Resorts are designed to be an oasis, a place where people can relax and feel pampered. Ross Brothers believe that people should enjoy that same feeling in their own homes. Many of our clients reside on coastal luxury properties in Fort Lauderdale’s exclusive Las Olas community. When working with homes such as these, our goal is to enhance the location by creating an environment of spa-like, luxury living that will rest the heart and soul.

Initially, you need to choose a color palette for your home. It wouldn’t make any sense to choose furniture, art, etc. without first knowing what type of color scheme would be used throughout the home. In the absence of a proper plan, you might end up staying at a house that metaphorically looks like an all-you-can-eat-buffet at a themed seafood restaurant, which would not go over well with our clients when they are looking for us to create a high end, luxury design and build for them.

When designing a suitable color scheme for your home, the first step is to decide what sort of colors you love — and which ones you can live without. Finding colors that you love is simple. Think about the clothes you wear, the type of artwork you like, the type of furniture you have, and the types of nautical themes you prefer.

Some of the most common coastal designs and constructions consist of a white shade, a neutral tone, and a bright accent color to be used more sparingly. Then, choose a core or theme color to tie everything together. When decorating in a coastal style, we often recommend shades of blue. Pastels, such as soft yellows, pinks, and purples, are also popular suggestions. After selecting the colors, you will implement the color scheme into your design by utilizing the “60-30-10 rule”.

First, 60% of the color goes on the walls. (Pro tip:) We often suggest to clients that before making a final decision on the design, that they use paint samples on the walls and live with them for a few days to see how the light affects the colors at different times of the day.

Then, with the wall color selected, distribute the second prominent color in approximately 30% of the room. This can be done with upholstered furniture pieces, oversized rugs, draperies, or various other accents of your choosing.

And last, 10% of the room will incorporate the third major color. This can be done through furniture, artwork, and many other accessories. Then use white or beige as well as your neutral colors to complete the design.

The last phase of the custom home design process is to distribute the colors throughout the house using your three major color choices, plus the white or beige and the neutral. This doesn’t mean that you must treat every room the same. You can begin the color choosing process again with each room with new colors. You can go on to choose one of the major three colors, a shade of white or beige, and a neutral as your 60% choice. Feel free to vary the colors a shade or two, lighter or darker. This gives you the ability to create unique spaces that flow freely from one room to another.

After completing all of the steps, you will have taken the first significant steps towards creating a custom coastal home design that will make your Las Olas home feel like your own personal luxury resort.