The Puzzle We Call Home
Have you ever tried to set a puzzle where you wanted a certain piece to go in one spot? And no matter how hard you tried, the piece just wouldn't fit?
If you really think about it, your home is a lot like a puzzle. There may be pieces of furniture that no matter how hard you try, will not fit or work in a room. There may be rooms in your home where you think the entire room just sticks out like a sore thumb (due to colour, furniture, excess stuff) which doesn't allow your home to have that desirable flow you are looking for.I have the opportunity to see many homes where there are pieces of the puzzle that just don't fit. Sometimes it is a fairly easy fix while other times it’s going to take a bit more work.The key to solving the puzzle that we call home is to ensure that your home has flow. How do you achieve that?
Foundation
In order to achieve the flow you desire in your home, you need to start with a foundation. Some people may call it a ‘Mission Statement’ or their ‘Dream’. It can be as simple as:
“I want my home to feel fresh and cozy warm”.
OR
“I want my home to feel fresh, crisp and clean.”
Without having a foundation upon which to build, you may be spinning your wheels without moving forward. This is a great place to use Pinterest to start searching for looks and feels that resonate with you.
Creating Flow
Once you have a foundation or mission statement, then you need to consider how your home is going to flow.
Vision for Each Room
By having a vision for each room, you are essentially creating flow to your home. Part of having flow to your home is getting rid of all the unnecessary items in your home. Really take stock at what you use, what you need, and what you can get rid of. Multiple times I have helped clients create flow and decluttering is one of the first things we do. If your family room is the place where you wish to have your family chill out, relax, and watch a bit of TV, then this room has its vision: chill out and relax. Anything that doesn’t fall within that vision needs to go. The same holds true for bedroom. If the vision for the bedroom is to be calming, peaceful and a place to rest, then the exercise equipment and /or office desk needs to go.
Changes
If you are tackling more than just decluttering (perhaps a renovation), you need to keep in mind that your home is not made up of individual puzzle pieces – rather they are pieces that need to fit together to create an image. Maria Killam explains it like this:
“Your house is not made up of a series of islands”.
Where so many people make a mistake is trying to combine old with new (new kitchen cabinets with old floor) and it ends up not looking right.Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
In the image above, this homeowner definitely updated the kitchen cabinets, counters and backsplash however they did not take into consideration the pink beige floor tiles. To make matters even worse, they painted the walls a yellow-beige colour. The end result? New kitchen, old floor = no flow.
Budgeting
If only we all had an unlimited budget – oh the houses we could create. The reality is that not everyone has an unlimited budget. So how can we get it all without breaking the bank? You budget and make some hard decisions.If you have been following my blog, you will know that we are going to be undergoing a renovation in my home this winter. While I would love to have no carpet at all in my home, I also know that this home is not our ‘forever home’. Meaning, when our kids have graduated college and /or university, we plan on downsizing. Knowing this is not our forever home we are going to save some money by not installing hardwood up our stairs (which is a costly endeavor).The same holds true with our kitchen. While I would love the opportunity to redesign our entire kitchen, I just had roll-out drawers installed in all of our lower cabinets last year (which I love) and truthfully, our kitchen functions well for our family. Instead of redesigning an entire kitchen, we are going to reface our cabinets and have them painted (yes – white). This will allow us to get other things done in our home. The photo below is a great example of a cost effective way to make a forward, fresh change without breaking the bank:
Choices
Am I a little bit bummed that we won’t have hardwood going up our stairs? Well – yes I am. By making that choice we are going to be able to give our home an entire, fresh look. By not spending the extra money on a brand new kitchen and installing hardwood up the stairs, I'll be able to do a lot more. By making some smart budgeting choices, we will also have some money left over for decorating (which everyone should consider if they are going through a renovation). There’s no point in spending a boat-load of money on hard finishes to have old furniture that won't work in the newly designed space(s).
The End Result
The end result is to have your entire home be a home that you love coming home to. While this may take time and patience, it is so worth it!
Wishing to fall in your love with your home? See how we can help!
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