In the world of real estate, the term “luxury home” often conjures images of sprawling mansions, opulent interiors and extravagant amenities. Yet, defining what truly constitutes a luxury home goes beyond mere square footage or lavish decor. As a building company committed to crafting exceptional residences, we at Edina know that the truly defining aspects of dream homes lie in the details.
Below, we take a deep dive into the details of a French Provincial home that we designed and built to demonstrate precisely what we believe a luxury home should be.
The defining aspects of luxury homes
Superior craftsmanship
To build a luxury home, you need to bring in the experts. It’s that simple. These dream homes incorporate a lot of detail which generally require more specialised skills and training.
A prime example of this are the walls within the King Arthur Drive residence, which are not your basic plastered dry wall. As seen in the pictures below, we have included columns and bespoke wainscoting to bring more elegance and detail to the home. This wainscoting is crafted off-site by a specialist and then installed at the home.
This process of interior-wall construction requires highly skilled carpenters and plasterers as this type of wainscoting is not easy or straightforward to install.
Perhaps the most eye-catching example of high-end craftsmanship, however, is the curved staircase. One of the things we believe sets Edina apart in the luxury home construction market is our partnership with seriously good craftsmen. To achieve a curved timber staircase such as this requires time and immense skill. It’s an incredibly technical process, which is why we only ever work with the best in the industry.
The results, we think, speak for themselves.
Warm, subtle lighting
The right type of lighting is so important to every home, but particularly when designing and building a high-end, dream home.
With our French Provincial home at King Arthur Drive, we’ve aimed for a warm, reflected light, which essentially hides the direct source while still providing plenty of illumination.
We’ve used to great effect an interior design technique called coffered ceiling lights. Basically, this technique hides the source of light, in our case using framed cornices. We’ve also used similar techniques within the wall shelves and the risers on the staircase. The result is a soft diffusion of warm light that provides plenty of illumination without any starkly bright naked lights glaring down on you.
It takes more time and more skill to achieve, but the result is certainly worth it.
Luxury homes have material themes
It’s imperative that luxury homes make use of the best materials available. This carries through from the constriction itself all the way to the accessories.
We also believe that for a home to truly reach the status of luxury, there must be a theme within the materials selected. There must be a flow through the house created by what’s seen and felt. At King Arthur Drive, one of the materials we’ve used to create that flow is wrought iron.
Several statement pieces within this home show how beautiful and striking wrought iron can be. Picture this: you enter the home through a front door made of incredibly detailed wrought iron, unusual and eye-catching, as well as strong and durable. You are then met by a stunning curved staircase with a similarly detailed wrought iron balustrade. Above this scene hangs a bespoke chandelier also crafted from wrought iron, also exquisitely detailed.
Not only does it create a sense of flow, but it also helps establish that old-world charm this home aspires to while incorporating modern comfort and craftsmanship.
A subtle but profound use of interior paint
True luxury doesn’t have to shout for attention. Sometimes, it won’t even be noticeable at first glance. When we design and build luxury homes, our core aim is to create a sense of opulence. We’re aiming for a mood, and this can be achieved in a variety of ways.
For instance, interior paint can be used in an inspired way to create a sense of cosiness and, counter-intuitively, spaciousness. At our property on King Arthur Drive, we’ve used a natural white interior paint in the main bedroom on the walls, cornices and skirting. At those three locations, though, we’ve subtly changed the strength of that paint. On the skirting, it’s a double strength natural white, with a triple strength on the cornices.
By using the same paint, we’ve avoided any jarring clashes and instead achieved a beautiful and subtle flow throughout the room that gives a sense of opulence and warmth. It’s not designed to be noticed, but it is designed to have an effect, and we think it’s remarkably successful.
With Edina, luxury lies in the details
For luxury homes, true opulence lies not just in grandeur, but in the minutiae of design and construction. At Edina, we understand that luxury is woven into the very fabric of a home, from the subtle gradients of interior paint to the thematic cohesion of materials like wrought iron. Warm, nuanced lighting and superior craftsmanship further elevate these residences to unparalleled levels of sophistication.
Our dedication to detail, showcased in bespoke features like coffered ceiling lights and intricately crafted wainscoting, reflects our commitment to creating homes that transcend mere extravagance to embody timeless elegance and comfort.
If you have dreams of designing and living in your own luxury home, Edina can provide the best guidance available. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give us a call.
