How to Start Creating Your Own Custom Interior Design Plan
Faith Led Interior Design Show | Episode 2
One of the biggest design secrets of all is not really a secret. It is not done by many people. It is the interior design plan. Every great interior has a great interior design plan.
We are fine with architectural plans. We are fine with building and construction plans. But I believe an interior design plan should also be included before the building is constructed. An architect, contractor, and interior designer make a dream team for a new build.
But if your building or your home already exists, then an interior design plan that is custom for you and your family is a fabulous way to start thinking about your interior design projects.
On HGTV shows, rarely do they show you what it took to get to that final design. It's usually just voila, we thought of this for five seconds, and it's done. I can assure you, there was an interior design plan that was thought out, drawn-out, written out, budgeted, and then implemented by the team or construction crew.
So, if you're looking around your room and you're wondering where to start or how to start on your room interior design plan, this episode is for you.
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How to Start Creating Your Own Custom Interior Design Plan
The Bible says that King David and King Solomon, his son, greatly loved God and they wanted to build a temple for him. In 1 Chronicles 28:11-21, it says that God initially gave the plans for building the temple to King David. King David later passed the plans on to Solomon, his son, who also became king. So even God had a plan for his temple.
One thing I want to say about our plans is that the plan is just that, a plan. It is changeable. It is established on paper before it is implemented. So this is not really doing it. You can save a lot of money by not making mistakes, not making very costly change orders, and thinking everything through first. Changing orders during the building process usually means a lot of additional money.
Four Important Considerations for an Interior Design Plan
1. THE FIRST ITEM FOR PLANNING IS TO STOP BUYING
One thing that I'm going to ask you to do and this is going to be fine for some and some just won't want to do it, and that is to stop buying. Start your plan and stop buying. Our natural tendency, or we don't know a different approach, is to go shopping and just buy things.
This is literally guessing. This might look nice, this is okay. I think it would work. This one is definitely perfect and so on…only to find out later that it doesn't fit, it's the wrong color, I can't return it and I just wasted lots of money.
2. IT IS EASIEST IF YOU START WITH ONE ROOM TO PLAN
So how do you start working on your interior design project? What are the first steps to start creating an interior design plan?
Get a journal for that room. Write down the function of that room. Who's using the room? What is the traffic flow? How do people walk through the room? What sort of activities happen in that room? How do people use the room? Are there storage concerns or not? Make a list of what things may be needed and what needs to be taken out?
Just make notes about everything about that room that you can think of initially. Start somewhere, start writing it out. Later you might come back and say, “Well, I thought I needed to get more storage, but now I don't think I do”. The beauty of the plan is, as you develop it, things can be changed.
3. THE ROOM EVALUATION
What you're going to do is a room evaluation. Literally, I want you to look at each item in the room. Ask yourself: Do I love it? And then make piles…
Keep pile: Things I love. And I still think it's in great shape. So I'm just going to keep it as is.
Donate or Give: I'm done with this. It served its purpose but it's not going to make the cut.
Some donations: can be written off on our taxes. Some can be charitable contributions, but please check with your tax advisor and state laws. Each state has different laws about that.
Sell: Perhaps this item could be great for someone else. Facebook marketplace and Craigslist are great places to start with this. I do want to warn you though, sometimes people are trying to get into your home to scope it out. So be extremely careful!!! You might want to meet at an in-between place or something if you're selling on those sites.
Consignment Store: These stores sell your items for you and give you a percentage. The percentages vary and usually, it won't be a big percentage. You will not get what you actually spent, the percentages vary from each business, but it does help you sell some of those items that are harder to sell.
Refinish, re-do or repair: I love this but it needs a bit of touch up. I think it's worth repairing. I really like it. It might need to be refinished. You might be thinking, I'm going to change the color on it and make it work with my new design.
