With the tap of a button, we’re able to curate a vast Pinterest board full of beautiful images for the homes of our dreams. Kitchens with beautifully mixed finishes and custom cabinetry. Dreamy and cozy master suites that resemble a personal sanctuary. A home workspace oozing inspiration, creativity, and productivity. 

But when it comes to designing our own homes, have you felt like there’s too much inspiration to narrow down? You’re not alone! The truth is, behind most of those perfectly styled homes you see on social media and in magazines is an interior designer’s expertise. Taking what you love and creating something unique and meaningful? That’s my specialty. 

“But wait, Staci… How can I hire a designer if I’m not even sure what I like?” 

This is actually one of the best reasons to hire an interior design professional. Many of my clients come to me in that initial state of overwhelm and confusion, and I take the stress away by guiding you through an exciting process of discovery. Trust me, it’s as wonderful as it sounds.

Today I’m giving you a head-start by sharing an inside look at this process. Come take a look and maybe even try it out for yourself…

Step 1: Begin with Brainstorming

During the first step of the process, I always send a questionnaire to my clients and begin with general brainstorming techniques to catch a glimpse of their vision. In this, I have them envision their end goal for using the space, list three words for how they want their home to feel, and three words that describe their design style preferences.

For example, you might use words like fresh, warm, welcoming, inviting, transitional, modern, monochromatic, bright, classic, organic, etc. If you’re having trouble finding the right words for your preferred style, open up Pinterest and start typing in various phrases, like “transitional interiors” or “modern interiors”, to see what resonates with you most.

Step 2: Gather Inspiration

Okay, now we’re ready to dream up the look of this particular home or space. This is where all of those beautiful inspiration photos from Pinterest, Instagram, and Houzz come into play. Whether you opt for a digital or physical mood board, it’s essential to put all of your inspiration photos together in the same space. Not only does this help to keep the vibe consistent (matching your brainstorming in Step 1), but it will point out the style you tend to naturally gravitate toward. 

I suggest saving around 25-30 images for each room, and don’t overthink it! Let your intuition guide you for now.

Step 3: Dive Deeper

In Step 3, we’re now ready to do some deeper thinking. Look at your mood board and notice the details, such as colour, textures, scale, style, and finishes. Which of these design details appear consistently throughout the photos? Do the majority of the homes on your mood board have fresh white walls and stand-out cabinet colours? Is luxurious wallpaper a consistent theme? Is natural wood and leather always somewhere in view?

Make a list of what you love about each space you’ve collected, and move on to Step 4…

Step 4: Refine Your Mood Board

Now, we’re ready to edit your mood board. Although this does mean making some hard decisions (this is where I can help!), you will want to narrow down your mood board selections to 3-5 strong images for each room.  We usually do this part for our clients, so if you’re working on your own home be sure not to skip this step.  

This will help pinpoint and focus your design style and will help us (or you) reach the end goal of getting the exact results you desire. If you’re having difficulty deciding, refer back to your list from Step 3 to see which spaces have everything on your Love-It list. 

Step 5: Implement the Design

You’ve brainstormed, you’ve gathered, you’ve organized and we’ve narrowed down your style… now, it’s time for all of your hard work to pay off. At this point, we have successfully identified your desired style and have a clear vision of how you want your home to look and feel. 

We will then begin to source items and gather fabric samples to create a detailed, tactile mood board (those “flat lays” you’ve seen on social media) for your specific space. Laying photos and fabric on a table help us select materials that best match our final mood board and seamlessly flow together. Once we have a final design concept created, we share it with you, iterate if needed, and get your final approval.

At this point, your work is done! Behind the scenes, we’ll be creating detailed workorders, placing orders, tracking shipments, receiving deliveries, conducting quality inspections, and overseeing installation as part of our full-service offering. All while you sit back, relax, and enjoy the full confidence of knowing your dream home is coming to life. Ah… bliss.

It’s your turn…

If you’re a new client of ours, I can’t wait to walk through this process with you one-on-one. It is an exciting time and pivotal to ensuring the best possible results. If you’re not a client yet, I would be delighted to support you on your design journey, we offer services ranging from consultations all the way up to full-service design and decorating for major renovations or new builds. Reach out to me here, and let’s see if we’re the right fit for each other.

Chat soon!

Staci

P.S. Don’t forget to download my complimentary guide: 5 Things to Ask Yourself Before Hiring an Interior Designer!

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