The Master Plan

    My grandfather was a professional wall paperer. When he retired, he and my grandmother bought a ranch style house that he promptly wall papered. Every room had a different color, print, and even texture of wall paper. It was like a house collage. The living room had an open wall to the dining room so basically it was a great room. And yet, the living room and dining room had different wall paper patterns and colors as if they would never be viewed together. The kitchen had a bar that opened into the dining room and you guessed it, the kitchen had it's own flavor of wall paper.
    This spontaneous, use what you have on hand, style of decorating creates a unique, although hodge podge, look for your home. If you want a more polished look
 and don't want to have to undo any of the  projects you complete, you'll need a master plan. This is the  plan that, if money wasn't an object, you would like to make your home look like. This plan can include colors and swatches, decorating ideas and remodel plans. From the master plan, you plan projects as you can afford them, as you save up for them, and as you spontaneously want to accomplish them.
   My last blog talked about the dance/workout area we are completing in a corner of our basement this week. We have finished the painting in a neutral color, toasted almond. It will be a nice flat color that will lend itself well to both ends of the basement which in the master plan include a workout area on one side and a Home Theater on the other. The spontaenity of the corner workout room project was evident in  the fact that we decided to put in a ballet barre and dance floor. However, since we have a master plan we knew that would in no way detract or obstruct any of our other plans for the basement living areas. We can add accents depending on the use of the room; such as a pair of  ballerina portraits over the ballet barre or a throw rug in front of the theater seating giving each area a personal feel without a hodge podge look.
  Develop the Master Plan for your entire property. From there you can make a priority list, a budget, a savings plan, and start watching your dream property unfold one project at a time. Eventually, as you implement your plan a well coordinated home and property with the feel of a professional designer will emerge.
     Tips for your master plan:
1. Use a neutral color through the house while choosing accents from an accent pallete to personalize each unique room or area.
2. Sketch out improvements to each room, outbuilding, or landscape area regardless of cost. You can downscale later to meet your budget.
3. Evaluate each room and space by what you like and dislike about its current state. What is the room or area used for now and how do you plan to use it when you are done? What do you want to keep in it and what do you want to remove?
4. Begin using magazine photos and design book photos to capture your ultimate end product in each room. Do these photos fit the style of home or room you have? How do they flow with the rest of the house?
5. A room decor may focus on a peice of furniture, a portrait, or a throw rug. Using your home or floors basic neutral color, how can you utilize your accent to create a plan for that room. Is there a family heirloom you'd like to feature in that room?
6. Don't forget to include adequate and easy storage and functional areas that fit your lifestyle in your plan. If clutter is a problem in this room, how will your new design eliminate the problem?
7. Estimate or get bids for projects as part of your master plan. Prioritze your projects and improvements and then decide on an estimated timeline. Your timeline may include all your projects or it may only include the projects you want to complete this year.
8. Determine your budget and set up a savings plan to accomplish all the projects on your current timeline. If you can set up a "future" savings seperate from those you plan to implement this year. Just to start building a savings account to accomplish larger projects when the time comes.
9. Keep your master plan in one place. Even if you have seperate notebooks for larger projects, keep them in the same file drawer, shelf, or tote so you can access your plans all at once with the phone to your ear from a potential contractor.
10. With your master plan in mind, keep an eye on the sales. You now know what sales are a great deal because they fit into your master plan and those that are a distraction and though look like a nice deal will end up as clutter.