The Home Work Journal · By Alyson Rice
You found them! The plans for your DREAM HOME!
You’ve imagined the kitchen and pictured the view from the living room. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably already imagined where everything will go, right down to the Christmas tree, if that’s part of your celebrations. (Seriously, so many beautiful homes don’t have a good spot for one!)
You’ve found a builder. Things are happening!
And then someone asks what flooring you want.
And which cabinets. And countertops. And lighting. And plumbing fixtures. And paint colours.
OMG. Things are happening really fast… too fast.
Wait. I have to choose all of this, and you need to know NOW?
The floor plan didn’t come with a personal shopper.
Buying house plans online and finding the right builder can feel like two very big boxes ticked. And they are! But depending on what’s included with your builder, you may still have a whole lot of interior decisions sitting in your lap.
You know the feeling you want. You have the inspiration photos. Possibly several hundred of them.
But how do you turn all of that into one home that feels like you?
That’s where I come in.
First, I want to understand your vision.
Before we head to a showroom, let’s talk about what you actually love. How you live. What you’re bringing with you. What’s worth the investment to you, and where you’d rather keep things simple. And yes, I’d love to see the several hundred images you’ve saved to your Pinterest board called “Dream House.”
Maybe you want warm woods and a calm, layered palette. Maybe there’s a colour you can’t stop thinking about. Maybe you know exactly what you don’t like, which is also a perfectly good place to start.
I can help you determine your design plan so we’re making choices with a direction in mind, instead of collecting beautiful things and hoping they’ll all get along.
We can go shopping together. Or I can do some of the homework for you.
I can go with you to showrooms to help guide the selection process. We can look at samples together, compare options and talk through how a finish will work with the rest of your home.
Or, if wandering through endless displays of tile isn’t how you’d like to spend your Saturday, I can go on your behalf.
I’ll narrow down the endless options and present a few I think you’ll love, because I’ve taken the time to understand your vision.
You still make the decisions. You just don’t have to start with every tile in the building.
And yes, this applies to the 47 shades of white too.
Beautiful on its own doesn’t always mean beautiful together.
The kitchen showroom helps with the cabinetry. The tile supplier helps with tile. The lighting store has a fixture you’ve fallen in love with.
My job is to help you see the whole picture. Flooring beside cabinetry. Countertops beside backsplash. The finish on that light fixture alongside the hardware you’ve already chosen.
We can keep track of the agreed selections and work with your builder on which decisions are needed next. Your builder and the appropriate professionals handle construction, drawings and technical requirements. I help with the interior design direction and the details we’ve agreed on.
Your dream home. With a little less homework.
You don’t need to have every finish figured out before we talk. And you don’t need to hand over all the fun parts, either.
Tell me where you’d love some help. We’ll figure out the assignment together.
