5 Ways to Make Home Design Decisions

Fratantoni Luxury Estates • January 6, 2021

Building a custom home is a complex process. However, Fratantoni Luxury Estates can break down the home building process into manageable steps to ensure a pleasant experience. Although we will be happy to make the process simpler, you ultimately will be making the design decisions. We’ve come up with 5 ways to evaluate what you really want in your custom dream home.

  1. Determine your must-haves and wish-list

Your first step should be to picture your overall dream home. When picturing this home, be sure to evaluate the things you need & want in order for the home to function properly with your family’s lifestyle. For example, answering questions like, how many bedrooms does it have? How many bathrooms? How big would you like the kitchen to be? Do you want an open floor plan concept? Are there walk-in closets?

Once those main questions are answered, you can then develop a wish-list of your dream home. Do you want a loft, a double staircase, vaulted ceilings, an infinity pool? Do you want a mountain view from your Great Room window? Locking down your must-haves and wish-list gives you a better chance of achieving them with your home builder.

  1. Nail down your style & color palette

Figuring out the overall look and style you are wanting for your custom home can make your design decisions much easier. Once you’ve established your style & color palette, your options become more manageable and allow for a cohesive design throughout the home. There are many design styles of homes you can decide on. For example, you can go global with Mediterranean & Italian influences, or go clean & sharp with a Modern Glam feel. Identifying a style will encompass all the other design decisions you will be making throughout the process.

  1. Choose your finishing selections

Now that your style is discovered, and the main color palette is chosen, the finishing details can now be selected. If you’re looking to go more natural, stick with a neutral palette of tans and wood finishes. If you’re looking for glam and luxury, explore whites and chromes. The great thing about building a custom home is that you can pick whatever you feel fits your style. Some of the finishing details to consider include the material and color of the countertops, hardware, flooring, cabinet design and paint throughout the entire property. This process can get overwhelming unless you have established a style and color palette beforehand.

  1. Start to focus on the Main Living Spaces

Another piece of advice to keep from getting too overwhelmed is to place your primary focus on the three main living spaces in every home: The Kitchen, The Family Room, and The Master Suite. These three rooms are the most utilized to you while you’re living there, so they will solidify your vision and aesthetic for the rest of your home.

  1. Get Inspired

Finally, we recommend you take the time to gather inspiration that fits your style, color palette, and your must-haves and wish-lists. We have lots of great ideas and inspiration photos over on our Pinterest & Houzz profiles for every style of home. Be sure to follow our Instagram for constant updates on our current projects & past builds.

 

Looking for a Custom Home Build or Remodel?

Contact Us At:

480-621-7878

Follow Us On:

