A remodel is not a small undertaking, neither practically nor psychologically. You’ve probably been thinking about it, dreaming about it, for weeks, months, or even years before you finally decide to go ahead with it. The buildup tends to create a lot of pressure to deliver on that vision, and when you dive into the process, it’s only going to get more stressful.
There are so many decisions to be made, so many selections. It can be completely overwhelming at the best of times, especially if you’re looking at the totality of what’s out there. It’s a lot.
Narrowing down the options isn’t easy, either. It’s simply human nature, but we all have a little bit of fear that we’re going to choose one thing and then we’ll see something we like better after it’s too late to go back.
However, if you lined up your top favorites and had a good look at them, you would probably realize that they all have something in common. Color, pattern, shape, texture – there is going to be a connecting thread running through the collection. In the effort to overcome the planning paralysis, it’s important to be able to break down what you like—and what you don’t like—about certain things. This will (hopefully) make all of the decisions a little bit easier.
How Working With A Designer Helps
This is where working with a designer comes in handy. Before you go and stress yourself out too much about the process, we’ll sit down with you, ask the right questions, and get an idea of your taste, your likes, and dislikes.
Every so often, we will have a homeowner who simply can’t decide, and they’ll ask us to choose for them. In other cases, they will make a lot of choices, and we will give our unbiased opinion. We might ask what you like about a specific countertop, or why you keep going back to one particular style of cabinet. This gives us an idea of what inspires you, and it helps us narrow down the selections for you in other areas.
Our discussions are intended to elicit a conclusion. We might learn that you like light-colored countertops with dark cabinets or that you do not care for bright colors. These are details you may not have been able to articulate without a little guidance. But, having learned these things about you, we can guide you through the process more quickly.
The truth is, you can look at a lot of beautiful things that stand up on their own merit, but not all of them necessarily work with each other or complement the décor in the rest of your home.
Sometimes we have to tell people, “I know you really like this, but in the grand scheme of things, the overall look is going to need to be something a little bit like XYZ.” It’s the moment where you are forced to step away from something that you really like because you’ll be comprising something else.
The Influence Of Budget On Planning Paralysis
Sometimes, budget will cause a bit of planning stress as well. For example, if you really like a countertop or a specific fixture, but to make it work, you would have to change so many other things in the design, it might be a little overwhelming. How much do you really need, love, or want that thing? And are you willing to go way over your budget just so it makes sense to the rest of the design?
In other situations, people might bring us photos of huge bathrooms or kitchens, even though theirs is a fraction of the size. The reality is, if you don’t have the square footage to match, it won’t be possible to have that exact design. In this case, we will talk you through it, take what parts and pieces we can from those ideas and work them into a design you’ll love.
Custom pieces are another budget-killer. Sometimes it’s doable, sometimes it’s not. Most of the time, we can help you find something similar that is within your budget.
Once you’ve made the first couple of decisions, the groundwork is done. You will know that you love these specific cabinets and this color, so we can plan the rest of the design to match. This also makes it easier to eliminate choices because if something doesn’t match, we can strike it off the list.
One Last Chance To Change Your Mind
Of course, nothing is set in stone until you begin the ordering process.
Before that, we will usually meet and go shopping once or twice, price everything out, and go from there. During the pre-construction meeting, we will go over the decorator sheet – essentially, a spreadsheet that contains all your selections – to double-check everything before we order.
This is the moment of truth, your last chance to make changes. From there on in, it’s full steam ahead.
Are you ready to start talking about your remodel? Reach out today. Our designers can help make the process easier and less stressful from start to finish.
