Design Notes
The pieces I never rush
One of the questions I'm asked most often is where people should spend their budget.
The answer is usually the same. The pieces you use every day are the ones worth taking your time over.
A sofa, dining table or bed often becomes the foundation of a room. They're the pieces you'll live with for years, so it's worth taking the time to get them right. That doesn't always mean spending more. It means finding something that's comfortable, well made and feels right for the way you live.
The same goes for rugs. They're often one of the last things people buy, but they have an enormous impact on how a room feels. A well-proportioned rug can pull everything together, while one that's too small can make even a beautifully furnished room feel disconnected.
The longer I do this, the more I realize the pieces that matter most are often the ones people live with every single day. They're rarely the most attention-grabbing, but they're the things you notice every morning when you open the curtains, sit down with a coffee or gather around the table with family and friends.
Those are usually the decisions worth taking a little longer over. Living with fabric samples for a week. Trying a few layouts before committing. Waiting until you find the artwork that feels right rather than buying something simply because the wall feels empty.
It's easy to feel pressure to get everything finished at once, especially during a renovation. But I've found that giving yourself a little more time to make the bigger decisions almost always leads to a home you'll enjoy living in for much longer.
