What to Expect: The Design Process

What to Expect: The Design Process

Building your dream home with Wayne Homes is an exciting journey, and we love celebrating every milestone with you. After working with your New Home Consultant during your personalized home buying experience, the real fun begins: bringing your vision to life with colors, textures, and finishes! This is where you’ll step into one of our beautiful Design Centers, located at each of our model centers, for your highly anticipated Color Selection Meeting.

This pivotal meeting kicks off the design process. It is all about transforming your chosen floor plan into a home that perfectly reflects your style, meets your lifestyle needs, and fits your budget. Guiding you through every exciting choice is your dedicated Wayne Homes Design Consultant – an expert partner committed to making this stage of your journey as enjoyable and seamless as possible.

Your Design Consultant: Your Personal Style Guide

Imagine having a personal design expert at your side, helping you navigate a world of stunning possibilities. That’s exactly what our Wayne Homes Design Consultants are here to do. They’ll walk you through each and every item that needs selecting, based on your chosen floor plan and any options you’ve already discussed with your New Home Consultant. Their deep knowledge and keen eye for design ensure that no detail is overlooked, from the largest selections to the smallest accents.

The meeting typically starts with your exterior, including these selections:

• Siding and Shingles: These foundational choices set the overall tone and character of your home’s façade.
• Stone or Brick, Shutters, and Porch Posts: If applicable to your design, these elements add layers of charm and architectural interest, defining your home’s unique curb appeal.
• Exterior Door Styles: From your welcoming front door to the overhead garage doors and patio sliders, these selections ensure every entry point is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Once your home’s exterior is perfectly curated, the focus shifts inside, where the true personality of your living spaces will emerge. We will cover:

• Flooring: This crucial selection lays the groundwork for your interior design, influencing the feel and flow of each room.
• Cabinetry: The heart of your kitchen and bathrooms, cabinetry defines the style and functionality of these essential spaces.
• Interior Doors and Trim Styles: These details may seem small, but they significantly contribute to the overall architectural style and finish of your home’s interior.
• Countertops: A key feature in both kitchens and bathrooms, countertops offer a blend of beauty and practicality.
• Bathroom Fixtures: From gleaming faucets to essential bath accessories, these selections complete the look and feel of your private sanctuaries.
• Paint Colors: The final touch that brings everything together, paint colors create the mood and ambiance of every room.

The Art of Harmonious Design

The selection process often feels like a beautiful domino effect. One choice naturally influences the next – for example, your flooring selection might inspire specific cabinet finishes or wall paint colors. It’s a dynamic and creative process, and your Design Consultant is there to ensure every piece fits perfectly. They possess an incredible ability to help you visualize how different selections will work in harmony, building combinations that resonate with your personal style.

It’s completely normal to reconsider a few selections as combinations evolve throughout the meeting. This is a collaborative process, and your Design Consultant is adept at offering creative solutions, fresh ideas, and appealing alternatives if you ever find yourself at a crossroads. Their goal is to empower you to make confident decisions, ensuring the final result is a home you absolutely adore.

Expertise That Empowers Your Decisions

The true magic of the Color Selection Meeting lies in the unparalleled support of your Design Consultant. They don’t just show you options; they provide expert guidance that makes the entire process feel clear, enjoyable, and deeply personalized.

• Visionaries in Action: They help you see beyond individual samples, illustrating how various selections will coalesce into a cohesive and beautiful whole.
• Trendsetters and Listeners: Drawing on their experience and knowledge of current design trends, they offer invaluable suggestions. But most importantly, they listen intently to your preferences and incorporate any inspiration photos you bring, ensuring your unique style shines through.
• Decision Fatigue Fighters: With so many exciting choices, decision fatigue can sometimes set in. Your Design Consultant skillfully sequences the selections in a purposeful way, often starting with high-impact items like flooring or cabinetry, to make the process feel manageable and energizing.

Balancing Vision and Budget

Throughout the meeting, your Design Consultant also helps you stay mindful of your budget. They’ll clearly show you both included options and any previously selected optional features that are already part of your contract. As you make additional selections and changes, these are seamlessly incorporated into a change order, which you’ll review and sign at the end of the meeting. Keep in mind, this isn’t a final commitment – you have the flexibility to revisit or revise your selections between this meeting and your Pre-Construction Meeting.

Your Design Consultant is a valuable resource for exploring ways to balance your priorities with your budget, ensuring your dream home remains within reach. All your carefully chosen selections are meticulously documented in a comprehensive selection guide. The signed change order, along with your selection guide, and redlined floor plan, are then sent to our CAD team, who will begin drawing the preliminary prints of your new home. These prints are essential and will be used during your Lot Inspection and reviewed again at the Pre-Construction Meeting, where all final design decisions are confirmed.

Bring Your Inspiration

We encourage homeowners to bring inspiration photos, Pinterest boards, or even home design TikToks to your Color Selection Meeting – anything that helps to convey your vision and style. This gives your Design Consultant a better understanding of what you’re drawn to and the kind of look you want to create. And while you’re here, don’t forget to take photos of your selections during the meeting. These images will be wonderful keepsakes to look back on as you watch your home come to life, a tangible reminder of the exciting choices you’ve made.

The Color Selection Meeting is truly a fun and exciting milestone. It’s when your abstract ideas begin to take tangible shape, and your vision starts to become a beautiful reality. While the array of choices can feel overwhelming at times, remember that your Wayne Homes Design Consultant is there every step of the way, making the experience smoother, more empowering, and ultimately, deeply rewarding.

Do you have a design question? Ask our team of experts!

About Wayne Homes

Wayne Homes is a custom homebuilder in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia (see all Model Home Centers). We offer more than 50 fully customizable floorplans and a team dedicated to providing the best experience in the home building industry. For more information, Ask Julie by Live Chat or call us at (866) 253-6807.

Disclaimer: The details of this blog are accurate as of the publish date, but are subject to change.