular. So my advice to you as you begin to style your rooms, think of the following things (let’s start with the most boring first):

• Form and function of the room

• Kids or pets? White carpet and satin bedspreads probably won’t survive

• What themes, styles, colors, moods, lighting, and features have you loved or seen in the past and thought, “that would be great in my home”?

• Do you have special furniture, art, plants, a giant bird cage (I do, and it is a major consideration in regards to space), etc., that you would like to showcase?

• What makes you FEEL good—what colors and textures can you see yourself living with and continuing to like far into the future?

• If you struggle or can’t visualize anything, you are not alone. And fortunately, in this day and age, we are blessed with the internet and apps!

Organizing Your Ideas

If you are completely lost, my first recommendation is to start by pulling things you like into different folders by room. You would have “Kitchen,” “Great Room,” “Family Room,” “Primary Suite,” “Powder Room,” etc. I also have a large spiral notebook in which I keep track of products, style numbers, prices, colors, measurements, etc. When you hit the paint store or even when you just go browsing through Walmart and see the paint cards, grab ones that really appeal to you and put your likes into the specific room file you visualize them in. Many people also do “Inspiration Boards,” where they place all of the things that really strike them onto a large poster to help visualize how they could all come together.

Using Digital Tools

Pinterest is an amazing tool. I cannot emphasize how much it helped me. Once you download the app, you can begin to search for ideas. Enter what you want to see, e.g., “black and white bathroom.” Once you click on your search, a myriad of examples and ideas will pop up to scroll through. When you see something that you like, it may then be saved in a file of your own title. Houzz is another website that has great ideas in all design styles. House Beautiful, Magnolia, Architectural Digest, Interior Design, Elle Décor, Traditional Home, Décor 8, The Inspired Room, and Design Hunter are also great magazines, but you may find that the internet is best in order to narrow down your particular preferences. There are many AI tools online as well.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is there are no hard and fast rules. Yes, when you head to a design store, building materials, etc., there will be titles that scream out to you, “this is THE trend of Spring 2024,” etc., but remember, trends come and go, but unique style and thoughtful presentation done in a cohesive manner never go out of style. It is your home. I wish I would have held onto that assertion in one of our homes when a tile consultant talked me into light grout. It still smarts that I went against my better judgment.

At Saddle Horn Custom Homes, located in Arlee, MT, we embrace the unique spirit of western Montana, helping you create a home that reflects your individual style and needs. Your home should be a place of comfort and joy, a true sanctuary. Let us help you build that vision, one room at a time.

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