Whether you are building from the ground up or considering starting a major full-home remodel, there are many luxuries to include in your next Colorado interior design project. From climate control and wellness spaces to efficiency and technology, here are some new home construction ideas to consider before starting.

Climate & Comfort Controls For Your New Home Construction Project

Investment in a few key areas can go a long way regarding comfort. What is challenging to navigate in Colorado is the extreme fluctuations in temperature during our winter and spring months. From 15 degrees and snowing one day to 65 degrees and sunny the next, you’ll want your new construction home to have flexibility in climate controls—not only for your comfort and experience but also for better building performance and efficiency.

Colorado is an alpine desert, sitting high and dry above sea level. Before the 90s, new construction homes in Colorado weren’t typically built with forced air heat or air conditioning. Now that the climate has changed to bring us colder winters and hotter late summer months, forced air has become the expected standard, but we don’t advocate for these methods if there is room for alternatives in the budget.

In-floor heating, or radiant floor heating, can be a far more efficient way to heat your home in winter. Don’t mistake this for radiant baseboard heating, as that was a popular method from the mid-century until forced air and furnaces took over. Radiant floor heating (and cooling) is a method by which water pipes run underneath your flooring material, allowing the temperature of the water flowing through the pipes to be absorbed and radiated by the flooring. In execution, this feels like stepping onto a warm, soft, hardwood floor in the winter without needing to pop on your slippers for comfort.

As for the summer months, each year seems to bring new record temperatures to the Denver metro area, so more people are going with air conditioning. Interior designers work closely with HVAC specialists, geothermal pros, your architect, and the builder to help determine the most efficient cooling methods in the home. Sometimes, this means we will rely on traditional forced air conditioning, but in some cases, we may be able to leverage heat pumps or even pass chilled water through your radiant floor pipes to keep things cool. The latter can keep you from exposure to dust in the air and lead to a healthier home.

Tip: Never underestimate the power of open windows, a stylish fan, and a good cross breeze. While these conditions may not always exist, flexibility with design elements, such as installing operable windows and stylish fans, can go a long way. Plus, connecting with nature is good for our health and wellbeing, which we will touch on next.

Healthy Homes Protect Your Wellbeing

More and more people are seriously considering the importance of their health and well-being. We recommend planning spaces for wellness in your new home construction project. ‘Health and wellness’ look different for everyone, and new technologies are coming to market that make incorporating the following elements into your home easy.

Creating space for an infrared sauna and cold plunge in your interior design project could be considered experiential. Still, folks practicing Wim Hof techniques for years consider these spaces essential. The great news is that these features are no longer considered custom since so many manufacturers have developed kits that are easy for standard electricians and plumbers to install. This reduces your level of investment and makes these spaces much easier to maintain over the long term.

Spaces for movement are also essential for those leading a healthy and fit lifestyle. For some, this looks like adding a home gym to a new home construction project, while for others, it might look like a yoga or meditation space as part of an interior design project.

In bathrooms, new fixtures or plumbing additions filter toxins out of the water inside the shower head so that we are not exposed to heavy metals and chemicals like chlorine while showering. Steam machines are now smaller and easier to install than they were decades ago, and you can even add essential oils and light therapy to your shower for the ultimate spa-like experience.

In the kitchen sector, we have had similar advances in plumbing add-ons to take PFAS and pharmaceuticals out of the tap water without overhauling the plumbing for your entire home. We now have access to refrigerators that filter the ethylene fruits and vegetables emit from the air inside to keep your produce fresh longer. Induction cooking removes the threat of exposure to nitrogen dioxide from traditional gas cooktops and increases the efficiency in cooking at high altitudes.

Think about what health and wellness mean to you as you embark on your interior design project and new home construction.

Nature is The Nurture We Need in Our New Homes

The health benefits of connecting with nature are powerful, so we see a rise in biophilic interior design. This doesn’t mean we need to literally bring the ‘outdoors in,’ as the once popular phrase suggests. A few different principles with biophilic design feel natural and easy to incorporate.

