Design Dilemma?

You have finally taken that leap, by purchasing your new home. You picture the type of flooring, countertops, cabinets, the color of the walls and now you and your spouse are finally at the design appointment.  The question of what type of kitchen cabinet would you like comes up and you want traditional and your spouse prefers modern.  How do you go about compromising so everyone feels satisfied with the choice?

In our Design Center, our Interior Designers, Malia Warburton and Andera West, witness many homeowners wrestling with these decisions.  When couples come together to pick out the design features of their new home, our designers generally find that one person is more involved in the process than the other.  Occasionally, couples will leave the room to discuss certain items or on rare occasions they will debate the choices right there in the design appointment.  Often when these debates happen it is in the form of play banter and teasing, which helps soften the situation even though it is a huge investment. 

Each spouse has their own items that are really important to them, and they are okay with letting the other spouse make other decisions.  When couples have discussed the options ahead of time and communicated them to one another than the design appointments tend to go smoothly.  Here are some tips from our designers that might help you when you are picking out your new home’s design features:

·      Be clear with one another about the budget available for design options

·      Limit distractions, best as possible, during the design appointment (kids, cell phones, etc…)

·      Search for inspiration beforehand (Pinterest, Houzz, Better Homes & Gardens)

·      Bring photos of what you like

·      Determine how you’d like your home to show off your personality as well as cater to family needs.

·      Set a time prior to your official design appointment to browse options in the design center.

·      Take a walk through the model home just to design gather ideas.

·      Create a list of must haves and wants.  Prioritize each list.

·      Budget necessary time for the appointment.  Don’t let yourself feel rushed to make decisions.

Last of all it goes without saying that patience and a sense of humor help in this process. In those moments when you are feeling frustrated during the design appointment and struggling to find common ground, we recommend reading a

fun little article that might help turn your appointment around.