Gathering the Facts for your Project- How is the space used?

-->

Post 4/5 in the series Gathering the Facts for your Project

Before you begin a project, you need to think about the space's use:

-How do you currently use this space?

-Is that the same way you plan to use it after completing the makeover?

-What are you hoping to accomplish? (ie- changing the space from a guest bedroom to a home office, updating the finishes to make the house more marketable when you choose to sell it, rearranging to make the area more useable, etc)

-Will children (yours or other people’s) be using this space? The fabrics and furnishings in this room will need to be durable and cleanable.  Your home is meant to be used and lived-in, not kept as a museum.  There are plenty of family-friendly furnishings available.  I’ve known of several clients over the years who purchase economically priced furnishings while their children are younger, and then once the kids are of high school or college age, they upgrade to higher quality pieces.  You know your family and what is right for them, choose your furnishings accordingly.

-Will pets use the space? Again, you’ll want to make sure the items within the room are durable and cleanable so no cat claws or dog treats damage your new purchases.

After answering these questions, a spinoff set of questions usually comes up, relating to your plans for the room.  For example- if you are converting a bedroom to a home office- do you have organizational needs? Is the lighting adequate?, etc.  Follow the line of questioning as far as you need to in order to clearly determine the function of the room.  

Join me next week when I talk about determining patterns and colors for your project.

-Liz