Questions & Answers

Q. We just moved into a new home where we plan to stay a long time. We want to decorate & furnish the entire house. However, I am overwhelmed and confused by the magnitude of the project. How do I do this without losing my sanity? Sandy G.



A. Dear Sandy,

Doing an entire house can be overwhelming to one who is not trained or has never done this before. However, it can be fun, exciting and a great learning experience. You do need to do some soul searching and some homework. First, ask yourslf what is your lifestyle? How many people in the family? What are the ages of the children? Do you have pets? How do you like to entertain? From these types of questions will emerge a profile of your family and the stage you are in. If you have very young children, you may need some easy maintenance, few accessories, easy care fabrics and be a bit more casual than if the children were grown.

Ask yourself who you are. That may take some time to figure out, but once you do, please feel comfortable with it and proceed with your decorating style to project that. Aftger all, it is your home.

A whole house project is a lot to do. I suggest breaking the project down into rooms and stages of work. This way you illiminate confusion, and see you results as you go forward. In this manner, you will have tangible results early on and will be able to decide if you are on the right track, and better control of your budget.

Set your priorities. Which rooms are most important? Begin by clipping colors, furniture styles, fabrics, drapery styles and accessories, etc. that you love from magazines. Go to the library and research various periods.

Once you are set with your style, have a feeling for the colors you like and would be comfortable living with, then decide whether you have the time, enough knowlege of style, etc. and the various resources to proceed on your own or whether you would like the services of a designer. A designer will help you sort out all of these things, and can be an excellent resource for you of product and talent to make all of your needs a reality. Even with a designer, doing all of the above, will help keep you focused and assist the two of you to make a great team in making your home fabulous. Good Luck!