Picture a house, hotel, or AirBNB that wowed you. Whether the vibe was glam or casual, neutral or colorful, the space looked harmonious and complete. Every room felt connected. Why did it all feel connected? Because the person who designed it had a clear point of view. A VISION. By defining a clear vision for your home ahead of time, you too can create an atmosphere where every room feels like part of a larger whole. Regardless of your specific decorative style, the result will be an atmosphere of comfort and contentment.
I know from personal experience that choosing which style you want to live with can be a challenge. (I went through this same process when updating my own home.) Labels like Traditional, Bohemian, or Minimalist might not capture your entire style personality. Perhaps you are drawn to several styles, but when you shop for furniture the room ends up looking mismatched. The key to a successful home update, whether you are doing built-in surfaces like flooring, cabinetry and tile, or a furniture refresh with a fresh coat of paint, is to identify and define your unique style ahead of time so that every decision you make along the way relates back to one core idea.
Follow these 6 steps to identify and define YOUR perfect space and craft a Vision Board that will serve as your decorative North Star:
Imagine a feeling.
Envision a look.
Gather inspiration.
Take a break.
Create a Vision Board.
Save it. Print it. Use it as your guide.
Step 1: Imagine a Feeling
Start by thinking about how you want your home to feel. Close your eyes and imagine future you. Take a few minutes to let your mind wander and explore different scenarios. Are you hosting a dinner party? Are young kids laughing and jumping on the sofa? Are you snuggled up under a cozy blanket with a book? Or perhaps your dream home is a gleaming minimalist white space where your mind can rest and recover from the stimulation of the outside world. Jot down a few words that summarize your imagined experience.
Step 2: Envision a Look
Now take it one step farther and start to envision the backdrop for those moments and experiences. Your vision can be blurry and vague at this point. Is your space light and airy, moody and dark, or brightly colored with charming patterns? Write down the words that capture your ideal look and feel. Have fun with adjectives! Use the Thesaurus website to find words that are precise and expressive: FEMININE, COZY, FRESH, SUNLIT, EARTHY, RETRO, VIBRANT, BEACHY, REFINED, ELEGANT. Stay away from design labels and categories (they can be too limiting), and instead focus on descriptive words that evoke a feeling.
Step 3: Gather Inspiration
Gather images that support and build upon your ideas. My favorite tool for image gathering is Pinterest. You can start by typing in a descriptor like "airy living room." Use some of the words you jotted down in steps 1 and 2. When you tap on an image, it will bring you to another page with similar images. As you scroll, pin any and all images that appeal to you. Keep an open mind, and see where Pinterest takes you. At this stage, more is better. You can narrow your focus later. Rather than looking for a single room that you want to copy, look for specific details that appeal to you. You might spot a gorgeous fireplace, but not like any of the furniture around it. That’s okay! Your perfect room may not exist yet, so searching for an exact match is a wasted effort.
Once you begin your search, you may start to notice inspiration elsewhere. Did an ad pop up on your phone with a fabulous sofa? Take a screen capture so you can add it to your personal image library. And just like you can save images in Pinterest, you can create folders and save images in Instagram. Instagram is great source for current, of-the-moment content that designers and DIY experts are releasing every day.
Step 4: Take a Break
Endless scrolling can be mentally exhausting. Take a break. Come back a few days later and review all of the inspiration you’ve gathered. A detail that really excited you might lose its luster upon second glance. While some ideas fade, others will rise to the forefront with clarity. Trust your instincts. Narrow it down to your favorites. If you live with a partner or spouse, sort through the images and pin boards together to see what appeals to you both. Once you've selected your favorite images, you will need to download them to your computer for the next step.
Step 5: Create a Vision Board
If you are designing your home without professional help, now is the time to create your own Vision Board. Canva is my preferred tool for creating vision boards (a.k.a. mood boards). Canva offers free accounts that will allow you to drag and drop images onto your white page, move, crop and resize them, and add text. To get started, open Canva and type "mood boards" into the search bar. You can then choose from an assortment of free or paid templates. In the search prompt I recommend selecting "mood boards photo collages" or "mood board interior design." Arrange your favorite photos on the page and add your keywords.
Step 6: Save It, Print It, Use It As Your Guide
Once you are happy with your Vision Board you can save it, download it as a pdf, and print it. Hang it on the wall and refer to it whenever you are making design updates to your home. It will guide you as you seek out finishes, furnishings and decor that fit your overall vision, and it will help you weed out trends that seem exciting in the moment but will be wasted investments in the long run. Whether you are updating your entire home at one time, or doing it gradually over several years, referring back to your Vision Board will ensure that each separate room and detail connects back to your original vision for a cohesive look and feel. When you are lost or overwhelmed, it will be the North Star that guides you back on track. Your vision board will help you create a home that feels polished, complete, and uniquely yours.
For those with the time and inclination, researching and refining your vision can be a fun and rewarding process. Go ahead and get started now! However, if your reaction to these 6 steps is:
A) I just don't have the time
B) I don't feel confident that my ideas are any good, or
C) No matter how many cool photos I save, I struggle to see how they fit together
THEN... you may be a perfect candidate for professional interior design assistance. Although a designer will need at least a few inspirational words or images to start from (like a hairdresser needs an idea of your desired length and style before they make the first cut), an interior designer can save you time by gathering images and guiding you through the process. At Heather Zerah Interiors, I ask my clients to do steps 1 and 2 at the start of the project. Even if their schedules are jam packed, they can lay in bed at night and imagine their perfect home experience as they drift off to sleep. I can then build on their ideas by gathering inspiration images for us to review and sort together as we nail down a clear design direction.
Whether you are doing it all yourself or working with an interior designer, identifying your style and defining your vision is the foundation for a successful home update. If you are struggling to get started, contact Heather Zerah Interiors today so we can discuss how to elevate your space to dream home status.
Heather Zerah Interiors is an interior design studio based in Rocklin, California. Heather takes the overwhelm out of home updates by providing full-service interior design from concept through construction and installation. Do you live outside of Northern California? Reach out today to inquire about long distance and virtual design options.
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