What interior designers consider before the first piece of furniture is ever placed.
When people think about designing their home, it’s easy to focus on colors, décor, and finishes. But the most important choices happen long before the styling phase. These are the foundational design decisions—ones that quietly influence how your home looks, feels, and functions for years to come.
As an interior designer, I love crafting beautiful spaces—but that beauty is always backed by intention. If you’re building, renovating, or even furnishing a whole home, here are the early decisions that lay the groundwork for a space that supports your lifestyle, energy use, and long-term well-being.
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- The Floor Plan: Where Form Meets Function
Your floor plan is the blueprint for how you live. It’s not just about fitting furniture—it’s about creating intuitive, purposeful flow through your home.
In this early phase, we look at:
• How you move through your day (and your space)
• Room adjacencies that support your routine (think: laundry near closets, mudroom off garage)
• Flexible zones for work, wellness, or guests
• Energy-smart layouts that take advantage of natural light and reduce artificial lighting needs
A great layout can make a home feel spacious without increasing square footage—and a thoughtful one sets the stage for smart storage, sustainability, and style.
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- Storage & Organization That Supports Real Life
Design isn’t just about what you see—it’s about how a space works when no one else is looking.
Built-in storage, multi-functional furniture, and concealed systems all contribute to:
• Reduced visual clutter
• More efficient daily routines
• A home that adapts to you, not the other way around
Whether it’s custom cabinetry, a walk-in pantry, or furniture with hidden storage, these decisions are best made early to ensure they’re integrated seamlessly.
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- Material Palette & Energy-Efficient Choices
Interior finishes like flooring, cabinetry, and countertops are major visual anchors—but they also impact comfort, energy use, and longevity.
I guide clients in selecting materials that are:
• Durable and timeless (avoiding short-lived trends)
• Responsibly sourced and low-VOC for better indoor air quality
• Compatible with radiant flooring, passive solar gain, or energy-efficient HVAC systems
When your design supports sustainability, your home feels better—and performs better—long after install day.
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- Lighting & Environmental Comfort
Lighting isn’t just aesthetic—it’s atmospheric and functional. In early planning, we design for:
• Layered lighting (ambient, task, and accent)
• Daylight maximization to reduce energy usage
• Dimmers, motion sensors, and smart controls
• Strategic window treatments to regulate temperature and glare
This isn’t about just picking pretty pendants—it’s about crafting a space that feels good morning to night, season to season.
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- Designing for the Future
One of the biggest gifts of good design is flexibility. Foundational planning allows your home to grow with you.
We plan for:
• Multi-use rooms that can evolve (guest suite to home office, nursery to reading nook)
• Adaptable furniture layouts
• Power and tech needs that anticipate future upgrades
• Aging-in-place strategies or universal design features, when relevant
Design should solve problems before they arise—and make life easier five years from now, not just today.
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- Don’t Wait to Involve the Design Team
Too often, designers are brought in after major decisions have already been made. But when we’re part of the conversation from the beginning, we can:
• Ensure layouts support livability and beauty
• Coordinate finishes and systems holistically
• Spot opportunities for efficiency and avoid costly rework
• Collaborate with architects, builders, and engineers from day one
Think of your designer as a creative strategist—not just a decorator. We see the big picture, from floor plan to final styling.
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Your home should be more than beautiful—it should support your energy, your needs, and your future. The foundational decisions you make at the start set the tone for everything that follows. When you prioritize function, sustainability, and organization from day one, design becomes less reactive—and more empowering.
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Thinking about a new build, renovation, or full-home furnishing project?
I’d love to help you lay the groundwork. Let’s design a home that works hard for you—and looks effortless doing it. Schedule your Discovery Call to chat with me about your project!
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