Nationally-recognized, custom home builder Classica Homes was founded in 2010 by partners Bill and Terri Saint to create a niche of remarkably-designed luxury homes in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over the past 20 years, they’ve traveled from east coast to west coast searching for inspiration in home and neighborhood design. Along the way, their team has been recognized for their great success, from being one of Charlotte’s Best Places to Work since 2013, to being awarded Charlotte’s Best Builder three times, to winning the Gold National Housing Quality Award, homebuilding’s highest honor.
The firm has placed Infratech comfort heaters in many of their outdoor living spaces in the greater Charlotte area. We spoke with President & CEO Bill Saint to learn more about the firm’s creative process and why they choose our heaters for their inspired home designs.
One of the hallmarks of your firm’s work is to live differently, live fully, live inspired, and love your home. What would you say is the largest influence on your overall design process?
It is a combination of three key things – listening to hundreds of custom clients, insatiable curiosity in exploring new ideas across the country, and bringing the best design team to the table to create our homes.
Why do you specify Infratech and what purpose do these heaters hold within your luxury design aesthetic?
We found Infratech heaters in use on the west coast, where outdoor living has always been the norm, and they have led the country in elevating the experience. Living in North Carolina, we have incredible weather nearly year-round, and with Infratech heaters installed on an outdoor living room, we can extend the enjoyment of that space twelve months a year.
What are some of your favorite luxury design features to include when building a home?
Blurring the line between indoor and outdoor space. Bringing light into the home from every angle. Creating a “furniture” look in everyday spaces like the kitchen and bathrooms – elevating elegance and luxury and bringing more functionality in than ever before.
How do your customers’ outdoor living lifestyles influence your designs?
They influence our designs heavily. We include a covered outdoor living room in every home plan we design. Our homeowners want to live, dine and entertain in their outdoor rooms and make them a natural extension of the home. It becomes the most used room in the home.
How do you design outdoor spaces to accommodate seasonal transitions?
With the use of motorized screens and outdoor heaters, what was a wide open space, can become more comfortable during the cooler months.
What indoor / outdoor design and architecture trends are you seeing in 2021?
Larger outdoor rooms, continuing to incorporate fireplaces, screens, heaters and grill areas to make it the most loved area of a home!