Des Moines custom home builders, Castle Pointe Homes, believe that a kitchen truly is the heart of any custom home.  The kitchen is where families gather to connect over meals and friends commune during dinner parties or weekend cookouts.


As the hub of many events, the kitchen is the place where many of spends hours creating great food and lasting memories.  We’ve got some great ideas on how you can design your new custom kitchen to provide you with everything you need for entertaining and a design flare that will inspire you to create cuisine greatness!


Here are ten great design ideas for your new custom kitchen:


Islands for Extra Entertaining Space





It’s natural for people to congregate when at a party or a family event.  Providing an additional location for congregation is a great addition for a kitchen.  When not in use, this area can also serve as a wonderful place to display flowers or to be used as an extended work space.


An Extra Sink Where You Need It





Adding a sink and extra outlets to an island is a wonderful way to increase your work space.  You’ll have all the tools you need, right where you need them.


The extra sink also allows you to use this area as a serving station or bar area when entertaining.


A Double Oven is a Must





Obviously a double oven is a great feature for anyone who entertains frequently, but it can also be a wonderful addition for the every day.  How many times have you had two recipes requiring two different cooking temperatures?


With a double oven you can increase your cooking ability and flexibility while decreasing your time spent cooking.  You’ll be able to create elegant dinners and exceptional deserts all at the same time.


Tuscan Inspired Charm





Turn your kitchen into a Mediterranean escape with a Tuscan inspired design.  Incorporating features such as a custom design refrigerator door will ensure that your design stays true to form and isn’t distracted by modern elements.


Wood Floors and Built-in Cutting Boards





Wood flooring isn’t just for living rooms any more.  Bring treated wood into your kitchen for an instant touch of warmth.


By incorporating wood into your counters as well, you’ll not only tie the look together beautifully, but you’ll also increase your work space by giving yourself an extra cutting board/work area.


Contrasting Textures





A wonderful way to give a kitchen personality is by mixing textures.  Use a stone finish for walls and backsplashes, dark wood for floors and marble for your counters.


Dual Storage and Display Cases





Like many other elements, storage can be multi-purpose as well.  Turn your china and glass storage into a display case by incorporating it into a pass-thru bar area.  Not only will it add elegance to the room, but with doors that open from either side, you’ll also be adding function to form.


The Perfect Nook





A kitchen nook adds instant charm to any kitchen.  Nooks are also a great way to incorporate additional seating and hidden storage areas.


A Kitchen Work Area





As the center of the house, kitchens are often the room where most of us spend a great deal of time.  By adding shelves and a desk to your kitchen, you can create a work area where you can write, pay bills and spend time with the kids while they do their homework.


A Two-Story Kitchen





If you’re looking for an amazing “wow factor” in your new kitchen design, then look no further than the two-story kitchen!  With a vaulted ceiling, small walk way and banisters, you can create the illusion of a second story around your kitchen area.  The grandeur of a two-story kitchen is both dramatic and elegant.


Expanding the Traditional Kitchen


Castle Pointe Homes feels that the kitchen should be well equipped to support all the activity of your family, be it your busy every-day lives, weekend gatherings or annual parties.  Adding subtle design elements can not only expand your kitchen’s utilitarian uses, but it can also add charm and elegance to your home.


Discover more on the Woman Centric Design concept and see how Castle Pointe Homes can help you plan your Iowa custom home.  Contact us today for an initial consultation.

You’ve spent months working with your Iowa custom home builder creating your custom home, but don’t forget that flooring is a critical element to the aesthetic success of your home.

Many home owners opt for hardwood or carpet because they’ve never really explored some of the other options that are available.  Let’s take a look at ten options running the gamut from the everyday to extravagance that makes a statement.

Wood Flooring

Wood flooring is beautiful and relatively low maintenance on upkeep.  It’s a look that fits most styles from traditional to modern and is versatile enough to go in virtually any room.  Instead of simply going with your standard flooring installation, considering incorporating a pattern or design element; it’s an easy way to add a sense of “wow” to a room or hallway.

Tile Flooring

Why just go with the traditional tile pattern?  Incorporate different styles or textures of tiles into your flooring gives them an instant look of elegance.  In the kitchen or bath, you can even tie your backsplash colors into your flooring accent color.

Painted Flooring

Painted flooring gives you optimal creative freedom as it can be done on concrete, wood and even tile.  You also aren’t limited to the colors or design options.

