Too many items listed to get it all together for suggestions, however I do have an opinion...no tray ceilings in the bedrooms. Save it for the dining room and a centered chandelier.

I like these two blues with the floor.

I like the same color/finish on hardware and faucets.

Do you mean black frames and muntins?

No one can guess the actual look and colors just by your description.

What is your question? And if you want help with colors, cabinet styles, etc, you need to post pictures on this thread. We are NOT mind readers,

And what exactly does this mean: "I'm going for a light, clean, classic, and playful yet sophisticated look"

Yes to all of that! Since no pics.

IMO you are way too cart before the horse but you do not share where you are in the bulid and if this is just in th design stage STOP and wait and I agree get a designer NOW

I'm not a pro.

In general, I think your choices are so neutral that they'd be fine. Mostly white walls with blues (blue is my second-favorite neutral behind green), pinks, and grays doesn't sound crazy or bold at all.

I'd be a bit concerned with 3 different metals (black, nickel/stainless steel, and brass), but that might be just me, lol.

I really like the idea of having blue accent tiles in the kitchen. I'd personally consider expanding that idea to the bathrooms and laundry areas, if applicable.

My only true hesitation would be the mostly white walls (or really, mostly white anything, lol) with a growing family... But that depends on how many of you there are and the quality of paint you'll be using. :-D

It's ok that you ask for broad ideas - great to see what others have to say about flooring, etc...building in Florida. Tray ceiling opinion only chandelier-ed room was interesting.

Not a pro - What style is the house? -- as to your window question.

"windows: thin black frames/mullions, with somewhat-sheer white roller shades (is the black too trendy? would white shades look okay on black frames?)"

Do you know how to make mood boards? I used MS Publisher to make mine.

Is this a true custom home and you get to pick anything you want OR are you working with a production builder who has a design center with limited choices?

Don't you have photos of all the materials/choices you mentioned?

I agree we need pics of all the choices but the house is in design stage way too early to choose things like backspalsh

Hi. We built about 3 years ago now in Florida. You sound like me. You are thinking through it all. Which I completely understand!! Thinking ahead of every possible step helped overall but I overwhelmed myself with making all the best decisions. I barely slept. I spent massive amounts of time collecting ideas on Houzz and Pinterest. Looking for inspiration as well as possible solutions to things I thought we might come up. I barely slept. I would create some boards on here and Pinterest of what you like if you haven’t already( I suspect you have😊). As you go along, I’m sure the builder will tell you what’s the next decision and you don’t want to delay things by not having that ready especially with material back ups. Sometimes they’ll just spring it on you if it they aren’t organized. A designer or project manager could help line that up too. I went through a few different designers because it was difficult for me to pay money on what I felt was spinning my wheels at the time. Hindsight shows me now how valuable they were. It helped me figure out what I didn’t like more than what I did but even that was a great help. I’d recommend hiring a designer ( that you’ve seen examples of their work that you like). Early on to go thru your plans. Ours immensely helped to fix some windows on the house and their placement, door placement, special considerations, how doors open…even door handles… you’ll definitely need a professional when it comes to the kitchen design… Cabinets, drawers Etc. The first thing I remember doing after the plans were finalized was picking appliances… and exterior windows and doors….then all the bathroom fixtures and faucets, showerheads… kitchen and bathroom cabinetry(all the cabinets in the house). Flooring was in there somewhere too…As well as interior doors and lighting and countertops. It’s a giant challenge overall! The first time I went to the lighting store, we had to leave because I burst into tears. Later on, I picked all of the lighting based on “I don’t hate that”. I would suggest getting flooring samples before you consider cabinet colors though. Maybe your builder has a master list of the order of choices you’ll need to make to keep you on track… or something online. A designer will help a ton. Hang in there. A few pictures of a couple of things you are considering that we did below. The black windows were a surprise ( didn’t have a designer with me on that trip)… thought I was getting black exterior and white interior… it worked out because we like them… but could have been a very expensive mistake. We did get white interiors on the shower windows thankfully… it looks better with the tile. A cost savings advice… get separate quotes on bathroom, sink, toilet, tubs…etc and appliances, a/c, landscaping… etc. Our builder had specific people he worked with.. but it helped get the pricing down on those to have other quotes. Oh… eventually down the line know what type of finish you want for the dry wall… one of my regrets is being lead to orange peel instead of smooth. Just know… the builder may lead you towards things that are easier for his subs. Ours said…. “You don’t want that smooth crap, do you?” Yes I did, but now I don’t have it because I figured he knew what’s best. Listen carefully to everything the builder is saying and make sure you completely understand whatever they say…

Thank you all for the feedback! This is all very new for me, and I appreciate you bearing with me. I'll work on gathering some representative images of my ideas. In the meantime, my specific questions are:

1 - Regarding matte black door hardware. Will it show dust/dirt? Will the finish fade over time? Will it look dated in the future, or would you consider it a timeless choice? I'm deciding between black and brushed nickel. To make it look cohesive, I could repeat the black in some furniture (dining table legs, kitchen island bar seating), our great room ceiling fan, window frames, and picture frames.

