Your journey starts here… Ever felt like you didn’t belong in a room in your own home?  That is the last thing you need. All you want when you get home is to feel safe and comforted. 

Here are 12 Steps to design the perfect room:

1.  Find your style

It’s worth mentioning, there were too many great ideas out there and a million possible different directions.  Use 2-3 adjectives to describe how you want your home to feel – peaceful, cozy, vibrant, lively, warm, moody, airy, formal, casual, beachy, glam? Whatever they are, write them down and stick to them.

2. Decide on your room’s functional needs

Ask yourself what your room is currently lacking that would make it function better for your family.  How do you use the space day-to-day and what are some changes to the room that could make your routine easier?

3. Write a wish list

Have a brainstorm session and jot down everything you can think of that you would want for a room and use that as you’rejumping off point to decide how much you’ll need to spend. Prioritise your list from most-important to least-important and talk it over with your spouse to decide what projects need to be done or what needs to be bought for everyone to be happy.

4. Create an inspiration board

Any time I design a room for a friend or client, I always give them “homework” to pin some of their favourite ideas on Pinterest. I keep Pinterest boards for every room in my house whenever I’m feeling uninspired and need some inspiration.

5. Take measurements and plan a layout

If anything, sketching out a general layout plan on paper goes a long way so you’re not stuck with tons of furniture crammed into a tight space.

6. Hash out a hard budget

Get real with the numbers down to the penny and don’t forget to include project supplies like paint brushes, drop cloths, nails, and the little things that add up. I like to keep a spreadsheet of everything Try to leave a little wiggle room in the budget to help with unexpected expenses. 

7. Think about the rest of your house

Try to keep a general flow going from one room to the next (knowing your style makes it easy to do after a while). You don’t have to paint one room bright red and one room calm blue and one room sunny yellow, unless you want to rock the bold look like that. Keeping your scheme flowing from room to room makes your home feel larger because it’s not choppy. 

8. Make a plan with fabrics, flooring, tile, fixture finishes, and paint

Always choose your fabrics before anything else. It’s much easier to find a paint color to coordinate with a fabric pattern than the other way around. After fabric and paint, decide on furniture and fixture finishes, always keeping in mind your 3 adjectives you chose for defining “your style”. Look at all your colours and patterns and textures all together to see if all of the elements are cohesive and adjust as you need.

9. Design a mood board

I mean… I guess you don’t have to do this, but this is my favourite part. Sometimes I can’t really decide if I’m happy with the room inside of my head unless I spill it all out into a mood board. If you can see the room pulled together on a mood board and end up not liking it, you won’t have to pay the price of a bad decision later.

10. Go shopping and keep your mood board handy

When I visit thrift stores or antique shops, I like to keep the blueprint in my bag. It takes out the guesswork and you never overspend.

11. Go trendy in the accessories

I like to keep furniture more classic and let the trendy flag fly with accents instead. It’s easier and inexpensive to change up later when trends fade. But, if you have a more daring style, go nuts! 

12. Add personal touches that tell your story

Those pieces are what make a house a reflection of your family. Nothing can beat a room that is decorated from the heart.