Designing Your Home In Phases
/Welcome to the first day of fall! Doesn’t it feel a little like the time for a fresh start?
It’s also the time we start looking at our homes with new eyes and deciding to get back to unfinished projects or starting entirely new ones.
A beautiful home begins with a plan. That includes designing your home in phases. Without a good plan we can easily lose our way and quickly fall into overwhelm and decor/design exhaustion.
Thinking of function first should be driving your decision to make some changes. Maybe the furniture isn’t working for your lifestyle anymore, or the colours and finishes you’ve had for years are feeling outdated and disconnected. Completing everything you’d like to change all at once isn’t always the most practical or financially comfortable approach.
The good news is that you do not have to do it all at once. You simply need a plan.
A Design Plan Gives You a Place to Begin
Every room doesn’t need to be completed immediately to have a good design plan. It’s more about having intentional decisions in place before you start spending your budget.
When you don’t know the overall plan, you can fall into the habit of making one decision at a time without thinking about how each and every choice is going to affect the rest of your home.
We’ve all done it. Replaced a light fixture because it was on sale, picked your paint colour because it looked so lovely in your friends house, or what about that pretty chair you came upon while browsing for fun that became a must-have item.
“Missing the forest for the trees” can happen before you know it. While none of these isolated decisions are necessarily wrong, if they don’t work together they are definitely not right; that’s where the trouble begins.
The ability to step back and look at the bigger picture is exactly where having a plan is vital. Consider a few things:
What’s the feel I want my home to have?
Which existing pieces and furnishings need to stay?
Do I have colours picked that connect room to room?
Is my furniture layout functional and working for me?
What changes should I start with?
What changes am I comfortable leaving for a later time?
That’s the formula for a great plan. Make these decisions, divide and conquer (what's for now and what's for later), and keep moving forward at your pace for a cohesive, beautiful result."
One Home Three Phases
I have been working on a three-phase decorating project for a client that started with the overall plan for the principal bedroom, nearby dressing room, upper level home office, hallway, open concept living room/dining room.
We purposed to take a broad approach to the everything while prioritizing the work involved. This allowed for space to plan this DIY work to best suit lifestyle, upcoming vacations, and the budget, with confidence. The client never lost sight of the finished result, despite the delays and unplanned interruptions.
Phase One
primary bedroom and dressing room.
The goals for this part of the project were to replace the flooring, closet doors, lighting, furnishings and window treatments in the principal bedroom. Creating a designated dressing room in the nearby smallest bedroom with these same goals was really fun. I lead my client on the design journey of considering how the decisions made now would influence the next two phases. She would see how each decision would make sense as things unfolded.
Laying the groundwork is the most important benefit of having a plan. Phase One will stand on it’s own for now, but eventually will be seen as the foundation of things to come.
Take a Look at Phase One
Not everything had to be replaced. Some existing pieces were reused, repositioned and given a new purpose. Other items were removed because they no longer supported the way the client wanted the space to look or function. The result is a completed first phase that feels intentional while remaining connected to the plans for the rest of the home - just as we planned!
Welcome to Phase One of this three-phase home decorating project. In this video, I’m sharing the completed principal bedroom, dressing room and home office. Although each space has its own purpose, every decision was made as part of an overall design plan so the rooms feel connected and the project can move forward as time and budget allow.
A Few Before Images
A few before images to see the comparison and where this project all started.
Why Decorating in Phases Can Be a Smart Approach
Breaking down a larger decorating project into phases is a smart way to get past the overwhelm and makes it feel much more achievable.
a more manageable budget
spread purchases
spread professional help
control what to do now and what can wait
allows time to save for important quality pieces
No more rushed purchases
intentional purchases
no regrets later because you settled
your decisions are intentional and connected
phases build on already completed work
paint colours influence fabrics and furnishing in next phase(s)
layouts determine placement and size of future lighting, artwork, window treatments
beginning considerations develop a natural, cohesive home - not a collection of separate projects
live with the changes for a time
gradual project development lets you experience the space before moving on
new layout might change how you use the room
a decluttered space might make existing pieces work better
first changes lived with for a time bring understanding to what you still need
journey to a more personal home
the same-day purchased look is are not needed in a home
take time for personal treasures, existing and new pieces to come together with your personal signature look - build some individual character
What Comes Next
It’s true, a beautiful home begins with a plan. Phase One - principal bedroom and dressing room, is complete. A bit of Phase Two - the dressing room, is also complete. However, the project is not and that is exactly the point of working a plan.
All of our decisions so far were made as part of the bigger picture. We know where we’re heading next because we have the plan. As time, budget and desire allow, the next phase(s) will roll out.
Project progress and of course the final reveal will be shared when we get there and it all comes together.
Start with a plan: avoid costly mistakes, set priorities, move forward confidently.
One room or one phase at a time. I can help!
