The decorating process - Part 1: Conceptual stage

Part 1- Conceptual Stage

Lets go a little deeper into the details of this process, stage by stage, starting with the first. This initial stage helps you conceptualise your project by consolidating your inspiration and ideas.

Asking the right questions

• What mood are you trying to create?
• Is it casual or formal?
• How and where do you eat, and who cooks?
• Is the house open to the elements?
• How do you actually live in the home?

The importance of light and air

Wherever a house is located, light and air are two of the most important elements to consider when designing.

• Do you need air conditioning or heating?
• Where does the sun rise and set in relation to the house?
• Is the house impacted by wind?

The conceptual stage room by room

Just as you ask questions for the project as a whole, you will also need to ask questions of each room to be able to come to a roadmap of how to proceed with the decorating scheme. For example:

• Will you watch television in this room?
• Do you want to host in this room; if so, how many?
• How big do you need a dining table to be?

Next, you can begin to collate images of architecture and interiors that inspire you, to start generating ideas.

Use Pinterest to make inspiration boards, research images in books and save pictures from Instagram. I find it helpful to print images out so that I can move them around and play with how different things work together. I'll also use plastic sleeves with labels to organise the images by idea, room or theme.

Editing down your images for a cohesive look

Once you've gathered all of your images, the difficult part can be editing them down – but this is also the most important part. Spend time assessing how appropriate the ideas are, and decide which ones are actually best for another project later down the line.

Discover more:

• Marietta and Ronald Tree's Heron Bay House, Barbados
• Osca de la Renta's house in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
• James Deering's Villa Vizcaya, now Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Florida
• Good Hope, Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Rose Hall, Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Ca'Liza House by Maria de la Guardia