2 - Regarding windows. I am leaning toward black window frames with white roller shades throughout the house. Would white shades look okay on black frames?

How was the floor plan developed?

Let me also answer your questions:

@chispa - this is a truly custom build home. I started from scratch, with a pencil drawing of a floor plan, and then worked with an architect to finalize the floor plan. I can pick anything regarding the design. I'm starting with zero furniture.

@everdebz - I'm having trouble labeling the style of the house. It's a concrete block, single story, 6000sf home with an open floor plan.

@Mark Bischak, Architect - haha, point taken. I'm having trouble identifying my style. Maybe I'd label it as "transitional," but with pretty, vibrant colors instead of strictly neutrals.

@elcieg - thanks for the input! May I ask why you don't like tray ceilings in bedrooms? We have 12 foot ceilings in the kids' bedrooms, and 14 foot ceilings in the main living space and master bedroom. I am drawn to trays, because I think it would be interesting to paint the inside of the trays a fun color. And yes - black frames and muntins, thank you for the correction.

@Mark Bischak, Architect - I drew a pencil sketch and provided that to an architect who took it from there. I talked with him about my wish list, and why I drew what I drew (open living space including the kitchen, great room, dining room, and play area for the kids; big laundry/mudroom easily accessible from the front door; office/nursery off the master bedroom, etc). We've gone through several revisions back-and-forth, and it's nearly complete at this point.

A tray ceiling is just like an area rug on the floor. It defines the space. Bedroom furniture, for the most part, lines the walls, then the bed extends into the room. Everything looks off kilter.

Trays are great in dining rooms because the table and chairs fit right under it and then the chandelier hangs down from the center of the tray.

I think more than one or two in a home is over doing a good thing.

Builders get a bit carried away with tray ceilings in FL, but even our CA Architect drew one in the master bedroom on the first draft he presented to us. I personally don't like tray ceilings, so we didn't do any. I prefer to go with the higher height across the whole ceiling. My design is Spanish inspired, so I did wood beams in several rooms.

A future electrical thought… I wish I’d put recessed lights in all the bedrooms. And if you ever want to put in a generator… get it pre wired( something else you may want to research the ins and out of… 🤷‍♀️). Also watch the A/c install… the crew made a kink in one of the ducts that keeps folding and blocking air… new doesn’t mean it’s all flawless. Same thing with yard sprinklers… I was so excited to have a new system and thought it would be without flaws… I should have given more input and added more.

@Chris - thanks so much for your input. Yes, we will definitely be putting recessed lights in all the rooms, including bedrooms. I hadn't even thought about a generator. I'll have to look into that. And I'll talk with my husband about making sure to keep an eye on the various installations.

I've been reading Maria Killam's blog lately. She is certainly someone who likes color! Do you have designers you admire? One of the things I have picked up from Maria's blog and instagram account (particularly her 10 design mistakes people make on instagram, that will end up dating their house), is to go with neutrals for the hard surfaces: floors, cabinets and the like.

It's a very interesting tip, for someone like her who dresses and decorates in fabulous color! She's also very particular about neutrals and how to coordinate them. I like her how-to style, but like any designer, it's certainly not for everyone. Since you didn't post any inspiration photos, I am assuming that maybe you are trying to go forth without some. You might want to check out her instagram and blog.

@Mrs. S - thanks so much for the recommendation! Currently going down the rabbit hole reading her blog...

Maria Killam has her opinions. Some excellent, some not so much.

You are building a 6000 square foot house that you created with an architect. May I ask why you haven't also hired an Interior Designer to help you with all your questions? And a Kitchen Designer for the kitchen? (Hint: Architects almost always make lousy kitchen designers)

What part of FL are you building in?

“12 foot ceilings in the kids' bedrooms, and 14 foot ceilings in the main living space and master bedroom.”

This will not be a cozy space for kids. 12’ ceilings in a kid’s bedroom? Will they be staring up at them from bed at night wondering what is all the way up there, maybe bats? Bring those kids’ bedrooms’ ceilings down - 9’ tops.

How will you light the living room when the ceilings are 14’? You will need uplighting as well as powerful downlighting to reach the occupants in the room. If you just have floor lamps and table lamps with 14” ceilings, you too will be wondering if there are bats up there. I am being arch, but I mean it about the kids’ ceilings, and for the living room and primary bedroom you will definitely need a skilled lighting designer who should be hired as early as possible if you are firm on 14” ceilings.

