By Karen Espig

We all love to customise or personalise our things. From adding stickers to laptops or badges to clothing to using apps to create customised workout routines or diet regimes, combining your data inputs with larger datasets for your age, lifestyle, schedule, etc.… most of us enjoy putting our stamp on things.

However, in the world of commerce, hyper-personalisation is a tool used mainly in marketing approaches. It uses artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and other technologies to create targeted user experiences and options. Of course, we know this trend in advertising exists, as ads pop up on our social media based on personal data and browsing history. 

But how does this concept relate to custom homes and interior design? Well, we can now use these same technologies to design and modify our home environments. Thanks to their speed and efficiency, this can be done rapidly and collaboratively, allowing us to play with our ideas and brainstorm new ones! Neat, right?

Why Bother?

Where and how we live affects our physical and mental health. Living in a space that has been tailored to your individual needs and preferences can reduce stress and inspire calm, improving your quality of life in a tangible way.

Incorporating designs that increase the functionality of workspaces such as kitchens, home offices, or workshops allows our productive activities to be seamless and stress-free.

How Do I Get Started?

Thankfully, there are many tools to help you design whole homes or individual rooms, and they are becoming easier to use. Programmes like Planner 5D and Homestyler, for example, have free options to try them out and get a feel for your design options. You simply input or create a 2D floor plan, and the software renders a 3D one. From there, you can play with colour schemes and design styles and get suggestions from the program to maximise layouts and furniture placement.

But don’t worry if the learning curve is too steep or you simply lack the time or interest to design. Many professional designers and architects use similar tools and technologies to create highly personalised home, room, or workspace designs based on your wants and needs. This can help you visualise it before you commit.

Design Options

Whether you hire a professional or go the DIY route, a custom design allows you to incorporate your values, tastes and priorities into your home environment. For example, you can choose to only use sustainable building and decor materials or install renewable energy options like solar panels.

There might be a particular colour or pattern scheme that you fancy. You may want to include a living wall in your family room (yes, please!) or design a home office that is a joy to work in and maximises your productivity. The sky’s the limit budget-allowing, of course!

An important factor, however, is balancing individual expression with functional design. While having floor-to-ceiling bookshelves might seem like a dream come true, you must consider how you can browse those top-shelf books 

The Downsides?

The most obvious pitfall is cost. Any bespoke item will set you back budget-wise, so it becomes a balance of price vs reward. If you want to work on one room at a time, decide which room is the priority for a makeover.

Do you choose the space that is used the most? Or do you select the most under-utilised room and try to find a way to make it an additional joy-inspiring space in your home?

While I don’t recommend making choices based on what-ifs, if you will be re-selling your home at some point, consider the impact of over-customising your home. Depending on the design and the buyer, it could work for or against you. Not everyone appreciates a retro-60s recreation room or a unicorn-themed playroom. It’s perfectly fine to implement such projects, but perhaps build the ability to modify them easily, using only moveable accent pieces.

We happily live in a time when hyper-personalisation technologies allow us to quickly design and redesign our living spaces on our laptops or phones. We can imagine how the room will look and curate the furniture, art, lighting, layout, and theme to align with our personal aesthetic and lifestyle. We can even integrate smart home devices programmed to work with lighting, temperature, and entertainment.

Because more of us work from home on a part- or full-time basis, it is more relevant than ever to consider the effect of the spaces we work and live in. Creating harmonious and productive environments is an investment in self-care, so whether you are remodelling your entire home or just updating that one special space, the rewards of embracing the custom homes trend are both immediate and long-lasting.

Have you customised your home? Let us know below.