Designing a home is an incredibly exciting but also challenging project. There are countless details to pin down and lots of brainstorming and conversations that must take place—and that’s all before construction even starts. You want to be intentional during the design process and take the time you need to ensure your home is exactly what you want and need, but you also don’t want to take so long that you postpone the execution of your plans significantly. If you know what you want going into the design process, however, you can expedite the process and have the peace of mind that comes with a clear vision.
Here is what you need to know to design your home:
- Your desired style – Having a clear vision for your home’s design often means drawing inspiration from or going for a specific interior design style, like traditional, coastal, bohemian, mid-century modern, Scandinavian, or farmhouse. Even if you like a lot of different things that don’t seem to fit together intuitively, eclecticism is an interior design style in and of itself.
- Your preferred materials – Know what materials you like and don’t like. What types of wood suit your aesthetic? What textiles? Do you like concrete or stone? What kinds of flooring or countertops appeal to you?
- Your functional needs – The most important part of home design is designing for function. Your kitchen layout, for instance, should suit your cooking habits and storage needs. If anyone in your household is disabled, making hallways wider or installing grab bars in showers are the types of details to think about.
- Your budget – It’s fun to dream about your home and how it will look in the end but stay grounded by sticking to a budget and allocating funds to different needs wisely.