I want to give you a challenge: take a minute and walk around your home. Grab a notebook and pen and as you move from room to room, note a few things that stand out. There might be a glaring, unfinished project. Or maybe you just don’t love your dining room furniture and wall color anymore. Or maybe the nest is finally empty and the rooms feel…off. Sometimes, we don’t notice our own environments until a critical point like, say, when guests are expected. All of the sudden, rooms that seemed fine the day before are lacking. There’s no character, not enough seating, it’s cluttered, and no longer reflects you. What do you do?

Well, as your design partner, I’m here to tell you that now (yes, now!) is the time to start thinking about these things. The hosting holidays are just around the corner and those rooms that don’t feel right are ready to make you feel insecure about your own home. To save you the worries, I’d like to help you do a home audit, determine what needs to happen next, and finally love your home again!

Let’s Conduct a Home Audit

Before we can enact any change, we must first diagnose the problem. This requires a home audit. As part of my design process, I conduct a home visit where we would take copious notes, talk at length about what you want, and discuss some options. But you can do a little home audit of your own. 

In a few simple steps, you can conduct a fairly thorough home audit that will be incredibly helpful during our discovery call:

• Take a minute to simply observe. Stand in each room. Look at curtains, color palettes, clutter, and decor. Then walk around. Does it flow or are you completing an obstacle course? Does the furniture arrangement make sense? Can you easily get to the things you use everyday?
• Note what you don’t like. You won’t insult anyone here, just be honest. What parts of the room don’t serve you any more? What is so outdated it makes you cringe? Is there damage? Was the furniture chosen by you or for you? If you could wiggle your nose and immediately change three things, what would they be? 
• What is the purpose? In every single room, note down two things the room is currently used for and two things you wish could happen in that room. Does your living room just not have enough seating? Is the formal dining area unusable? Do your adult kids come back to a room stuck in a time capsule? What about the basement, is it still unfinished with untapped potential?
• What stays. Everyone has those few items that travel with them through life. In every room, note the heirloom pieces, art, and must-keep items so as you dream of the redesign, these pieces don’t become afterthoughts.  

You May Not Need a Designer

Would it shock you if I said you don’t need a designer? I’m not trying to talk myself out of a job here, but as you conduct your audit, you may know exactly what you want. This inspiration will drive you to the furniture store, HomeGoods, and Target. And, honestly, more power to you. 

It’s only after the shopping that you might realize…

• You don’t need a designer… until the sofa arrives and suddenly looks twice as big as it did in the showroom.
• You don’t need a designer… until you’ve bought three rugs and returned all three.
• You don’t need a designer… until there are 14 paint samples hanging on the wall and somehow they all look wrong.
• You don’t need a designer… until everything you bought is beautiful—but nothing looks good together.
• You don’t need a designer… until your contractor asks, “Where exactly do you want the outlets, sconces and switches?”
• You don’t need a designer… until the renovation starts and you realize there are 50 decisions you were supposed to make before demolition.
• You don’t need a designer… until you’ve spent a lot of money decorating and the room still feels unfinished.
• You don’t need a designer… until you realize there’s a difference between matching and being cohesive.
• You don’t need a designer… until you realize window treatments aren’t just something you pick up after everything else is finished.
• You don’t need a designer… until you downsized, kept your favorite furniture, and now none of it seems to work in your new home.
• You don’t need a designer… until you know something is missing—you just don’t know what it is.
• You don’t need a designer… until you realize the expensive part isn’t hiring one—it’s making the wrong decisions without one.

What I’d Do Right Now to Prepare for the New Season

“New season” has so many meanings here. It’s either a season in which you just got a huge promotion and moved into your dream apartment. A season where you no longer have kids at home. Or a season where you’re downsizing or finally purchasing your snow-bird home.

• If this is the case, the first thing I’d do is research a local interior designer who can help reduce the overwhelm of this life stage and bring a professional eye to a big project.

Or, if you’re me and living in Florida, the new season could mean weather-proofing your home. We might have sunshine year round and never have to shovel snow ever again, but that doesn’t mean we don’t prepare for different seasons. Here in Florida, we prepare for hurricane season.

• If this is you, then the first thing I’d do is find quality storage for outdoor cushions and umbrellas, assess whether there are areas that might benefit from a fresh coat of mildew-resistant paint, and maybe upgrade some flooring to a material that is easy to clean and not as susceptible to water damage.

Finally, new season could be year twenty in your home and the strong desire for a bit of change. Maybe you still have kids at home, maybe you’re still busy professionals, and maybe your first home was built on convenience more than intention. 

• If this is you, then the first thing I’d do is that home audit! Do your walk through, take notes, and start brainstorming what you want from your home now that you’ve settled in and built a life there.

Next, find me when you’re ready and we’ll design a home you’ll love!

It’s Time to Love Your Home Again

Sometimes, the hardest part of the project is just getting started. The process can be overwhelming; your home might look like it needs a lot of work. Or you’ve been burned before by doing the design process by yourself and just don’t know if you’re ready for all those decisions again. 

Don’t be discouraged! Start slow, do your home audit, and get in touch with me so you have a partner by your side to make the design journey easier. Together we’ll assess what needs to stay and go, consider carefully curated options for everything from furniture to lighting to art, and have a strategic plan in place before a single stick of furniture is purchased. 

It’s time to love your home again and that starts with creating spaces that make you feel good!