Before you actually start your project here are some suggestions. Look in magazines for inspirational ideas and pull them out to glance at throughout the process. Take notes on your entire house writing down the areas you want to change and redesign. I would then suggest typing up those notes and splitting everything into separate rooms or activities such as paint, flooring, furniture, etc. The last crucial area before you start is to make a priority list of what needs to be done now, your expected timeline and what your budget is for those areas.
In the beginning don’t think about the walls and boundaries of your home. Just concentrate on putting together your favorite elements and choices together. Once you have your To-Do list ready you can start by concentrating on one activity at a time, for instance, selecting flooring. You can research all the choices and narrow down what you like and what fits into your budget. Once you get a few samples of items you like you can move on to the next activity, for instance, paint and select colors that make you happy or fit your personal style. These colors do not need to be the ones that go on the walls, but they can be helpful when selecting fabrics, window treatments, etc. Once you select the colors you like you can place them into the existing pile of your favorite choices. You are then ready to move onto the next activity while continuing to throw all your favorite ideas into this large pile.
The neat part of this process of designing is that once you have your pile going it will become obvious what items look good together and the “final choices” will naturally unfold! You have ultimately created harmony with all the elements you selected and the best thing about this is that no matter where things are placed, everything will look great together!Kristin Hannah is the owner of design firm Hannah Interiors and the co-founder of My Dream Home Registry who sponsors this site.
