Design and Decorating Mistakes to Avoid in Your New Home

Designing a new home can be the thrill of a lifetime! You may only have one special opportunity to build your dream home from scratch, to your exact specifications, and choose everything that goes into it. Designing and decorating, though, requires forethought and planning, so that you love the final product just as much as you loved the concept. To ensure that happens, our professional selection specialists have come up with a few (major!) design and decorating mistakes to avoid when planning your new home:

1) Not having a plan before starting your project: One of the biggest design mistakes is not being prepared. Designing a home is a huge undertaking, but there are ways to make it easier, faster, and above all else, fun! In our state-of-the-art design studios, we pull together every possible design selection into one space, meticulously organize them, then take you through the same process that professionals use when designing a home. This way, your design plan can be established before construction even begins, minimizing time-consuming changes along the way and helping you move into your beautiful new home sooner.

2) Not establishing a budget: When designing or decorating a new home, naturally, we want it all! Most people, though, have a target investment range that they must remain within, and we take that seriously. If there are any "must-have" features that you know you want — like wood flooring throughout, dramatic lighting, or a certain cabinet style — be sure you understand the cost and how much that leaves for the others. Make a list of priorities and remain open-minded, and our designers can work with you to create the home of your dreams, on time and within budget.

3) Choosing paint colors too early in the process: Unless you are basing your entire aesthetic around a particular paint color (which we don't usually recommend!), be sure to choose your paint colors after all other selections are complete. This includes flooring, cabinets, fixtures, and any stonework. This way, you'll know that your paint complements all other finishes, and you won't have to go through the process of reselecting it. The reason we stay away from designing around paint color is because paint can be easily changed if you become bored with it, whereas flooring and cabinets cannot. Professional selection specialists always choose flooring first and paint colors last, so that we know all the finishes work perfectly together. If there is a bold color that you love, consider using it on an accent wall so that it gets the special attention it deserves.

4) Having inadequate lighting in important areas:   The kitchen is a great example. From cooking to homework to paying the bills, lots of important tasks happen in the kitchen — all of which require great lighting. At Brown Haven Homes, we include LED can lights in every kitchen, so that we can highlight the areas most needed for food prep, cleaning, and working. If you need to illuminate the space even more, we offer additional, optional under-cabinet LED lighting. Other important areas that should be well-lit include bathrooms and built-in work areas.

5) Including too little bathroom storage & counter space:  Lots happens in the bathroom, which means lots of things need to be stored there. While pedestal sinks are attractive, it's not always the most functional solution for a busy bathroom where people begin and end their days. Our owner's bathrooms include a generous 72" vanity with double sinks and a 3-drawer stack in the center, offering a better way to organize items rather than just crowding them under the sink. Counter space in a busy bathroom is also prime real estate in the home. It's nice to have a place to put decorative items, in addition to functional ones like soap and towels, if necessary.

If you're ready to start this once-in-a-lifetime journey of designing your own custom home in North Georgia, Western North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee, give us a call or make an appointment at one of our six design studios. We can't wait to get started!