Your home's constant need for evolution weighs heavily on most of us as we transition from one stage of life to the next. Design aesthetics aren’t usually the main reason for contemplating change either (but a fresh outlook on your home and how it represents your own personal style never hurts). Need for change comes from change in lifestyle or family dynamics such as marriage, having kids or kids moving out. That may mean finding a home with more space (or less) or looking at how you work with what you already have.
Like most things in life, getting started can be the hardest part and as families' needs for their homes change, more times than not just taking that first step can be a challenge. Whether a large change or small, consulting with a design professional and/or reputable contractor can add clarity and help to better determine the feasibility of accomplishing the updates and changes you may desire (or at least help define which ones are more realistically possible). Most design professionals will help start to reshape those ideas into a plan. They will help start to determine a true budget and the best ways to execute that vision. The truly reputable professionals will also talk you through the long term impact of investment you are making into your home.
More times than not, tempering your ideas and plans may be the first challenge. You are sure to get countless ideas from friends and family and see 1,000’s of images in magazines and online. And then the inevitable question of “is this house really the place for us if all of these changes are required”?
Define your issues and don’t focus on solutions immediately. More times than not there are countless solutions to an issue and by focusing more intensely on what your current issue is will help shape a solution during your design phase. This will also allow you to think about the solution being more of a long term than short term solution.
Getting started can be as easy as that first call or email. Whether it’s a small change or major renovation, it could be the first step to living in a more functional and beautiful space that you can be proud of.