The Stories Behind 9 Meaningful Customised Home Features
Read the stories behind these homes to consider if one-off details are right for your new build or reno
We’ve all experienced that urge to make our mark on a home in gestures large or small. Feathering our nests with personal touches is what creates the feeling that a home is distinctly ours, whether we do it with small framed photographs of family or large-scale artworks that are as individual as we are. Here, we look at nine homes that went a step further to incorporate unique custom (and often in-built) details that speak of the lives of the people who live there.
This contemporary Australian farmhouse opted for a discreet plaque (previous picture) that balances privacy with a personal touch.
Is this the year you redesign your home? Find an interior designer near you on Houzz for a unique home design
Is this the year you redesign your home? Find an interior designer near you on Houzz for a unique home design
2. Buit-in beauty
When designing her family home in Berrima, NSW, interior designer Jess Hunter took the idea of a plaque one step further. Inlaid in the terrazzo flooring at her entrance is a tile that commemorates the year the home was completed.
When designing her family home in Berrima, NSW, interior designer Jess Hunter took the idea of a plaque one step further. Inlaid in the terrazzo flooring at her entrance is a tile that commemorates the year the home was completed.
“I wanted to put our stamp on the house,” says Hunter. “We live in a historical township with buildings dating back to the 1800s. We wanted our home and this building to be part of that incredible history.”
It’s this contemporary interpretation of a traditional detail that ties old and new together with a personal flourish under one roof.
It’s this contemporary interpretation of a traditional detail that ties old and new together with a personal flourish under one roof.
3. History in the making
Built in 1877, Glenlyon – one of the oldest properties in Brisbane – was meticulously renovated by Louise Walsh Interior Design & Decoration from 2015 to 2017.
Built in 1877, Glenlyon – one of the oldest properties in Brisbane – was meticulously renovated by Louise Walsh Interior Design & Decoration from 2015 to 2017.
The sprawling estate has a rich heritage – it was built for a merchant, later served as a Marist Fathers monastery and today is again a grand family home. Though when redesigning it, Walsh wanted its present to speak of its past, so she incorporated the estate’s old crest into the new design.
“The family meals room (originally the meat-drying room), was upgraded to include new metal doors with a custom iron handle containing the Glenlyon crest,” says Walsh.
“The family meals room (originally the meat-drying room), was upgraded to include new metal doors with a custom iron handle containing the Glenlyon crest,” says Walsh.
4. Routing to remember
The owners of this holiday house on Anna Maria Island in Florida, USA, wanted to ground visiting family and friends with a sense of their location on a greater world scale. “I thought of the house as an anchor in this shifting landscape, and also saw it as an anchor for my family,” says architect Jody Beck, who designed the beachfront getaway with her husband, who is also an architect.
Here, the couple engraved the distance to Veracruz, Mexico, on one wall that points towards the city’s location. On another wall, the distance to Tulum, Mexico, is routed in the same lettering to orientate the occupants to their location in the world.
The owners of this holiday house on Anna Maria Island in Florida, USA, wanted to ground visiting family and friends with a sense of their location on a greater world scale. “I thought of the house as an anchor in this shifting landscape, and also saw it as an anchor for my family,” says architect Jody Beck, who designed the beachfront getaway with her husband, who is also an architect.
Here, the couple engraved the distance to Veracruz, Mexico, on one wall that points towards the city’s location. On another wall, the distance to Tulum, Mexico, is routed in the same lettering to orientate the occupants to their location in the world.
5. Maker of maps
The idea of orienting ourselves within a landscape holds evolutionary significance. In this contemporary terrace house in Forest Lodge, NSW, builder Chris Knerim of Code Green dedicated part of his double-height facade to siting the home within its immediate surrounds. How? By transferring a photograph of the area to the door and wall panel, which was then coated in aged aluminium.
The idea of orienting ourselves within a landscape holds evolutionary significance. In this contemporary terrace house in Forest Lodge, NSW, builder Chris Knerim of Code Green dedicated part of his double-height facade to siting the home within its immediate surrounds. How? By transferring a photograph of the area to the door and wall panel, which was then coated in aged aluminium.
6. Old meets new
“We were looking for a way to make this dining area really interesting,” says Jamie Hamilton, one of the interior designers who was tasked with renovating this apartment in Vancouver, Canada. “We were looking at wallpapers when we came across a company that would enlarge maps to custom sizes.”
