Preparing for Your Spectra Colour Selections Appointment
by Carlisle Homes
At Carlisle Homes, we understand that building your new home can be overwhelming. There are lots of decisions to make – but we’re here to make it easier for you!
During your Spectra Colour Selections appointment, you will select the products, colours and overall style for the seven key areas of your home. Before your appointment, it pays to do some research. Knowing what you like and what you don’t will give your consultant a clearer vision of your style and how you want your new home to look.
It pays to plan ahead! Before attending your Colour Selections appointment, consider which products you'd like to include across the seven key areas of your home.
Here are our top tips for planning the seven key areas of your home.
1. Exterior
There are many facade combinations and finishes to choose from. Your facade creates the ultimate first impression of your new home for family, friends and neighbours. It’s important to think about street appeal and choose one that suits your style and also makes a good first impression.
Building your home with high-performance Hebel gives your home exterior a sleek, fully rendered look at an affordable price, and there is an extensive palette of Dulux colours to choose from. Hebel is also energy-efficient, low-maintenance and quick to install, making it a great choice for your new home.
A classic brick facade is another low-maintenance and good-value option. Or, combine brick with a touch of render to create a stand-out contemporary style. Turn up the wow-factor by adding accents of natural materials such as wood and stone.
To make the selection process easier, Carlisle Homes’ design experts have put together a range of facade options. We also offer an online Visualiser tool, where you can compare different exterior looks with a few simple clicks. Choose from hundreds of textures, materials and colours and see your home come to life before your eyes.
Carlisle Homes is proud to partner with iconic brands such as CSR Hebel, Dulux, Monier, Austral and PGH Bricks, who are all good sources of information and ideas.
Explore our full range of finishes and fixtures with our Spectra Selection Centre online tool. You'll be spoilt for choice!
2. Internals
Selecting the products and colours for your new home interior is one of the most exciting steps in the design process, and with Carlisle Homes, you’re spoilt for choice.
Get inspiration by visiting our many display homes across Melbourne, where our designers have decorated the interiors with an expert mix of timeless looks and the latest design trends. Or, use our online Interior Styles gallery to find a home style you love. Once you have identified the perfect decorating style or theme for you, you’ll find that all the other elements will come together and most of the work is done for you!
When it’s time to think about the finer details, you can explore our full range of finishes and fixtures in one place with our Spectra Selection Centre online tool. Featuring our complete range of external, internal and electrical product offerings, this online tool allows you to browse, select favourites and build a list of potential selections that you can show to family and friends. Once you’ve set up a user profile, just click on your favourite products and they will be automatically saved in your personal Favourites folder. You can then submit them directly to your Spectra Consultant, who will walk through your selections in more detail at your Colour Selections appointment!
Want more details on specific products? When you’re at your Colour Selections appointment, you’ll find Spectra Digital Kiosks throughout the showroom, which provide information, inspiration and videos on more than 85 home design-related topics. Once your user profile is set up, you can simply save your favourite images and products to your favourites folder using the supplied iPads.
When planning your home, don’t underestimate the importance of the smaller details. When we talk interiors, most people think of the bigger areas of the home, such as the kitchen and bathroom. However, taking the time to consider details such as doors, cornices, architraves, skirtings and paint colour will help to complete your overall vision. Visit Corinthian Doors, Dulux and our Interior Styles gallery for interior design and colour inspiration.
Beautiful, hard-wearing Caesarstone® benchtops and Laminex cabinetry will give you the best of both worlds in the kitchen.
3. Kitchen
Your kitchen is often called the ‘heart of your home’ – it’s the place where your family and friends gather and memories are made.
The kitchen is a hive of activity with a constant flow of traffic, so the design you choose will have a big impact on your lifestyle. It’s important to consider functionality as well as aesthetic. Think about how you cook – do you like induction or gas cookers, or would you like an extra sink and dishwasher in the butler’s pantry? Identifying what appliances you will have and where you would like them will help you determine the best kitchen layout for you.
Marry design and function with hard-wearing surfaces such as a Caesarstone® benchtop coupled with Laminex cabinetry. Your flooring and splashback should also complement one another and complete the overall look of your kitchen.
