New Leaf Custom Homes Latest Pinterest-Worthy Project

Aspirational and inspirational—those two words resonate deeply with homebuyers today, especially those in the luxury market. These two words also perfectly describe the latest project from New Leaf Custom Homes, which is actually a spec home.

“Spec homes are our best marketing tool, Rylan Clark said.” Clark is the Director of Business Development for New Leaf Custom Homes. “This is how we show people what we can do.”

An Actual Dream Home

Building luxury homes is truly a labor of love for New Leaf Custom Homes. It’s not simply about having an incredible depth of knowledge, a consummate level of organization, and extraordinary creativity; it’s also about building a home you would love to live in.  

Their latest project on Brookview struck me for several reasons. One, it looks like a house. So much construction today pushes the boundaries, and while that is exciting, to me, they don’t look like the image of home I have embedded in my brain. I think a lot of us are stuck on a house looking like what we drew in kindergarten—the triangle roof over a square box with a center door and two windows. You know your mom still has one of those drawings you did in a drawer somewhere! When we see a luxury version of our childhood imagery, it hits on an emotional level.

That traditional architecture is certainly what made me stop and look into this home. I’m also drawn to anything remotely English Tudor-inspired and this design perfectly encapsulates that Hampshire countryside essence. So, I was charmed from the get-go. Once I scrolled to the interior, I was completely smitten.

Custom Design From Start to Finish

One of the very smart things New Leaf Custom Homes has done is to control their processes. “Having a pool company in-house and The Design Shop separates us from other builders,” Clark said. “We can help with every aspect under one roof. This allows us to manage every aspect of the project. Most clients can move into a home we build in 18 months. Every custom client has a budget. We know how to value engineer and flex dollars in the right areas for clients and we roll that process into our spec homes.”

What truly sets this company apart and grabs our attention, however, is the interior design. There’s a reason Pinterest has 320 million monthly active users, and home design is the most popular category. It’s back to those two words, aspirational and inspirational.

Every room in this home will probably be pinned thousands of times. New Leaf Custom Homes incorporated The Design Shop into the company ten years ago. It became so popular they separated it out three years ago. “We had so many requests for design that we decided to have The Design Shop stand alone and offer other builders and clients the service,” Clark said. 

Sam Bailey is the creative director of The Design Shop. When she saw the renderings of the Brookview house, she was excited. “It starts with the architecture, and I like to lean into what the architecture says,” Bailey said. I saw English Tudor sensibility and was inspired. I thought, let’s dial up the homeyness because you don’t often see it in spec projects.” 

“I think about where we need a beam or a fun detail on a cabinet front and make sure every room has something special to it,” Bailey said. 

That’s exactly what Bailey did on the Brookview project.

There are custom trim layers in every room, including wood beams, custom wainscoting and ceiling paneling, archways, white oak hardwood flooring, and vaulted ceilings. Everywhere you turn, there is something eye-catching.

The kitchen features calacatta gold marble counters and backsplash, a quarter sawn white oak island with reeded inset cabinet fronts, and a large scullery, which has become a necessity in modern kitchen design. This one is particularly stunning, with built-in appliances and a butler’s pantry with calacatta viola tops and unlacquered brass hardware. 

I know that cigar lounge has your heart skipping a beat. The moody black walls and custom-paneled ceiling, with a cocktail bar behind an arched serving window, take the cool factor over the top. The adjacent powder bath, with black plastered walls and a calacatta viola, custom-mitered vanity, mirrors the lounge’s design.

New Leaf Custom Homes has knocked it out of the park again and given us another level of aspritation and inspiration.

JPAR’s Rylan Clark has the latest New Leaf Custom Homes spec at 4214 Brookview Dr., available for $5 million.