Dated to 1911, the antique map that now papers these walls shows the apartment’s location. “We all fell in love with it – it’s old, interesting and a conversation starter,” says Greer Nelson, an interior designer who also worked on the project.
“We were looking for a way to make this dining area really interesting,” says Jamie Hamilton, one of the interior designers who was tasked with renovating this apartment in Vancouver, Canada. “We were looking at wallpapers when we came across a company that would enlarge maps to custom sizes.”
Dated to 1911, the antique map that now papers these walls shows the apartment’s location. “We all fell in love with it – it’s old, interesting and a conversation starter,” says Greer Nelson, an interior designer who also worked on the project.
7. What’s in a name
Unique touches such as these don’t only have to speak of the home and its history, they can also tell the stories of their owners, too. “We had these oars custom-made for a beautiful couple and their child, whose names are Sean, Dani and Cam,” says Donna Guyler of Donna Guyler Interior Design who redesigned Gold Coast home in Queensland.
“We had each of their initials stencilled onto one oar, and the word ‘serendipity’ stencilled on the other at Dani’s request – this has personal meaning to their little family. We installed these into the home before handing over the project to our client, as they were a surprise gift from Dani to Sean.”
The oars can be removed and taken to future homes or given to grown-up children as family heirlooms down the track.
Unique touches such as these don’t only have to speak of the home and its history, they can also tell the stories of their owners, too. “We had these oars custom-made for a beautiful couple and their child, whose names are Sean, Dani and Cam,” says Donna Guyler of Donna Guyler Interior Design who redesigned Gold Coast home in Queensland.
“We had each of their initials stencilled onto one oar, and the word ‘serendipity’ stencilled on the other at Dani’s request – this has personal meaning to their little family. We installed these into the home before handing over the project to our client, as they were a surprise gift from Dani to Sean.”
The oars can be removed and taken to future homes or given to grown-up children as family heirlooms down the track.
8. Lines of code
In a similar vein, the names of this home’s occupants hold pride of place – but not as you’d expect them to appear. During the redesign of this home in Portland, USA, one of the owners used the dots and dashes of Morse code to spell out the names of each family member. Where? In the patterned strips that punctuate these ply balustrades.
Browse more beautifully designed stairs for inspiration
In a similar vein, the names of this home’s occupants hold pride of place – but not as you’d expect them to appear. During the redesign of this home in Portland, USA, one of the owners used the dots and dashes of Morse code to spell out the names of each family member. Where? In the patterned strips that punctuate these ply balustrades.
Browse more beautifully designed stairs for inspiration
9. The modern mural
The owners of this home in Brighton, Victoria – architect Nick McKimm and his wife Anna – took the plunge and transformed a former Edwardian house into this contemporary concrete home. The design alone is singular, but the couple commissioned artist Lucas Grogan to paint a mural both inside and out to customise it even further.
The owners of this home in Brighton, Victoria – architect Nick McKimm and his wife Anna – took the plunge and transformed a former Edwardian house into this contemporary concrete home. The design alone is singular, but the couple commissioned artist Lucas Grogan to paint a mural both inside and out to customise it even further.
The exterior mural wraps around one concrete wall of the home into to a laneway used by locals and “is now being enjoyed by all those making their way past the house,” says McKimm. As a heartfelt homage to his wife’s mother, one of her favourite sayings is inscribed on the wall: ‘linger longer’.
Your turn
How have you personalised your home through custom details? Tell us in the Comments below. And remember to like this story, save the images for inspiration and join the conversation.
More
Craving more inspiration? Get your next dose here with 11 Contemporary Ways With Curves
Your turn
How have you personalised your home through custom details? Tell us in the Comments below. And remember to like this story, save the images for inspiration and join the conversation.
More
Craving more inspiration? Get your next dose here with 11 Contemporary Ways With Curves
One of the most traditional ways to make your mark on a home is with a plaque. These missives were once reserved for commercial buildings or homes with historical significance, though if you’d like to follow suit, there’s nothing stopping you.
Before you order a customised plaque, think about what information you’d like to convey, why it’s important to you and who your intended audience is. Privacy might be a consideration if you mount your plaque on your facade, so getting the right placement and scale is important.