“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”

Alan Lakein, author

1. Identify Your Style

An exciting but sometimes daunting part about starting a home improvement project is deciding what the design details will be. Not everyone knows their ideal style right off the bat. The good news is, its fun to figure out what you absolutely love and would like to mimic, or wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. Use your resources online and at home to begin your research, whether it be design books, neighbor’s style, online blogs, magazines, or catalogs.

This fun quiz from Sherwin Williams is one way to identify what they call your “Color ID”. Take the short 10 question quiz to discover what current trending color palettes might work to design a room for you. Your result will display one of eight color schemes that potentially coincide with your interior design personality. Or explore our blog on the current colors of the year from the top company’s in the industry.

From there you can look into how you’d like to use your preferred color schemes by deciding which interior design style or styles best fit your home and your taste. Here’s a breakdown of a few interior design styles to get your gears in motion.

Check out our article on fabric design palettes to explore even more color and texture options. There is no shortage of design ideas out there so get started! Keep a tab on your favorite ideas for inspiration tip #2…

2. Start a Mood Board

Now that you have a sense of what colors and styles you might want to incorporate into a space, how do you want to use them? Create a mood board for ideas and inspiration. Planning is half the process for a well-thought out room. Maybe this will be a physical mood board filled with cutouts of color swatches, room designs, and dream spaces from magazines. Or consider using a Pinterest board to catalog your dream looks. Think about people who you follow on social media or magazines you have recently received. What changes do you want to make? Craft a mood board that speaks to your design and home improvement goals, while honing in on a cohesive look.

Lafayette’s New 2020 Look Book is available to browse online now for even more style inspiration.

3. Decide What Can Stay and What Can Go

Maybe you have some pieces that are great quality or definitely things you don’t want to see go anytime soon. How will your new plans work with your existing pieces? See how far you can stretch what you have to fit with what you want. Even take photos of your current items and incorporate them into your digital or physical mood board.

On the other hand, maybe your grandma gave you an old lamp for your first apartment after college and somehow 10 years later you still have it (and never really loved it in the first place). Can you upgrade it with a new shade? Does it work in your dream scheme? If not, let it go. Small items like lamps can be easy purchases to freshen up a room.

4. Consider Your Usage of the Space

"Design is coming to grips with one’s real lifestyle, one’s real place in the world. Rooms should not be put together for show but to nourish one’s well being."

Albert Hadley

Pretend you’re looking at your space with brand new eyes. What seems out of place? What area isn’t being used right? Where could you use more storage or have less clutter? Give yourself the opportunity to examine your room as if you were a stranger. Where does your décor carry your eye? While purely aesthetically pleasing design is important, considering improving the actual function of the space will prove useful.

5. Get Real | Let Your Budget Lead

A budget can sound limiting and boring, especially when it comes to the world of interior design. But determining your goals and your budget can help you find inspiration for your projects by organizing what’s reachable. Having accessible project goals gives more reason to get them done.

Once you decide which home updates are in your budget, you can determine which require outsourcing or can be DIY projects. Plus, letting your budget lead will help reflect the increased value you are creating in your home by initiating some improvements. Maybe you are in your forever home and simply want to re-do something for you. Its still good to know the return on your project’s time and money investment to keep track of the value of your home. This handy list from HGTV breaks down 15 Home Updates, how to manage them, and what percent of return on investment the average homeowner sees in their home value.

Things like a new rug, perhaps just a carpet clean, fresh coat of paint, a new light fixture are relatively inexpensive and often DIY projects that don’t have a high expected return but can make your living space 100x times more enjoyable.

Larger projects like installing hardwood or faux hard wood flooring, landscaping, or re-facing cabinets take a little more time, money and effort but your expected return is much higher. Plan out what you want done, then organize in accordance to projects for today’s wallet and tomorrow’s savings.

6. Reach Out to a Professional

Many interior professionals are still working and consulting remotely despite non-essential work limitations in many areas. See who is available to assist you in your area to draw out some of your bigger ideas. Maybe you just want to know how much paint you might need for a room? Call your local paint or hardware store and they would happily assist you in determining your needs for a DIY paint job, providing swatches, and assisting with purchase.

What other ways are you finding inspiration to start home improvement projects? Let us know in the comments or email us with questions, comments or concerns at lifblog@lafvb.com.