In recent history, houses were built in progressively more repetitive designs. Cookie-cutter developments FILLED the suburbs the last 60 years (like our own Keller, Texas) because uniformity makes for quick construction.
That met housing demand, but it left homeowners with spaces that lacked personality. Add to it the stereotypes and expectations of each member of the household 60 years ago, and few homeowners ever ventured off the beaten path when it came to way their homes were designed.
Today, homes have been mercifully set free from the confines of suburban stereotypes. A HUGE wave of customizations now reflects our unique lifestyles, personalities, and day-to-day routines.
Our lifestyles are diverting into many new buckets of likes and needs, habits and hobbies. Not everyone goes into the office anymore, for instance, but instead works from home. Not every home has a stay-at-home parent, either. Our more diverse hobbies have taken on lives of their own, too, with in-home breweries, media rooms, gyms, and more.
The Top Customizations in Today’s Home Design
The customization the modern home design DOES make design better. Key selections and elements are now being tailored specifically to your space, body, and habits.
To start to see the effects, ask yourself… what if your furniture didn’t just add to functionality and comfort, but said something inviting and unforgettable about your personality?
What if your cabinetry wasn’t just a storage hideaway, but a seamless extension of how you cook and entertain?
Or, what if your lighting could set the perfect ambience for EVERY moment, no matter how many activities you have or host?
Customization has never been more accessible or exciting than it is today…keep reading to see how this perfect storm came to be, and how you should tap into it first.
Part 1: Furniture Customization
Furniture plays a central role in everything you do in your home. Customizing furniture therefore allows you to enhance comfort and functionality in ways that mass-produced pieces never will.
How Cabinetry Became So Customizable
Think about it…mass-produced furniture might fit a room, but it won’t fit your life. Today, you can invest in pieces that suit your specific needs. For starters, customization allows for personalizations of the height, size, and layout of any room so you don’t have to pick what “fits” instead of picking what you really want.
In the end, whether it’s a sectional that perfectly follows the curves of your living room or a desk that offers storage for exactly what you need where you need it, custom furniture offers every imaginable possibility.
Types of customizations to consider…
What does customization in furniture look like?
Today’s advancements in fabrics, eco-friendly materials, and 3D design capabilities have made custom furniture more accessible than ever. Here are some ways to personalize furniture to enhance your home…
- Custom upholstery options for your style and needs (for example, pet-friendly performance fabrics)
- Modular couches that adapt as your family grows, or when you have guests, or if you move, or when your layout changes
- Dining tables with built-in storage for different dining essentials
- Seating height and finish options for optimal comfort and durability at both indoor and outdoor bar spaces
- Open and built-in shelving that integrates with your wall space and décor
Part 2: Cabinetry Customization
Cabinetry has evolved far beyond simple storage solutions. Not only can cabinets be custom designed and built for your space, but the new features we can add inside turn your cabinets into modern Swiss Army knives. Cabinets are no longer empty boxes and drawers where you pile things!!
In fact, custom cabinet design is now a key player in the highest-end kitchen and bath renovations. Custom cabinetry is how you maximize storage space while enhancing the aesthetic and efficiency of your MOST-used rooms. Among other perks, custom designs reflect the new devices and new uses of kitchen and bathroom spaces.
How Cabinetry Became So Customizable
Cabinetry is so much more than drawers and doors!! It’s about optimizing a space by ensuring that everything you need has a place, and that it’s easy to access at the right time.
Types of customizations to consider…
From new and custom materials to clever cabinet configurations, your cabinetry options are endless with today’s design power. Here are some examples of what’s possible…
- Concealed charging stations for electronics
- New pull-out shelving for hard-to-reach spaces
- Custom drawer configurations for gadgets, cutlery, and utensils
- New, high-quality finishes and materials from reclaimed wood to high-gloss lacquer
- Custom pull-out storage spaces for small appliances like mixers, air fryers, and pressure cookers
- Integrated lighting for safety, stunning beauty, and enhanced ambiance
- Vertical dividers for tray and pan storage
Part 3: Lighting Customization
Lighting is so often an afterthought in home design, but it’s actually one of the most powerful elements for transforming a space. And custom lighting is what transforms it on YOUR terms, down to every detail.
How Lighting Became So Customizable
These days, custom lighting solutions offer more than aesthetic advantages…they offer new practical benefits, too. Each room is more adaptable with voice activated and occupancy-sensor-based automations, dimmers, and timers.
Then, with new production options from 3D printing to totally novel materials and finishes, the aesthetic of lights can be customized to new and more precise preferences.