Jump online and familiarise yourself with the wide range of products available from Caesarstone®, Laminex, Fisher & Paykel, smeg and Technika for your kitchen design.
4. Flooring
Flooring is an important design element in your new home. Whatever flooring you select should tie in with your overall style and theme.
Tiles should be used for wet areas such as the bathroom, ensuite, toilet and laundry, but for other rooms, you can use a combination of flooring products. Spills and accidents happen, so hard-wearing materials such as floorboards and tiles are ideal for living zones. In bedrooms, carpet is a great choice for warmth and comfort underfoot.
With so many options and colours to choose from, we recommend that you review the below list of questions, which will help with your flooring decisions in preparation for your Spectra Colour Selections appointment.
- Which rooms/areas will children mainly use?
- Do you have pets that will spend time inside?
- Room by room, what are your flooring needs? For example, what is important in the kitchen versus the living zones?
- Is surface slipperiness a concern?
- Consider maintenance requirements and cleaning
- Are any of your family members sensitive to allergens?
- Consider short-term versus long-term choices, such as refurbishments once children have grown up.
View Spectra Online, Carpet Call and Beaumont Tiles Studio for flooring options and ideas.
Think feature tiles, brushed brass tapware and double vanities...the options are endless in the bathroom.
5. Bathrooms
Today’s bathroom can be a luxurious sanctuary or a practical space for the kids to bathe and shower.
It’s important to design your bathroom and ensuite to meet the needs of the space, without compromising on your style and taste. There are endless combinations of tiles, vanity designs, tapware and colour schemes available.
Consider functionality and whether you would like to include larger items such as a bathtub, spa or double vanities. Tapware and finishes have come a long way in recent times, and there are many on-trend colours and fixtures to select from – including black, brushed brass and chrome. For continuity, whatever you select should match throughout other wet areas, such as your kitchen and laundry.
Splashbacks with feature tiles look great in the kitchen, but they work equally well in the bathroom to add interest and create a focal point. Self-patterned, subway or herringbone tile collections are just some of the options that can add a unique style to your bathroom or ensuite.
Pinterest, Instagram, home magazines and our display homes can be a great starting point for ideas. Beaumont Tiles Studio, Oliveri and Caesarstone® also provide online galleries for bathroom inspiration.
6. Smart Home
In today’s tech-savvy world, electrical is now more than just light fittings and power points. Consider personalising and future-proofing your home with electrical upgrade options such as feature lighting, security systems, automations and multimedia systems.
Make life more convenient by adding a smart-home system like Powermesh, which allows you to control elements like opening and closing your garage door, lights, ceiling fans, power points, security cameras, appliances and garden-water timings – all from an app on your smartphone. Powermesh can also be connected to Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, allowing you to control everything with a voice command. In addition, it lets you track your energy consumption so you can run your home more efficiently and lower your power bills.
You can also enhance your home’s security and create a safe haven by including a camera and DVD recorder pack with access points throughout your home.
Do your homework and make time to browse the Spectra Showroom electrical display. Brands such as Zimi (suppliers of Powermesh) and Argus Technologies provide useful online information and advice.
During your Colour Selections Appointment, our experts will be on-hand to guide and advise you further on your Smart Home options.
7. Living Green
As well as being good for the planet, our range of green products can significantly reduce the cost of running your home and help you keep warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
The good news is that all Carlisle Homes floor plans come with a six-star energy rating on every orientation. You then have the option to further enhance your green home with products such as solar hot water units, energy-efficient zoned heating and cooling, double glazed windows, rainwater tanks and thermal insulation. Visit brands such as Rinnai and Bradford to review the benefits.
It pays to consider your green options before your Colour Selections appointment so you can discuss incorporating them into your home design with your consultant.
And remember, your consultant will be on hand during your entire Colour Selections appointment to guide you through the selection process and ensure that everything you choose works seamlessly together. Following these tips beforehand and preparing for your appointment will give you confidence in your decisions and make for a successful and enjoyable day.
Register with Spectra Online today to view the fantastic range of colours, finishes and design inclusions you can choose for your new home, and start saving your favourites. Or, take a virtual tour of our state-of-the-art Spectra Showroom to get a sneak peek at what you’ll see during your Colour Selections appointment.