Consider these delightful design ideas to add style and enhance the living space in your luxury home plans.

• Drapery designs are getting consistently longer. A great trick to add height to any room is to place window treatments just beneath the ceiling line. This designer tip can be used in any room that would benefit from a little lift.

• If you want to plan a new kitchen, seize the opportunity to build in space such as a drawer-front that pulls out to reveal an extra work surface. Certain ranges incorporate useful drawers into the base area under the cabinets.

• Putting barstools at a center island or counter in the kitchen is a convenient place for quick meals and breakfast, or homework and school projects that require parental assistance or supervision.

• When you design the kitchen, find the preparation area between the sink and the refrigerator and use it to place ingredients, mixing equipment and bowls.

• To add an island to the kitchen without compromising overall space, think thin. A narrow kitchen island still provides a terrific work space.

• Positioning the kitchen sink underneath a window offers a cheerful view for anyone cleaning up after meals.

• Mirrors have multiple purposes in a room scheme including decorative features, dressing aids, reflection of light and creating the illusion of space in a smaller room.

• You can maximize a shared bathroom in a couple of simple ways. First of all, to have adequate elbowroom in the bathroom the minimum clearance between two sinks should be 30 inches from centerline to centerline. The use of pocket doors instead of hinged doors in the entrance will save valuable space in a shared bathroom.

• On a covered patio or porch, you can easily change the style of the facade by changing the spindles. A smooth, more rounded spindle is more of a Victorian luxury house plan while using a square, more angular spindle creates rustic, classic, craftsman or contemporary house plans. Stay true to the overall design of your luxury architecture and floor plans and you will better complement your home.

• Reconfigure a sunroom, porch or spacious area for semi-outdoor living by installing screens, ceiling fans and natural stone floors that will weather. Garden furnishings should be outfitted with water resistant pillows and cushions.

• Bring the outdoors inside your home by using natural materials. Wood, stone and various types of tile are incredible for creating an outdoor feel inside. Other elements that help to add interior texture and color are iron, bamboo and granite.

• A quick way to brighten a room is to add a skylight for an airy, open atmosphere. Often windows cannot match the top-lit architectural drama of a skylight. Another benefit is that skylights will usually bring in more light than windows.

• Wainscoting an existing room creates an old-fashioned look in a kitchen or bedroom and fits right into cottage house plans perfectly. This design option also works well when an update is needed for older traditional or country house plans, but you don’t want the renovation to appear so new that it doesn’t integrate with the rest of your house.

• A top home design trend is using “flexible” floor plans. The traditional design of separate living rooms and dining rooms is being replaced with great rooms or large family areas with more flexibility for family life.

• Partitions may be used to distinguish the edge of rooms and can be fixed or flexible. Partitions may be in the form of doors, glass panels, walls or fireplaces. Low partitions are particularly appealing because they allow the space to remain airy and open.

• Planning the layout of your living room is as important as picking the color scheme. To make the job easier, draw a floor plan to scale on graph paper and then cut out separate pieces for the furniture. Put these pieces on the plan and keep moving them until you come up with the ideal arrangement.

• For a computer desk, you need to have a desk surface that is at least 24 inches deep unless you use a laptop. Keep in mind that more open space is always welcome to store papers and files.

• Clutter detracts from open modern or contemporary house plans. When you plan a living area, make a list of all the things that need to be stored including children’s toys and media equipment, books and collectibles. When rooms are designed, frequently there is not enough storage for everyday living items and rooms start to pile up with clutter. When you initially design a room with these needs in mind, you will not compromise the beauty of the space when all your belongings are put away.

• A perfect place to incorporate a wine cellar or wine storage is an unfinished portion of the basement. With a cooler temperature throughout the year and very little light, it is a natural place for storing wines especially in a ranch style home plan with a partially finished lower level.

With a few delightful design ideas, you can customize your home to suit your unique needs.