Making the Most of Your Digital Design Plan: What to Buy First

My most common service is by far my Digital Design Plans which you can learn more about here. (Scroll to the bottom for an FAQ section.) The ideal scenario is for clients to reach out for a Digital Design Plan when they already have money saved to complete the project. However, I know it’s not always possible to have the full amount saved or you may have the itch to get started and make additional progress as the funds become available.

If you find yourself in the latter category, here’s what I think you should do first to make the most of your Digital Design Plan right away.

1. Tackle Paint ASAP

Not every space requires fresh paint, but if it does, I highly recommend you make that an immediate to do. This is especially important if the wall color will dramatically change the feel of the space such as shifting from a dark color to something lighter and brighter. Tackling that task early will likely make a big impact and set the stage for your other updates.

In this client example, painting the kitchen cabinetry made a massive impact on their spaces. If they weren’t able to move forward on all the changes right away, painting these cabinets would have been a top priority.

2. Purchase the Area Rug(s)

Whether adding a new area rug full of color or in a neutral, a fresh rug is a wonderful way to update your spaces. Area rugs can be used to inject color and pattern to the space as well as texture. Rugs are also the perfect way to anchor your seating area and help create a more inviting space. Typically the area rug will also relate to other accents in your design such as pillows, curtains, and/or artwork making it an important part of your design plan.

Lovely Tip: The front legs of your seating should be on the area rug rather than floating behind the edge of the rug.

3. Buy those Accent Pillows

Especially if you will be reusing your main furniture pieces, I cannot recommend updating your pillows enough. This client had not yet updated the artwork in their living room and there was still an incredible impact made by the new pillows. Shifting from the original cream and gray accent pillows to these bold colors immediately gave the client the cheery space they were working towards.

And bonus, accent pillows can be extremely affordable making it a great starting point to add in your home.

4. Replace the Item that You Dislike the Most

Odds are you have requested a Digital Design Plan because there is something you really dislike about your existing space. If replacing numerous pieces of furniture, but unable to purchase all at once, start with updating the piece you dislike the most.

Do you hate your stained sofa? Start there.

Does your dining table feel dated and out of place? Let’s get it updated.

Pick the item you will be happiest to see go and start there. Then slowly pace yourself to replace the other larger items as your finances allow. Even if your space feels mismatched for a bit, you’ll feel excited about the progress which should motivate you to keep saving in order to finish your design.

Kitchen Nook Before

Kitchen Nook After

5. Replace Your Lighting

Finally I would highly recommend updating your lighting as soon as possible. In this space above, we hadn’t added artwork, curtains or much of anything other than new chairs and brand new lighting and WOW is there a difference from the first image to the second.

Removing builder grade lighting (umm, see ya later, boob lights) or lighting that is definitely not your aesthetic is an incredible way to shift the feel of your home. The sooner you can update these items the better.

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See all the images (including more before photos) from this cutie project here.