Stone or Pebble Flooring

Stone or pebble flooring is a wonderful flooring option for bathrooms, sun rooms, patios or mud rooms as they are easy to clean and handle traffic well.

Slate Flooring

Slate flooring isn’t just for bathrooms anymore!  Slate is a fun option for games rooms and kitchens as well.

Combo Flooring for Connected Rooms

There is no need to keep the same flooring throughout your entire house or per floor level.  Allowing two different types of flooring elements to meet can make a very dramatic and elegant statement.

Bold Flooring

Take a chance and explore the bolder side of your design personality!  Bold flooring colors, especially in rooms with white or neutral walls, can make a dramatic design statement.

Marble Flooring

Once reserved for board rooms and entry ways, marble flooring is a beautiful design essential for modern décor.  It holds up to traffic well and is relatively low maintenance to maintain.

Bamboo Flooring

Consider bamboo flooring for your shower or sauna.  The natural textures will bring depth to your room’s design and the warm wood is a much nicer feeling than tile on your feet on a cold winter morning.

Rustic Flooring

Even though your custom home might be in the city, you can still bring in cabin charm through rustic flooring such as distressed wood or stone.

Understanding all the flooring options on the market truly creates limitless design opportunities for your custom home.  See how Castle Pointe Homes can help you plan your Iowa custom home down to every detail, including the prefect flooring for each room.  Contact us today for an initial consultation.

Castle Pointe Homes understands that a key requirement for creating the perfect custom home is to design for the element of entertaining. Entertaining is the fourth component of Woman Centric Design, the design philosophy followed closely by Castle Pointe Homes.

As part of the design process, you should first establish the level of entertaining you typically undertake; it could be an annual event, monthly dinner parties or a weekly book club. Whatever your level, once you understand how you like to entertain, you’ll be able to design the perfect custom home for your needs.

Indoor Entertaining

Indoor entertaining centers around three core areas of any home: the kitchen, the living room and the game room. Whether or not you connect these three rooms to create a central flow, you’ll want to ensure that each room has specific “must have elements” for successful entertaining.

In the kitchen, a long bar or island is essential for hosting large gatherings. Not only do these areas create perfect serving stations, but they are also natural areas for congregating. If you’re inclined to host dinner parties or annual dinner events, make sure your kitchen is also equipped with dual-ovens and a warming drawer.

When designing a living room built for entertaining, make sure you have avenues for traffic flow. As guest congregate around the room, there will still need to be an opportunity for traffic to move in and out of the room. Also consider built in seating spaces, such as window seating. Not only are they great options for guests to use during events, they also make excellent storage locations for party equipment when it’s not in use.

A well designed game or media room is sure to provide hours of entertainment for both your family and your guests. Not only do you need to provide optimal room for equipment, such as game tables or media screens, but you also should ensure you have ample seating. Seating areas should go around room events and should always allow for multiple guests at once. Creating these natural seating areas will allow your guest to mingle while still staying connected to all the action.

Outdoor Entertaining

Much like its indoor counterpart, the success of outdoor entertaining begins with the planning and design of the space. Consider options for coverage from the elements; something that can shade your guests on hot summer afternoon or shelter them should an unexpected shower arise.

Lighting is another essential, yet often overlooked, element that needs to be incorporated in your planning. You’ll want to ensure you have ample light for your guests to see; however, it should also be something that you can adjust based on the mood of your event. Light dimmer switches are a great solution that allows you to always be in control when it comes to event lighting.

And don’t forget about seating! Just as you would inside in a game room or living room, you should incorporate built in seating throughout your outdoor space. This allows for groups to congregate throughout your entire backyard and prevent a possible patio pill-up around a limited number of deck chairs.

Designing for Successful Entertaining

Understanding how you entertain is key to creating a successful custom home design that will support your needs. Castle Pointe Homes will work with you to create a space that will not only meet your needs, but will also be inviting to your guest during celebrations and events for years to come.

Discover more on the Woman Centric Design concept and see how Castle Pointe Homes can help you plan your Iowa custom home. Contact us today for an initial consultation.

Des Moines custom home builder, Castle Pointe Homes, creates elegant custom homes inspired and guided by the Woman Centric Design concept.  One of the elements of Woman Centric Design focuses on storage and how to creatively incorporate storage into good design.

