Just like you, I am stuck inside as well…needing a change of pace and some visual distraction. And if you're like me, you might also need some inspiration to keep you motivated and away from the refrigerator during all this commotion.
Which is why now feels like as good of a time as any to share several good ideas to jumpstart your next dream project.
1. Assess Your Current Home
Since we will all be spending a lot more time in our homes in the near future, it's probably also a good time to ask yourself, “What part of my home needs improvement? Or an addition?”
Maybe it's adding a home gym or yoga studio, a home office, or even a meditation room. What are you wishing you had right now to feel as supported, comfortable, and luxuriously taken care of as you’d like to be?
2. Start to Pin Your Design Ideas
One way I look for inspiration is books. I'm an architecture bookworm, though, so obviously I wouldn’t expect you to have as much hard copy inspiration as I do. So what’s the next best thing? Pinterest. Pinterest is a great way to collect ideas, sort them, and prioritize them. It's a great tool to help get the juices flowing.
One of the great features of Pinterest is the ability to create "boards". Boards are a place to organize your wish list by room. Keep in mind, it's great to separate and organize, but it is also important to make sure your decisions are all in line with a single theme or design aesthetic.
It's a good idea to create boards that will represent the overall feel for your new or renovated home. That way, when you’re getting side-tracked by other beautiful images, you can always go back to your main board. Whatever you end up calling it - "big ideas", "starting point”, or even "main inspirations" - this board will help bring you back to the overall feel you desire in your new space.
As you browse and pin things on Pinterest, the images don’t necessarily have to be so literal. Meaning, you don’t just have to pin images of kitchens you like. You can pin an image of a beautiful piece of walnut wood, representing warm, earthy tones that you feel are important to your new home.
As an Architect, a client who brings a well-organized Pinterest board is a tremendous asset to us. It helps start the conversations early. In our pre-design services phase, we spend a lot of time scrolling through books, Pinterest, Houzz, etc. to see what sparks our clients’ interest. So, when these inspiration collections are already created, we are one step closer to the final drawing board.
Photo: Laura Moss
3. Hone Your Aesthetic
After you've created all your Pinterest boards, it's a good idea to step back and review each board or room individually to see what the images have in common. If you have images that are contradicting, decide why you picked those photos and determine which direction fits closer with your main "big picture" board. This is a very important task before showing your Architect or Designer your Pinterest account so that everyone is on the same page.
4. Define Your Non-Negotiables
Create a list in a separate document that captures all your “must-haves”. They can be items, features, or functions (like natural light). Another example would be wall sconces - you might prefer decorative wall accent lighting over general non-decorative lighting, etc. Or how about an apron sink with a view?
Photo: Laura Moss
5. Separate Your Wants from Your Needs
Now comes the difficult part. Create a list of what you really want, but could probably live without if you had to. I call this the “release valve”.
It's a good place to go back to when the design is starting to exceed your desired investment (like that tub you really wanted but know that you will probably only use twice a year OR the built-in cubbies in the mudroom when you could use coat hooks instead). There should always be a little room for compromise.
6. Describe Your Dream Home in a Wish List
Now onto the most exciting step, your ultimate wish list! This is a place to express your ultimate dream home. What will it look like? Where will it be? What will the views look like? Where will the fireplace and gathering rooms be located? This is the time to have fun, dream big, and be as expressive as possible. This will be a tremendous help when working with your Architect.
7. Locate Your Design Team
Now that you've created your lists and accumulated your Pinterest boards, you need to find an Architect and Designer that mesh well with your goals. Pinterest and Instagram are great places to search for your design team. You can quickly see the designer's portfolio and determine if it connects with you.
Photo: Laura Moss
As we are all sitting inside our homes, think about all of those times you wished you had a weekend to yourself. With our current circumstances, you might not have it entirely to yourself (since your kids are home, too) but I'm sure you can still find plenty of time on your tablet, phone, or computer to finally do the things you've been putting off, like creating your dream home inspiration board.
Hopefully, we won't have too much time to take advantage of this lockdown. So, let’s make the best of it and have fun by being imaginative.
If you're interested in scheduling a free consultation phone call about your next home renovation, addition, or new home build, please give me a call (as long as you don't mind some screaming kids in the background), because like you, I have plenty of phone time.
Until next time,
Rosario