One person's cozy is another person's claustrophobic!

Ceiling height is very subjective. My guest bedrooms have 11 ft ceilings and they feel just right to me. My desk area is in a small hallway off the master bedroom. The architect dropped the ceiling to 10 ft in this area and I wish I had been more forceful about keeping the 12 ft ceilings throughout the house. All our windows are proportional to the ceiling heights. Anything below 10 ft feels claustrophobic to me, but I'm not going to push my preference on someone else who prefers lower ceilings.

@M Miller and @chispa - Thanks for your comments regarding ceiling height. We’re very excited for the high ceilings and have the lighting situation squared away. It doesn’t add much cost to raise the ceilings in our single story build, and we love the feel of high ceilings with lots of windows and natural light. I’m also looking forward to having fun with light fixtures in various rooms, such as interesting chandeliers/fans etc in the kids’ rooms, which the high ceilings accommodate.

Hi. Watch out for some of these new fans. Their remotes can surprise you.. we chose by look and two of them have tiny remotes that go in the wall switch plate.. when the battery dies you have to remove the whole switch plate to put in new batteries. If you want to use your fan. We chose 5 others that were the same for all the bedrooms that have hand-held remotes… problem is getting them set up so their signals don’t cross and turn on or off fans in different areas of the house.

Speaking of ceiling fans, I would not recommend black. It will show every speck of dust and a lighter color will blend into the ceiling better.

So again, why haven't you hired an interior designer?

@Chris - noted. Thanks for the tip.

@kcooz07 - I’m considering painting ceilings a deep blue to coordinate with my navy blue cabinetry, so the black may not be too bold. However I am worried about dust. Do you have personal experience with black hardware showing dust? Is it really that bad?

@cpartist - I’m having fun with the project and am not inclined to pay for someone else to take it away from me! I want our house to be my own, even if it doesn’t turn out magazine-worthy. We’re not on a timeline, so not feeling stressed (:

@kit2022, I did it all on my own too and picked every single thing in the house. It can be done, but it helps to have lots of time for the research. We moved to the area where we were building and rented nearby. Designing the house was my "full time" job for 2 years.

When you post, just be prepared for the negative comment. Take what you want from the comment and ignore the rest! It does help to get better feedback if you provide photos and the choices you are considering.

You might want to post on the monthly building threads too.

@chispa - Thank you. I appreciate that. I’ll check out the monthly building threads. And I’m hard at work putting together a mood board of photos to share.

ps congratulations on your new home!

I do understand that Kit. I did my own house too but like Chispa, it was my full time job for well over 2 years.

So what general area of FL. Both Chispa and I are also in FL.

I've seen plenty of "designers" who are terrible ... and even hired one once, which made me realize I didn't need one. Much more fun making my own decisions!

Because an individual doesn't have a business card that says "Designer" or "Decorator" doesn't mean that they don't have the ability to create a well designed space!

I went through 4 decorators… mainly because I am a control freak, but also because I have usually researched so much that my mind was settled. And they also helped me figure out what I didn’t like more than what I did. I really never needed help picking appliances, fixtures, tile, colors, carpets…etc. But I highly recommend finding one that can help with space planning of your floor plans and exterior window balance. That part was invaluable!

Think of a good designer as a huge time-saving short cut. A good designer can understand your style and help guide you to the best expression. They know about furniture/floor/cabinet/tile options that you won't find on your own. They can translate your family needs and priorities into concrete solutions that you have never heard of. If you're working with a good designer, you will still be doing a lot of work, and an exhausting amount of selection. But it will be so much faster than trying to learn it all on your own. And you will probably end up with a better product, because you will see better options.

The key is finding someone who is a translator, not a dictator. We chose our kitchen designer based on a presentation where she showed 4 different kitchens she designed. One was gorgeous, two were fine, one was the ugliest thing I've ever seen. And I hired her because of the ugly kitchen. She had tracked down remainders of an absolutely hideous metal tile that her clients were in love with. She designed and sourced something really unique that was specifically tailored to those clients' tastes. And those clients would not have had the time or knowledge to make all the phone calls needed to track down that tile.

Your selections should complement the design of you home & you have chosen not to post any elevations of your home. Can't help you.

@mcarroll16 - I appreciate your thoughts. I think I will look into options for designers. I don't have a clear idea regarding who is available in my area to help or how the pricing would work... and it would be smart to at least look into it before saying "no."

@Chris - Awesome advice. Your house looks great, based on the pictures you sent. I like the look of the white shades against the black window mullions.

@chispa - Thanks for the support!