Where to Start When Planning a Home Renovation
Planning a home renovation can be exciting, but figuring out where to start can quickly feel overwhelming.
Maybe your kitchen no longer works for your family, the flooring has seen better days, or several spaces throughout your home are ready for an update. You know what you want to change, but then come the decisions: cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tile, fixtures, colours, finishes and everything in between.
Before you start choosing individual products, it helps to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Start With How You Want Your Home to Work
Before thinking about colours and finishes, consider what isn’t working in your home right now.
Maybe your kitchen needs more storage or a better layout. Perhaps your main floor feels disconnected from one room to the next. You may need flooring that can better handle kids, pets and everyday life, or a bathroom that makes better use of the space you have.
These practical considerations give your renovation a starting point and help your designer understand what the finished space needs to accomplish.
Because a renovation shouldn’t just make your home look different. It should make it work better for the way you live.
Consider the Entire Space Before Making Individual Selections
One of the most important things to remember when planning a home renovation is that very few design decisions happen in isolation.
Your cabinetry influences your countertop selection. Your countertops need to work with your backsplash. Flooring may carry through several rooms, while hardware, fixtures and other finishes help connect everything visually.
Choosing each element separately can make it much harder to create a finished home that feels cohesive.
Looking at samples together allows you to compare undertones, textures, patterns and materials in context and see how the entire palette works before anything is ordered or installed.
Establish Your Priorities and Budget Early
You don’t need to know exactly what every part of your renovation will cost before meeting with a designer.
It does help, however, to understand what matters most to you and what you’re comfortable investing in the overall project.
There may be areas where upgrading a material or feature makes sense for your lifestyle, while other areas offer an opportunity to choose a more practical option without compromising the overall design.
Having those conversations early allows your designer to guide you toward selections that make sense for your home, priorities and budget.
Make Design Decisions Before Construction Begins
Waiting until construction is underway to make major design decisions can add unnecessary pressure to a renovation.
Cabinetry layouts, material lead times, flooring transitions, tile placement and installation requirements can all affect what happens next in the project.
Making key selections earlier gives your contractor, installers and design team a clearer understanding of the finished plan. It also gives you more time to consider your options instead of making rushed decisions because someone needs an answer immediately.
Bring Inspiration, But Don’t Worry About Having Everything Figured Out
Pinterest boards, saved Instagram posts and photos of homes you love are all helpful when planning a renovation.
But you don’t need to walk into your first design appointment knowing the exact cabinet colour, flooring product or countertop you want.
Instead, look for patterns in what you’re saving.
Are you consistently drawn to warm wood tones? Light, neutral spaces? Dark cabinetry? Natural textures? More colour and character?
Those references give your designer a sense of what you like. From there, they can help translate that inspiration into selections that actually work together in your home.
Work With a Design Team That Can See the Bigger Picture
When cabinetry comes from one place, flooring from another and tile from somewhere else, you’re often left trying to determine whether all of those individual choices will work together.
Working with a design team allows those decisions to be considered as part of one complete space.
At Innovative Design Centers, our designers help homeowners bring together cabinetry, countertops, flooring, tile, window coverings and interior finishes, considering how each selection works with the rest of the home.
Whether you’re renovating one room or updating several spaces at once, starting with a clear overall direction can make the entire process feel much more manageable.
Planning a Home Renovation in Southwestern Ontario?
You don’t need to have every detail figured out before you get started.
Bring your ideas, questions and an understanding of what you’d like to change. Our design team can help you work through the selections and create a direction that feels right for your home.
Visit Innovative Design Centers in London, Exeter, Grand Bend or Sebringville to start planning your renovation.