Unsure pile: I'm not sure whether to keep this or not? I'll hang on to see if it might work in this room or another room. I'll just put it in the not sure pile and see if it makes it. Perhaps I’ll get rid of it later if it just simply does not work. You know, if it's so so and you don't really love it, I would get rid of it.
Professional Note: I have also seen, through the years, that sometimes people are getting rid of things that I would have kept.
Consider maybe using it in a different way than you were thinking or in a different room. So, if it has possibilities, I'd put it in the I'm not sure yet pile. It may make it or it may not? To be determined later.
Professional note: It does not have to cost a lot to be a keeper.
You just need to love it or get as close to love as you can.
Also, you could have sentimental things, but you don't love them.
A Conversation With My Client, Lonnie
We were doing her room and her guest room.
I asked her about the quilt because it wasn't really, you know, going to be fabulous in there.
She said her grandma made it and gave it to her.
I asked, “Well, do you love it?”
She said, “Not really. I don't. But it's, you know, my grandma made it.”
I asked, “How old is your grandma?”
She said, “94ish, you know, 90s.”
And so I asked, “How often do you see your Grandma?”
Loni said, “Maybe once or twice a year.”
So I said, “Okay, let's just put this in the closet and when she comes, put it at the foot of your bed. Have it be a throw. She will love it that you're using the quilt. You don't have to see it every day.”
So that's what she did and it was kind of cool. We want to honor Grammys! It was so sweet that she gave her a beautiful quilt.
Some of those things that you're not truly in love with, pull them out when the people come over. We don’t want to dishonor them, so we honor them and their love in this way.
Usually, this is necessary because it is not your style and does not go with your style at all.
4. THE SAMPLE AND IDEAS BASKET
I use Pinterest for pictures and ideas. You can make a board on Pinterest for each room that you're working on. It’s cool to have a room board for each room. Each has pictures, ideas, and things you think you might like to use in your new room.
You can also use magazines. Usually, you do not like the whole room. You may like one part of the picture, or you may just like the lamp in the picture. You may like the color of that pillow. Or you may like the wall color. So circle what you like, make notes about why you like it and what room you are thinking of using it in. Because, if you’re like me, you'll look back later and go what did I like on this page? Was it the shape? Was it the color, the size, or something else?
Keep track of your favorite ideas. I use a basket for each room to gather all the ideas.
I have a journal for each room and a file for each room in my room basket. Maybe I'm getting a floor covering quote or those kinds of things that can throw them in the file.
I might also put tiles samples, fabric samples, paint colors, small rug samples, those kinds of things.
Your collection starts out big. Put all kinds of ideas for things in there. Later you will whittle it down to just the things that you love the most. Eventually, you will weed out the good (like) from the great (love). It takes a little while to gather, give this stage some.
Yay, new ideas! Sometimes you're looking and you get a whole other idea that you never would have gotten without being out there and seeing what's available.
Still, don't buy anything yet.
One thing I want you to remember is:
“You can live with things that you like, but you can't live without things that you love.”
So we are really looking to find those things that you love! We want to fill this room with love, not like, but love items. If you are loving them, I mean really really loving them, they most likely are a reflection of you.
So that's the start of your interior design plan.
What’s Next For You?
Next week, I will talk about your interior design personality style.
That is not your furniture style. It's your interior design personality style, which is really fun.
This goes along with the interior design plan. You want to find out what your main personality style is and it helps you weed out a lot of things that you should not be shopping for. It's also important because it helps you determine what personal emotions you want to evoke in your room, and that will help you because your personality has a lot to do with that.
Later we will be determining your furniture styles.
There are going to be about 12 different styles discussed. We'll have a quiz so that you can determine your personal furniture style or styles.
We will talk more about you, being the art of your home.
Also, space planning to the exact scale and how to draw your room to scale.
I'm still collecting your most pressing interior design questions. Please go to my email at Shereedouglas@gmail.com and submit your question. It may be one that I will feature on my podcast. That would be great, and it really helps me know what you are needing for your interior design projects.
