In an earlier post, The Home Design Dilemma: 7 Lessons Learned, I stressed how important it is in knowing yourself, your needs and your wants prior to beginning the design process. In this two part post I’ll go into detail as, if you’re like me, needs and wants are not always readily apparent.
I could have used a Guide Lines check list during our building process. As it turned out, I had the great fortune to have my decorator present during many planning meetings. I felt like a high-ranking member of the Mafia consulting my Consigliore as he sat quietly over in the corner nodding his head either up and down or side to side depending on what was proposed. We both laugh about it now, but I would have been up the proverbial creek had he not been with me throughout our building process! What follows are the “Pearls of Wisdom” I gleaned from my experience.
House design can be a lot like negotiations. Always have someone in your corner!
Think long and hard about how you live now and what, if anything, you’ll change when you move. Take stock of possessions and decide what will stay and what will go when you inhabit your new home. Now is the time to decide if your project will require an architect and/or a decorator because, as it is with those of us who build, this is also a process for them. As they get to know you better, their vision of design and décor becomes more finely tuned.
Due to the fact my Check List is a bit lengthy, I’ll make it a separate post. Please return tomorrow to find out what questions you should ask yourself as you plan and design your new home!