There are several points to consider when evaluating the storage aspect of your custom home, specifically: how much do you actually need; what you will need it for; and how do you make it athletically appealing yet still function.

Deciding How Much Storage is Needed

Not only should you look at the size of your family, but you should also look at your family’s hobbies and lifestyle when evaluating how much storage you’ll need.

If you entertain often, you’ll most like want to ensure you have plenty of storage for your extra place settings, larger serving dishes and table setting elements.  If you’re prone to house guests, then make sure you have ample storage for extra bedding and guest toiletries.

If you’re an avid reader, then of course you’ll want to ensure you have plenty shelf space for your treasured books.  Likewise if you’re a crafter, then you’ll need not only a place to work, but loads of room to storage all your accessories and tools.

Deciding How Storage Spaces  Will be Used

Once you’ve uncovered how much storage you’ll need, you’ll then to access how the storage will be use.  Will storage be for items you only access once a year, like holiday decorations, or will it be for everyday things like extra pantry items or baking appliances and tools.

This is an important step because it identifies where in the house the extra storage elements will need to be located in order to ensure they are most readily available for the task at hand.

How to Design Beautiful and Effective Storage Spaces

Houzz.com – Living Room Storage

Finally it’s time to get creative and incorporate your additional storage space needs into the design of your custom home.  This is where Castle Pointe Homes truly shines!

With design elements such as under-stair storage, pull out cabinets and hidden storage in seating elements and nooks, Castle Pointe Homes will be able to incorporate additional storage into your custom home that is not only utilitarian, but is also beautifully blended into the surrounding elements of the room.

Let Us Help You Design the Perfect Storage Space

Understanding the process of creating the right storage for your needs is key to creating a successful custom home design.  Once you’ve gone through these steps with the team at Castle Pointe Homes, you’ll not only be sure to have the right storage for your needs, but you can be sure that the results will be beautifully designed.

Discover more on the Woman Centric Design concept and see how Castle Pointe Homes can help you plan your Iowa custom home.  Contact us today for an initial consultation.

Understanding that we all need a place to get away and “de-stress” is what the concept of de-stressing in Woman Centric Design is all about.

Incorporating elements which focus on how you de-stress is key to the design process of Des Moines custom home builder, Castle Pointe Homes.  Our team will work with you to understand how you best like to unwind and what environment would make you most comfortable.

This evaluation process is centered on finding out what elements would make you feel most comfortable and make things easier for you during life’s more stressful moments.


Option One: A Little Alone Time

So after a hectic day at work, what is your ideal retreat?  Maybe it’s soothing your troubles away in a luxurious bath or perhaps you’d prefer to curl up in an overstuffed chair, with a cup of herbal tea and get lost in your favorite book.

Whatever relaxation means to you is the core of the de-stressing process of Woman Centric Design.  The de-stressing concept ensures that, whatever your preferred method, there will be a room that speaks to your need, be it a secluded sun room, a lavish bathroom with a sunken tub or even a home gym with windows overlooking a scenic escape.


Option Two: The Ultimate Man-Cave

Sometimes your perfect escape isn’t something you’d want to do alone after a hard day, but rather surrounded by friends on weekend nights.  If that’s the case then a game room or man cave is absolutely in order!

If you’re idea of relaxing is spending an afternoon watching sports or playing pool with your buddies, then you’ll need a room that is not only large enough to accommodate you activities, but that is also positioned in the optimal spot in the house, minimizing the sound and traffic coming from your retreat.

And don’t forget about the amenities.  A man cave would be complete without bar, room for a flat screen television and of course, surround sound!


Option Three: Surrounded by Family

Maybe it’s not friends that are the prescription for what you need when you need an escape, but rather it’s family!  In that case, you’ll want to design a large family room with plenty of room for you and your entire brood to spread out and enjoy a movie or play games late into the evening.

Perhaps you’d prefer to bake your cares away with your kids?  If that’s how you spell relief, then make sure your kitchen design incorporates a double-oven and plenty of counter space to not only work but also layout your various tasty treats as they cool.  Extra counter space are also excellent places for people to sit and share stories while the baking extravaganza is underway.


Finding Your Happy Place

The importance of having a space suitable for de-stressing should not be overlooked when creating your new custom home.  Having a place that allows you to escape, unwind and reconnect is imperative to creating a custom home of your dreams.

