As we kick off the fall season, this is the time to be planning your decorating projects so that they’re complete before the snow falls.

Most items, like ordering new furniture or reupholstering, ordering new lights, getting new carpets installed or ordering area rugs can take up to four to eight weeks to arrive from date of order. If your decorating includes new paint on the walls or other items that require a professional, then you want to get on their radar and get slotted into their work schedule because before you know it, you will be into holiday parties.

There are some key factors to consider when coming with up with a design plan for your home. Creating a space that meets your style and expectations is harder than you think. If you have the design gene and can pull together colour, texture, scale, style and of course the time, then enjoy the process. If you are planning a full-scale decorating job and want to start with a clean slate, then hiring an interior designer is well worth the time and will be money well spent.

Make that plan!

First thing you want to do is make a plan! If you begin without making a plan, you will likely make costly mistakes and will lose your design momentum. The allure of a “sale” sign may entice you to buy items that you don’t really have the right spot for, or the scale, size or colour isn’t quite right once they’re in your home.

Your design plan should start with what you want the function of the room to be. Bedrooms, a dining room or home office are obvious and fairly straightforward, but then there are living spaces which can be living rooms, rec rooms or basements, rooms off, but part of the kitchen. Understanding how you live and where you want to rest and relax, watch tv, play games with friend and family will dictate the design and décor of the room. The colour scheme, type and scale of the furniture, layout of the room and what you will use it most for sets your design plan in motion.

Establish a budget

Next is to establish a realistic budget based on the things you need. Get an idea of cost of the bigger items you need and some key accessories like lighting and accent pieces. You need to determine if you are keeping the majority of your furnishings and just switching out accessories or accents or if you’re signing up for a whole new look, which means new stuff.

Determine the look and style you are going after, whether it be modern, contemporary, traditional or transitional. Spend the time online searching design sites, pulling pages from your favorite design magazines, use Pinterest board or set up an account on Houzz to get some inspirational ideas. Once you see what you’re drawn to and what makes sense for the style of your house and the feeling you want for your room, you can start researching the cost and putting pen to paper to get a budget together.

Next up, we’ll talk about laying out the rooms in your home.