• Daylighting– Humans function best when we can sense the passing of time. It helps us sync our circadian rhythm, sleeping better each night. This is why access to natural light is key to connecting with nature. This can be expressed in your new construction home in a number of ways beyond adding more windows. Solar tubes, for example, are a great way to bring daylight to dark corridors and stairwells and allow natural light to pass through the space without the additional maintenance of skylights. There are also ‘better light, better sleep’ approved light fixtures that can be programmed for optimal light gain at specific times of day. Your designer will need to know where you spend the first few hours of your day and the last few hours to support your sleep with the best lighting plan possible.
• Natural Materials – using natural materials like wood and stone and including some water features in your interior design project can help ground and connect you with nature. Say no to fake wood and embrace the benefits of feeling the real thing under your feet. Connecting with natural materials in their original form or shape can also enhance our connection to the material and nature. Consider using live edge wood or leathered stone with a chiseled edge, for example.
• Greenery – Not everyone has a green thumb, and this area can feel intimidating. Plants filter toxins out of the air, and viewing plants can also help regulate your nervous system. If you’d like to leave the plants outside, perhaps create a viewing area with a soft bench to admire your garden from inside as an alternative. Many local services help install and maintain houseplants for you that come weekly or bi-weekly and take the daunting task off your hands, allowing you to enjoy the experience without the hassle.

Building areas for connection with nature into your interior design project in the early stages will keep this integrated so it won’t feel like an afterthought after you move into your new construction home.

Enhancing Your New Construction Home with Integrated Technology

Whether you want a completely automated home experience or prefer to dial in on a few key components from an app, the home technology sector has seen extensive growth in the last few years.

Integrating your home tech with your comfort and climate controls is easy these days, as most thermostats are app-enabled. However, you can wire this into a smart home hub so all features of your home can be controlled in one place. Pre-scheduling your ‘at-home’ and ‘away’ settings can help increase the efficiency in your new construction home, which is an added perk.

The kitchen is a key space where smart home technology can unite to make life easier. Appliances now have cameras and are app-enabled, so you can take inventory while you are in the grocery store. In the cooking sector, we have appliances that take instructions from you on what and how you want to cook, so you can simply press a button and enjoy a book while you wait for dinner to complete cooking.

Security is another area where most people invest in their new home construction projects. Knowing they can lock or unlock the house from afar, keep an eye on the perimeter, and take recordings or still shots should anything go wrong gives many people peace of mind.

Designing Your New Construction Home with Efficiency in Mind

Efficiency is a major benchmark for new construction homes in Colorado. Some counties have net zero requirements, and the focus is on keeping the building envelope tight so there is no heat loss or gain during the building’s life. This will be best achieved by selecting high-quality windows and doors and working with a builder who understands the efficiency codes and is committed to delivering superior-quality home construction.

Choosing EnergyStar-rated fixtures and investing in more eco-friendly power solutions, like solar panels and heat pumps, can be a great way to get closer to net zero and even give energy back to the grid in some cases. (Negative net energy!)

Water is another area we focus on when it comes to efficiency. Water Sense certifications on fixtures, coupled with leak detection and ensuring we understand how you intend to use each space in your home, will lead to the best interior design project possible.

The more efficiently your home runs, the less work and maintenance you will have to do in the long run. The upfront investment is also worth it when considering the life-cycle costs, as most energy-efficient upgrades pay for themselves in a matter of years.

Designing With Your Ultimate Experience in Mind

When embarking on a new construction home and interior design project, sit back and think about what experiences you would like to have once you move in. This is your home, and living your dream is possible. Designing for your lifestyle will increase your long-term happiness.

Is there a hobby or activity you do daily, and you find yourself ‘making do’ with what you have? Do you want to host whiskey nights, karaoke parties, or book clubs? How about a home theater and game room to maintain the connection with your kids as they grow into young adults? Are you a wine collector needing a wine cellar with an adjoining tasting room? Or do you collect books and need a library with room to grow and hidden nooks to read in for hours? Share your dreams with your designer. We are here to make them come true.

Putting Interior Design and New Construction Together

Embarking on an interior design project can feel daunting when working on new home construction. Considering how you want to stay comfortable, what luxuries will bring you wellness, if you wish to incorporate technology and efficiency, and all the other ideas mentioned here before you start drawing up plans with your design and building team is the best practice.

Good design is intentional, and it will be worth investing time to manifest your dream home.

If you are ready to discuss your ideas or need advice on where to start this process, we would love to hear from you! Fill out this contact form to book a complimentary design discovery call. Then check your email for access to Megan’s call calendar so you can make your dreams a reality.