Are you planning on building a new home or renovating your current home? What features do

you wish you had? What have you seen that you feel should be standard in all homes? We’ve

compiled an ultimate list of items and design features to make life easier.

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1. Costco (Pantry Door): “Costco doors directly connect your garage to your pantry. Such a

good idea! It's a door for groceries — simply open and slide items inside. Having a Costco

door can make unloading your vehicle easier, especially if you buy in bulk at stores like

Costco or Sam's Club.” (definition from Family Handyman website)

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2. Dog Shower: A dog shower can serve so many purposes. Dogs are messy, but so are kids,

husbands and all other manner of household inhabitants. Having a specialized shower

termed a “dog shower” can serve to wash those muddy fur kids, wash mucky feet from

playing outside and since they’re usually not elevated, why not keep the dogs food and

water bowls inside to make those slobbery messes easier to clean!

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3. Prep Kitchens: Is your home the hub for all family gatherings? Why not have a prep

kitchen!? “Like a regular pantry, prep kitchens are used to store food, but typically also

include plenty of counter space, shelving, and sometimes even appliances like dishwashers,

stoves, coffee makers, microwaves, and more.” (statement from Better Homes and Gardens

website)

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4. Laundry in the Primary Suite: If you’re like me, my washer and dryer rarely stop running.

And when they’re running, I’m running back and forth around my house carrying dirty and

clean laundry to and from the laundry room. A true luxury for me would be to have a washer

and dryer set in my primary bedroom to reduce the amount of time I spend just delivering

laundry around my home.

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5. Power and Technology: Using a designer when you’re in the planning stages of building can

greatly help you when thinking about power and technology in your home. Having power

outlets in all the places you need can be mind-boggling and just when you think you have

plenty... you find there’s another place you ‘need’ an outlet. And let’s get creative with

power outlets: inside bathroom drawers are a great place to power hair tools, inside a

drawer in the kitchen is perfect to store and charge mobile devices, outdoor outlets in the

eaves or soffits for those incredible Christmas light displays you’re planning. I could go on

and on.

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6. Accessibility: Do you know this term? It is defined as the practice of making information,

activities, and/or environments sensible, meaningful, and useable for as many people as

possible. Think to the future when planning your home. Make yourself a walk in shower in

the event you can’t step into a tub. Consider creating wider doorways in the main areas of

your home for those who may require wheelchairs or walkers. Have storage that’s at lower

levels that don’t require high overhead reaching, for example, lower hanging clothing bars.

And if these items have got your wheels turning on features you would like to add to your home,

contact us today and let’s start making life a little easier for you!

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Stylishly yours,

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The Chelsee Sowder Design Team

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