You’ve found the place, it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for and you can now go back to doing other things instead of living on property sites and going to viewings.
Time to get on Pinterest, Instagram or just start shopping, right? Or should you? I’ve often seen advice being offered about how it is best to wait and use a space for some time before putting your stamp on it as you then get a real feel of how it best works for you, sound advice indeed.
So, does this mean that you should sit on your hands till you’ve been in your space for a few months before getting started on getting it how you want it? Well, I don’t think that there is any right or wrong answer here and there are a number of factors to be taken into account in deciding what is right for you.
Which is the exact starting point, what is right for you? Interiors and your environment are a very personal thing, what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another, whether practically or aesthetically and essentially it is about having a space that supports those in it and makes them happy.
Another factor is your ability to visualise. Can you see clearly in your minds eye what you want to achieve, how you want it to look, work and feel? For some people this comes easily (I admit that I had completely decorated my places in my head, including colours within a 15-minute viewing and therefore ploughed ahead as soon as I got the keys). For others, it takes some time, from many hours spent on social media to hours in the shops to figure out what they want.
Now, if like me, you are able to vividly visualise a space, it is fair to say that there will still be the odd tweak required – i.e. that fabric print you envisioned doesn’t seem to be available anywhere for love nor money. This is no bad thing and there will usually be some tweaks required, even to the most considered plans. Also, if you happen to start shopping in advance and have the liberty of storage, you may become hazy regarding the exact size of the space available and find that your ideas might have become somewhat grander than what you actually have to work with (learnt from experience)!
The amount of work involved is also something that might affect the speed of progress. For example, if you would like to extend the property, funds may not be available immediately and as such, you will have to wait. However, if they are and you do not have to move immediately then having the work done (whether you are doing it yourself or hiring a contractor) and then moving in is obviously the ideal option.
If you feel you have to wait because you are unsure about the paint colour, my advice would be to get painting. The great thing about paint is that it can be easily and quickly changed. Something like a kitchen layout however, probably best to be more certain before you start ripping out and rebuilding.
As you can see from the examples, there really is no right or wrong answer. However, if you’ve found yourself waiting and waiting and then waiting some more because you just can’t visualise it or are unsure of how or where to start and beginning to drown in Pinterest boards, then perhaps it’s time to call in some help *cheeky wink*.