By Vince Fratantoni August 5, 2025
Fratantoni Luxury Estates, we believe building a home should be as inspiring and enjoyable as the final result. For more than four decades, our family-owned firm has been at the forefront of luxury custom home construction, delivering exceptional residences across Arizona and nationwide. What sets us apart is our true design-build approach, uniting our world-class build firm, Fratantoni Luxury Estates, with our award-winning architectural division, Fratantoni Design. This partnership eliminates the disconnect between architect and builder, allowing for a seamless process where every detail is considered from the start. From breathtaking Scottsdale hillside estates to expansive coastal retreats, our portfolio spans a diverse range of styles like Contemporary, Spanish, Tuscan, Modern Desert, and more, each brought to life with precision, creativity, and an unwavering commitment to quality. Whether you’re dreaming of a sprawling luxury estate or an intimate architectural masterpiece, our integrated team ensures your vision is executed flawlessly from concept to completion. 
By Angelo Fratantoni July 29, 2025
 Fratantoni Luxury Estates stands as Arizona’s premier custom home builder, renowned for its rich legacy of crafting exquisite luxury residences. With an impressive portfolio of custom homes in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, and beyond, we are synonymous with superior design and construction in the state’s most prestigious neighborhoods. Specializing in state-of-the-art luxury homes, Fratantoni Luxury Estates combines meticulous craftsmanship with the expertise to create any architectural style, from Contemporary to Spanish and more. Our in-house team of custom home builders ensures that every detail is executed to perfection, whether you’re building a new luxury estate or renovating an existing one. At Fratantoni, we don’t just meet design needs; we bring your vision to life. Our portfolio includes distinguished homes designed for notable athletes, NBA team owners, and Fortune 500 executives. Our ideal client is affluent, educated, and looking to build or renovate a high-end luxury home with a budget over $1 million.
By Vince Fratantoni July 22, 2025
 At Fratantoni Luxury Estates, we know that building a custom home isn’t just about creating a place to live, it’s about designing a legacy. As Arizona’s premier custom home builder with projects spanning the nation, our team has spent over 35 years bringing luxury dream homes to life with an unmatched attention to detail, style, and sophistication. Whether you're planning your forever home, a vacation estate, or a luxury investment property, new construction offers distinct benefits that go far beyond aesthetics. From personalized floor plans and energy efficient systems to smart technology integration and seamless construction management, building a new luxury home provides both freedom and peace of mind. In this post, we’ll explore the compelling reasons why building a new custom home with Fratantoni Luxury Estates is the best decision you can make.
By Vince Fratantoni July 9, 2025
Natural stone isn’t just a building material, it’s a design statement that instantly communicates elegance, longevity, and refined craftsmanship. At Fratantoni Luxury Estates, we view stone as one of the most essential and versatile, elements in luxury home construction. Whether used on the grand exterior of a French-inspired estate or as a refined fireplace surround in a modern great room, natural stone adds texture, strength, and timelessness to any space. From limestone to travertine, Cantera to marble, each type of stone has its own personality. The right stone can tie your custom home together, creating harmony between the architecture, landscaping, and interior finishes. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to strategically incorporate natural stone across your entire custom home—starting with curb appeal and flowing all the way to your private suite.
By Angelo Fratantoni July 3, 2025
When you're building a multimillion-dollar estate, you're not just constructing walls, you’re crafting a lifestyle. At Fratantoni Luxury Estates , we believe your custom home should reflect you at every turn, from the grandeur of the entryway to the quiet luxury of a secret reading nook behind a bookcase. Personalization is more than picking finishes, it’s designing a home that lives and breathes your taste, priorities, and way of life. Whether you’re drawn to ornate ceiling medallions or dream of a hidden home theater behind a paneled wall, we make sure no detail is too bold, no idea too ambitious. In this blog, we’ll walk you through the what, how, and why of custom home personalization, including real project highlights, trending ideas, and timeless touches that elevate your estate from custom to completely yours.
By Vince Fratantoni June 4, 2025
Visualize welcoming friends into a softly lit lounge where a 600-bottle, climate-controlled cellar glows behind ultra-clear glass. A single tap on your phone lowers the temperature two degrees, LED ribbons spotlight a 1990 Château Latour, and the conversation shifts from market headlines to terroir. That experience, part theater, part craftsmanship, part investment vault, is driving the latest boom in luxury home wine sanctuaries. In 2025, serious collectors no longer hide vintages in a dusty basement; they showcase them at the very heart of the estate, turning storage into social space. Recent design reports even call the modern wine cellar a “jewel box” for the ultra-affluent, thanks to glass enclosures, app-controlled thermostats, and gallery-style lighting. But what transforms a mere storage room into a sanctuary worthy of your first-growth Bordeaux? Let’s uncork the essentials, backed by real Fratantoni projects and the latest industry data.
By Angelo Fratantoni May 21, 2025
Visualize stepping from your gourmet kitchen directly onto a shaded veranda, where a crackling fireplace, designer seating, and a resort-style pool await. The walls between indoors and outdoors vanish (literally), thanks to expansive glass sliders and seamless architectural transitions. This is the new standard in luxury living: a harmonious blend of interior elegance and the natural world beyond. At Fratantoni Luxury Estates, we’ve mastered the art of indoor-outdoor living for Arizona’s most exclusive communities. As Arizona’s premier custom home builder, our work in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, and beyond proves that true luxury isn’t just about what’s inside your home, it’s about how your entire estate flows. 
By Vince Fratantoni May 7, 2025
Building a custom home should be an experience marked by excitement, creativity, and complete trust in the team guiding you through it. But as we’ve seen time and again, placing your dream in the wrong hands can lead to disappointment, delays, and costly mistakes. At Fratantoni Luxury Estates, we’ve earned a reputation for building exceptional homes for discerning families across the nation. Many of our clients come to us after working with firms that didn’t meet their standards—and they’re often relieved to find the level of service, detail, and sophistication they expected from the start. Before you commit to a design/build firm, watch for these five red flags that could derail your custom home experience and discover how we intentionally do things differently. 1. Vague Proposals and Unrealistic Estimates If a proposal lacks clarity, feels overly “cookie-cutter,” or seems too low for the level of finishes you expect, take pause. Bespoke homes require bespoke planning. At Fratantoni Luxury Estates, our proposals are precise, detailed, and tailored to the scale and style of your estate. You’ll know exactly what’s include and what to expect so there are no surprises down the road. 2. Disconnected Teams and Outsourced Design When architecture, design, and construction are handled by different firms, communication gaps are inevitable—and those gaps show up in your finished home. Our in-house team of architects, designers, and builders work seamlessly together, ensuring a unified vision and flawless execution. This full-service model is how we create homes with harmony, balance, and timeless design integrity.
courtyard with luxury outdoor furniture and fireplace
By Angelo Fratantoni April 18, 2025
Discover how to design a luxury courtyard oasis that offers privacy, tranquility, and year-round indoor-outdoor living. From elegant materials to expert architectural tips, this guide covers everything you need to know about creating the perfect private retreat.
custom home under construction
By Vince Fratantoni April 8, 2025
Discover the vital role clients play in the custom home building process. From timely decisions to active collaboration, learn how your involvement helps bring your dream luxury home to life.