What is the best sequence for executing your design plan?
Chicken or egg?
It’s not enough to decide to decorate your home, what should you do first? Is there a certain order of how things should be done?
The answer is yes yes and yes
Cover your windows first
If you are building a new home or moving into a new construction, your number one focus should be privacy.
Will you go for shades or blinds, top down bottom ups or will you need remote controlled options for hard to reach places? Do consider both privacy and light control when you are thinking of options.
Furniture before paint
Most new homebuyers want to paint the walls before they select their furnishings, but it’s really better to paint after the furniture selections and finishes have been chosen.
Most furniture stores can provide upholstery samples to take home or you can bring paint swatches with you as you shop your design plan.
Order items with the longest lead times first
This is usually any custom products from sofas, chairs and draperies to custom fabricated furniture.
Lighting and electrical items before painting
Whenever you update lighting or do anything electrical like mount tv’s to the wall it will often affect the drywall and require minor repairs.
If this is tackled before scheduling the painter, the painter will typically include drywall repairs in their quotes.
Furniture after flooring or tiling
Once the electrician and flooring contractors finish up and the walls have been painted, it’s a good time to plan for furniture placement. Consider playing with layout options using free software or sketching a floor plan to get some ideas
Built-ins before flooring
We did a few projects last year requiring custom shelving to anchor a fireplace. Oftentimes, no flooring is required beneath the built in structure, so if the built-ins are done first, extra flooring is eliminate.
Installing window treatments, accessories, area rugs or what I call “the seasonings” is typically the final step of the design plan
The final styling process is what creates the essence of the home. It’s what expresses the mood and speaks to the homeowner on a personal level. it’s so important to budget for this stage and not just the larger items of focus.
This wraps up our 7 strategies for how to decorate in stages, stay on budget and remove overwhelm.
Did we cover your concerns? What did we leave out that you want us to address? Please share your feedback
As a collaborative interior design firm, we help busy homeowners who are unsure of their design style, consider mood instead. We want to know how you want your home to feel after a long day at work. Can you picture it? That’s what we want to help you create. Contact us to learn more about our process and to see if we are a good fit. You can email us at rjackson@yourdesignpartner.com or contact us here.
call 513-409-3759
Inspiring creativity,
Ricci
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