House design ideas to inspire your self build

It’s utterly plausible to spend days, weeks, or even months poring over house inspiration for beautiful house design ideas.

Even if you’re not researching house design ideas for a real-life self-build, it’s a pastime many of us like to indulge in.

So, dreamers aside, if you are indeed planning to build your own home (congratulations!), take a look at these house design ideas centred on some of the most critical aspects of this exciting project.

Modern house design ideas

The design of your modern house will be influenced by a number of factors.

We have a comprehensive post to help understand the process of designing and building a home, which provides information on both site plans and floor plans, building regs and planning permission, and the costs involved.

But when it comes to design decisions, what are the key factors to consider?

• Aesthetics, architectural style, and local restrictions

When designing your modern home, the plans will need to align with your desired aesthetic, your preferred architectural style, and any local planning restrictions.

The best person to solve this conundrum? A qualified architect.

• Sustainability and energy efficiency

Modern house design goes hand-in-hand with sustainability and energy efficiency both in terms of construction and in the operation of your home, i.e. smart technology.

Building regulations have been updated to reflect this, broadening the scope of possibility for the eco-conscious homeowner.

• Functionality and liveability

A modern home should meet the needs of its inhabitants both in terms of aesthetics, comfort, and style while incorporating practical solutions for an efficient home environment.

With these considerations in mind, let’s take a look at some modern house design ideas to inspire your build.

1. Front house design

First impressions count. Whether that’s regarding the kerb appeal that’ll attract prospective buyers if you ever decide to sell, or the feeling of joy when you return home each day, it matters.

Modern house design is often depicted by a combination of sleek natural materials such as timber, glass, and stone alongside smooth white render.

2. Exterior design

Rendered, timber-clad, or brick; there are various options available to suit all tastes and styles. If you’re drawn to more than one style, why not blend them as this homeowner has done, combining rich timber-cladding with bright white render?

Find more inspiration for your home exterior from across the decades. And for ideas for the rear of your home, check out this post: Ideas to update the back of your home.

3. Blend architectural styles

Working with an experienced architect will open up opportunities you may never have considered.

Modern house design can blend beautifully with more traditional landscapes and settings, as seen with this glass and timber-clad ‘floating’ extension.

4. Eco-house design

It’ll come as little surprise to learn that sustainability is a key element within new house design ideas.

Using reclaimed or sustainable building materials, increasing energy efficiency, and utilising renewable energy are just some of the ways to build eco-considerations into your modern house design.

5. Renewable energy options

Solar panels need not be offputting from an aesthetic point of view. If designing your own home, they can blend seamlessly into the roof structure, as seen in this image.

But solar isn’t the only renewable energy option for domestic dwellings. Wind, geothermal, and biomass are growing in popularity in residential builds.

6. Prioritise energy efficiency

Modern house design will include materials with much better-insulating properties. But there are plenty of additional choices that’ll help to improve your home’s energy efficiency.

Smart home technology such as smart thermostats, smart lightbulbs, and smart appliances will improve the energy performance of your home (and save you time too!).

Related content: Looking to include environmentally-friendly elements in your house design? You’ll love our post on eco-house design.

7. The vaulted ceiling

And once inside, why not incorporate a showstopping piece of architecture into your modern house design?

A vaulted ceiling definitely provides the “wow factor” and is an increasingly popular facet of modern house design.

As well as being a defining design feature from an aesthetic perspective, a double-height ceiling teamed with beautiful glazing will maximise the amount of natural light within your home.

An architect will listen to your needs and wants and create aesthetically pleasing and practical plans that adhere to any local planning restrictions. Find out more about the cost of hiring an architect.

Small house design

Designing your own home gives you the opportunity to create something totally unique to meet your needs and preferences.

However, in small house designs, it’s important to be realistic within the parameters of the available space.

In this section, we’ll focus on some of the key components of small house design to help create a home that’s functional, liveable, and pleasing to the eye.

8. Get innovative with storage solutions

Factoring in adequate storage solutions when designing a small house is key. The understairs area is often underused, yet it can provide vast amounts of storage for clutter-free living.

9. Go vertical

While smaller homes have less square footage than their larger counterparts, don’t underestimate the vertical space available.

Maximise the potential of your walls, particularly when designing your key living spaces such as the kitchen, lounge, and bedrooms.

Make your kitchen cupboards and pantry full height, incorporate alcove shelving in the living room, and go for floor-to-ceiling built-in wardrobes in the bedroom.

10. Open-plan living

In a smaller home, where space is limited, it’s likely you’ll create an open-plan layout.

Despite this, it’s important to create distinct spaces or ‘zones’ for cooking, dining, and relaxing, for example.

You can factor this into your small house plans in your placement of light fixtures, the decoration you choose, and through the inclusion of open furniture such as shelving, a movable screen, or even a room partition.

11. Let your flooring flow

In a smaller house design, laying a consistent flooring style throughout – particularly in an open-plan setting – can help to create a cohesive feel.

12. Plan your lighting

Lighting plays a huge role in how your home looks and feels. In a small home, the optimal placement of lighting will help to make the rooms feel bigger and brighter while giving each area a clear purpose.

While the clever use of lighting in your outdoor space will help to extend your living space outside.

Please remember to use a qualified electrician for all electrical work within your home.

13. Let natural light in

In smaller rooms, opt for large windows to help flood your home with light, bring the outside in, and create the illusion of more space.

Rooflights are a great way to flood an area with light, as are bifold doors or sliding patio doors.

14. Choose colours wisely

Selecting the best paint colour for your home will have a major impact on the overall aesthetic.

Many interior designers will agree that lighter tones are best suited to smaller rooms. White, in particular, will reflect the light to enhance the feeling of spaciousness.

In summary

Whether you’re looking for tiny house design ideas, terrace house design ideas, or ideas for a larger-scale home, we hope you have plenty of house inspiration for your project.

Where space is at a premium, there’s little room for superfluous features and wasted space. The design needs to cleverly marry necessity with practicality and beautiful aesthetics.

Equally, in a large area, your house design ideas must be expertly curated to create a cohesive and inviting feel.

Either way, careful planning and design will really enhance your enjoyment of your home for many years to come.

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