Discover more on the Woman Centric Design concept and see how Castle Pointe Homes can help you plan your Iowa custom home, complete with the elements of de-stress that are perfectly designed for your needs.  Contact us today for aninitial consultation.

You’re ready to design the custom home of your dreams, but how can you be sure you create the perfect home for your needs now, in the future and that is still resellable years down the road?



Designing homes that take flexibility of function and design into account is a specialty of Des Moines custom home builders, Castle Pointe Homes.  We design houses based on the philosophy of Woman Centric Design.



One of the keep concepts of Woman Centric Design is flexibility; specifically, creating spaces that are functional and also provide a flexibility in use and design.




Understanding That Life Changes



When designing your custom home, you obviously want to take into consideration your current lifestyle.  The trick though, is to design with flexibility in mind.  Creating spaces that can be adaptable for life’s unforeseen changes is what flexibility by design is all about.



A perfect example is an extra bedroom.  Perhaps at the moment you need this additional room for a teenage child.  So what happens to this room once your child heads off to college?  Placing this room in a more central location of your home, perhaps off the living room, will provide you with the flexibility of being able to convert this former bedroom into a library or home office when the time comes.

Resale Appeal



Although it isn’t something you’ll be considering for many years, keeping resale value in mind when designing a home is still important.  While you are creating a space that fits your family’s lifestyle, you’ll also want to keep in mind that something that is too specific and not flexible might not appeal to a future potential home buyer.



Ensure that your home has a natural flow and that doors open into large areas and not just hallways.  Pocket or French doors are also a great addition that keeps things open and allows for flexibility.  You should also incorporate dual sinks and ample storage in bathrooms, even if your current needs don’t call for it.



Keeping flexibility of design in mind will ensure you a better appeal to any future home buyers in the future. 




Design with the Ability to Change



The key to flexible design is to ensure the space you are creating is something that can change and adapt along with your family’s life changes and needs.  Creating spaces that can be used for multiple purposes will ensure you have a house that fits your needs now, and for years many years to come.

Discover more on the Woman Centric Design concept and see how
Castle Pointe Homes can help you plan your Iowa custom home.



Contact us today for an initial consultation.

Des Moines custom home builders Castle Pointe Homes understands that what women look for in design is very different than that of men.  We also understand that women have a huge impact on the purchase and design of custom homes.  That’s why our designs are deeply rooted in the philosophy of Woman Centric Design.

The Woman Centric Design philosophy is made up of four essential elements:

Flexible Living by Design

To some extent, we’ve all grown-up with the concept of flexibility of design.  For most it started as young adults when we learned how take a small one-bedroom apartment and create fully functional living, working and dining areas.

It’s this same concept of agile creativity that is core to the flexibility of design in Woman Centric Design.  Creating rooms that can be multi-functional and easily have a change of purpose over time is what flexibility of design is about its core.

This process goes a step further though, incorporating the flow of rooms; how a home office connects seamlessly to the adjacent outdoor patio and kitchen for example.

See Design Ideas for Flexible Living >

De-stressing by Design

We all have our own way of de-stressing when we get home after a long, hectic day.  The concept of de-stressing by design ensures that just the right place is created for your perfect area of escape.

Whether it’s a secluded patio just off the master bedroom or a library surrounding by floor to ceiling bookshelves perfect for housing best friends, de-stressing by design allows for the creation of a space that is there and ready for those moments when you just need to relax and get away.

See Design Ideas for Destressing >

Storage by Design

So you say you have too many little extras and no place to put them?  This is the question that storage by design focuses on answering.

With the concept of storage by design, we’ll create ample storage opportunities that fit your needs without overpower the flow and layout of your house.  Creative storage with elegance is the core of this concept!

See Design Ideas for Storage >

Entertaining by Design

You might not always have the need for a huge gathering, but if you have yearly or quarterly events, you’ll want a design that allows for the right flow during these needed times, but that doesn’t become a waste of space when it’s not needed.

Entertaining by design takes into consideration your need for entertaining – how large are the groups and how often do you entertain?  Furthermore, what is your entertaining style?

These are the questions that are taken into consideration when developing a design that meets your needs and personal entertaining style.

See Design Ideas for Entertaining >

Discover more on the Woman Centric Design concept and see how we can help you plan your Iowa custom home.  Contact us today for an initial consultation.