How We Add Character to a New Build Home

Creating soulful, rural, luxury homes through thoughtful, collaborative design – from the ground up

A new build home offers freedom — clean lines, modern efficiency and the opportunity to shape a home that fits your life perfectly. Yet many clients come to us wanting something more: warmth, personality and a sense of belonging that a newly built home can sometimes lack.

At Hawes Construction Group, we not only help craft the interior character of a home — we build the property itself. This gives us a unique ability to ensure that the architecture, materials and interior detailing all work in harmony from the very earliest stages. Character is not an afterthought. It’s the result of intentional choices, sensitive detailing and a process that respects both the architecture and the way you aspire to live.

Working closely with trusted local architects, and delivering the build in-house, we help clients transform a blank canvas into a place that feels rooted, refined and deeply personal.

Creating Architectural Warmth Through Collaboration

From the first foundations onwards, our involvement allows us to shape character as the architecture develops, ensuring everything stays on track with the client’s budget and timescales.

While we don’t design architectural elements in-house, we work together with architects and guide features that set the tone for the entire interior. Thoughtful decisions around panelling, window reveals, timber detailing or ceiling treatments can make a new build feel instantly more established.

By getting involved early, we help ensure the architecture sets the right tone whether that’s echoing the character of the local surroundings or adding just enough texture and detail to bring warmth and depth to clean, modern lines.

Using Natural Materials

Materials are where character truly begins to shine. Our teams love to work with natural textures which soften the precision of a new build property.  Because we’re building the home ourselves, we can integrate these materials structurally and decoratively, ensuring cohesion at every level.

Craftsmanship Through Partnerships

Rather than producing joinery ourselves, we collaborate with skilled makers and craftspeople to deliver bespoke pieces that reflect your lifestyle. Whether it’s a tailored storage, a characterful staircase, or a hand-finished kitchen produced by a trusted local workshop, these crafted additions create moments of individuality throughout the home.

Colour, Light and Atmosphere

Character is as much about atmosphere as it is about physical details. Recent trends favour palettes inspired by nature: soft neutrals, warm clays, muted greens and textured finishes that give walls depth. These colours complement the rural landscape and help new builds feel instantly grounded.

Lighting completes the mood. We curate layered schemes — combining ambient, task and accent lighting — that bring intimacy and softness to even the most contemporary space. Thoughtful lighting transforms a newly built structure into a home that feels deeply settled.

A Home Connected to Its Landscape

In the countryside, a home’s character often comes from the way it connects with the world outside. Because Hawes Construction Group oversee the entire build, we’re able to work closely with client, architect and designers to create layouts that welcome natural light, capture beautiful views and make moving between house and garden feel effortless.

When the architecture, interior design and construction are all aligned from the start, a newly built home immediately feels grounded—like it truly belongs in its surroundings.

Bringing Soul to Modern Homes

Adding character to a new build isn’t about pretending it’s older than it is but more about crafting warmth, depth and identity through natural materials, tailored details and collaborative design. By building the home and shaping its interior character, Hawes Construction Group help clients create rural, luxury properties that feel timeless, welcoming and genuinely lived-in.