Types of customizations to consider…
From your lighting’s aesthetics to its energy efficiency, custom lighting offers you a range of options, like…
- Lights that adjust based on natural light levels, occupancy, or time of day
- Custom chandelier designs for more dramatic, eye-catching focal points
- Under-cabinet lighting for task work in kitchens and bathrooms
- Integrated smart lighting systems that adapt to your routine
- Energy-efficient LED solutions for every space in the home
How to Access Customizations
When it comes to customizing your furniture, cabinetry, lighting, or other elements of your home, the process is hands-on…but not for you! Instead, your design-build renovator or interior designer handles it. That’s how it becomes totally personalized to your likes and lifestyle, because the kind of performance issues you wouldn’t know to think of are what a professional will guide you on.
Remember: shopping online can be a great starting point for ideas, but integrating custom elements into your home requires professional expertise.
Here’s how the process typically looks when working with a professional for customizations…
1. Clarity Consultation: Discuss your lifestyle, likes, and needs
The first step is a conversation with your designer or design-build professional. Here, we take the time to understand your lifestyle, habits, and preferences. At Signature Home Services, we start our own process with what we describe as a “Clarity Call.”
This consultation isn’t just about aesthetics…it’s about how you use your space. For example, we ask you:
- Do you host dinner parties and need flexible seating options?
- Are you a cooking enthusiast who needs a more efficient kitchen setup?
- Or do you work from home?
2. Inspiration and Selections
Once your lifestyle and needs are understood, we help you gather inspiration and select the precise options that align with your vision. You’ll look at materials, finishes, and design styles, typically choosing from exclusive options that aren’t available in standard retail stores. For example:
- For cabinetry, you might explore different wood types, drawer configurations, and hardware.
- For furniture, you might pick custom upholstery fabrics, frame designs, and even modular capabilities.
- Lighting choices will focus on the ambiance, functionality, and aesthetic in balance with the rest of your home.
3. The Design Process: Professional Renderings
This is where the magic happens!! With all your personalizations in front of us, we create detailed 3D renderings that show you exactly how your custom pieces will look in your space, allowing you to see every detail of your new cabinetry, furniture, or lighting before any physical work begins.
These visualizations offer an invaluable glimpse into what the finished product will be, helping you feel confident in your selections before moving forward.
4. Refinement and Adjustments
Customization is, by definition, flexible! After reviewing the renderings, you work with us to make any tweaks. Whether that means adjusting the height of a cabinet for better accessibility, changing the finish of a table to better match your floors, or reworking a lighting plan for improved ambiance, this ensures that every detail is perfect before production begins.
5. Production and Installation
Once the designs are finalized, the production process begins.
Only the high-end furniture makers, cabinetmakers, and lighting manufacturers make custom selections…so yours will be made specifically for you and with meticulous attention to detail.
And since these pieces are custom-made, production times can be longer than for mass-produced items, but the result is one-of-a-kind. Once your items are ready, we install them in your home, ensuring that everything fits perfectly and functions just as intended!!
Really, why wait?
Many homeowners fall into the trap of thinking they’ll “get around to it later” when it comes to customizations Or, worse yet, they can’t see the lifestyle benefits and miss the opportunity altogether.
You deserve a home that reflects who you are and that works for how you live—and you deserve that today, not someday. Whether it’s a custom piece of furniture, cabinetry tailored to your routines, or lighting that creates the perfect atmosphere, these updates offer long-term benefits and return on enjoyment that you’ll enjoy every day.
Curious about which customizations would transform your space?! Now is the perfect time to explore the possibilities!!
About the author
Robin Burrill, RID, NCIDQ, ASID, IDS, CAPS, is an award-winning professional kitchen, bath, and interior designer. Robin and her husband, Robert Mathews, have owned Signature Home Services, Inc. for nearly three decades, establishing a superior in-house team with a widespread reputation for delivering meticulous design to their many repeat clients.
In 2022, the national publication, Kitchen and Bath Design News magazine, named Robin to their Top Innovator list in recognition of her achievements in the field of kitchen and bath design. In 2024, she was named one of the Fall 2024 Market Pros and “tastemakers” by ANDMORE at High Point Market. Also in 2024, Fixr identified her as one of the Top Professional Interior Designers for their nationwide audience. Over her extensive career, Robin has been quoted in Architectural Digest and Forbes multiple times; her design work has been featured in top national trade publications; and she has been interviewed for Designers Today magazine’s “Profiles in Design” video series, among others. Widely respected for the depth of her knowledge, Robin is a sought after speaker and judge for many design industry events.
In 2023, Robin designed a bench for Charleston Forge, making her foray into product design. Robin currently serves as a volunteer on the board of the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of the Interior Design Society.
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