Dream, Define & Decide- How to Set Yourself up for Design Success

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then mine is on life support and in need of a transplant. While helping my friend with plans for her kitchen (Hello dreamy English country mood board and lovely open island…)

I started giving my own kitchen the side eye. It wasn’t that we haven’t replaced a few broken appliances or had conversations about other things we wanted to upgrade or improve, it’s just that I hadn’t taken the time to dream, define and decide. Sure I had casually collected almost 200 kitchen pins but I knew I needed some focus.

Before diving into any project, I always like to look at where I am and how I got there. What’s working for me in the space? What do I already love? What do I already have? WHY do I even want to tackle this project? Answering those questions can sometimes save a lot of time, energy and heartache from getting knee deep in a renovation or buying sprees with the wrong motives. It’s so easy to think we need a full on makeover when what we really need is a reminder to count the blessings we already have and let the Jones keep up with themselves.

“What you speak becomes the house you live in”. ~Rafi

So I noted what I loved about my little kitchen- the cozy lamp corner, the afternoon sunlight through the window and my coffee bar. And I thought about my inspiring ‘why’- this is the  awesome belief I’ll need to keep holding on to when the shipping gets delayed, when the paint color I picked is still a little off (even with planning, it still happens!) or when the transformation drags out longer than I hoped because life happens…

No matter the challenges ahead, I decided I wanted to show my kitchen some love binding up the wounds of her scarred counter tops and wonky floors once and for all so she could beautifully serve us for another 15 years.  

With those matters settled, I became my own client and sat myself down to work through my own interior identity (get your free guide here) and then I made a mood board.

If you saw my post about defining your interior identity you may wonder, “Isn’t having a pin board and a mood board the same thing?” Not necessarily. I like to think of it like this: my Pinterest collection for the project is the “Mexican” restaurant I’m headed to and my mood board would be my specific order from that curated menu- taco salad with chicken, please. 

To me, a mood board isn’t only pretty curated pictures. It’s another way to give you direction and structure leading to confidence in your choices. It helps you feel in control. You know who you are in your design identity and you’ve distilled it down so that you won’t get swayed by the checkerboard floor that looks fabulous in some girl’s post. Because you did your detective work, you already know that it would be too busy for your own floor and you’re confident that you like your pattern on your accessories, not your walls or floors because you have a mood board that proves it- probably with a flooring choice already pasted in. 

Where your interior identity falls into the category of dreaming and defining, the mood board is all about deciding. If there are things I’m keeping in my space, I’ll add them to my mood board so I can see how the new things I’m choosing between go with them. As I look through counter top options, I’ll grab a picture of the swatch and paste it in and I’ll pull out a beginning color palette. Sometimes I like to add in lifestyle or aesthetic pictures- like the desert painting in my board or the tea cup or mixing bowl scenes in my friend’s to emphasize the feeling.

Why am I pulling out feelings when I’m talking about design? Because they are the secret sauce in getting the cozy, nourishing home you long for. That restaurant or friend’s house you love (or are actually a little jealous of if we’re honest) and wish you could live in- isn’t about duplicating the exact rug, drapes or lamps- it’s about the feeling that space gives you. Believe it or not, what we’re really after in any circumstance or relationship is a feeling – even in the relationship with our home. And great news: creating a feeling is within our power no matter our budget. 

“What people are craving isn’t perfection. People aren’t longing to be impressed; they’re longing to feel like they’re home. If you create a space full of love and character and creativity and soul, they’ll take off their shoes and curl up with gratitude and rest, no matter how small, no matter how undone, no matter how odd.” ~ Shauna Niequist

So while you’re dreaming, defining and deciding, take note of how you want your space to feel. What feelings do you get from your pin board and how can you best represent those feelings on your mood board? Once you know how you want a space to feel it’s a lot easier to dive into form. 

By now, you may be chomping at the bit to just start shopping or moving furniture but hang with me for two last things: purpose and budget. We have to get clear on who and what purposes the room is serving as well as what we’re willing or able to spend. Not as sexy as mood boards with fabulous pictures but just as important in helping us know where we’re going. 

How many people does your room serve on a regular basis? What types of work or play happen there? Do you still have small kids at home? What are the needs of you and your people? While we want our spaces to look pretty and feel good, they should also first and foremost function well for our family. 

As for how much to spend – I’m not just talking about money. Your budget can also be spent in time and creative ability- not just dollars and cents. So don’t get hung up on the thought, “I don’t have the money.” It’s just one way to tell your story. There are always creative ways around any limiting belief. I once swapped love seats with a friend for a couple years. I’ve sold furniture I don’t need anymore to go towards a new lovely piece and I’ve patiently saved for a brand new couch. I’ve DIY’d table tops out of scrap shelving from my shed and I’ve broken a project down into manageable phases that didn’t drain my savings account but still gave me the satisfaction of moving forward with my vision and creating something beautiful- even if it was just in a corner.

“You can wish your life away. But if you’re going to dream, you’re going to have to get out and, like I always say, you have to put some wings on them dreams, and some feet and fingers and some hands. They gotta get into some stuff. You can’t just sit around and think of all the things you want to do. You’ve got to think of what you want to do, and then you’ve got to get out and make that happen.” ~ Dolly Parton

So now that you have these tips in your transformation toolkit are you ready to roll up your sleeves and take some more action?

Stick around, I’ll be back with part 2 soon!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab your interior identity guide here!

P.P.S. For more info on how to work with me, visit my Design Services Page