Step One: Take a personal inventory.
It is not selfish to begin by focusing on yourself. In the case of any project that affects virtually every aspect of life, it is essential to take stock of what you bring to the table at a core level... who you are, what you want and what your team (and family) can count on you for.
Taking stock is an act of generosity. It is about taking responsibility for the quality of your contribution to the process and unfolding your own expectations. This essential first step lays down an initial outline that will become refitted when you later collaborate with your partner. But, more on that later…
Begin unraveling your own answers to: "what do I want for me in my new space?" by considering the following inquiries:
1. What phase of life am I in?
(1b.) What phase am I approaching?
(Another way to ask this is What are my priorities today, and which ones might be changing in some small or great way?)
Once you have written your thoughts down then consider: What phase of life is reflected in my home currently... beneath the obvious!
2. Which priorities (or personal values) do I tend to lead with most strongly in public?
(2b.) Which do you tend to lead with in private?
Now, ask: Which values is my home leading with?
3a. What areas of my life energize me
3b. Which calm me?
Now ask: Which areas of my home energize me? Is it sufficient for me?
Discussion:
Consider the question ‘What phase of life am I in now?’ A couple in their twenties or thirties (generally) tends to socialize late into the night more often relative to those of us in later phases of life. That is not to say that once these twenty and thirty year-olds hit their forties they will no longer wish to entertain friends in the evening. (On the contrary, they may tend to place an even deeper value on the time spent with friends. It’s just that other values may have shifted shift a bit too. Your values may only have altered by mere degrees but those tiny degrees can widen significantly over time so, make no mistake. They count!
Don’t worry about buttoning down the details of how your personal values verses those of your spouse, the kids, as well as your designer's agenda will fit together at this early stage. Besides, your main job is to become freshly acquainted with your current list of needs and wants, and what you want more-of from life moving forward. Clarity can take a little time and has it's own process. But, even if you never end up with more a vague sense of what you want, a designer with great communication skills will be able to draw you out a little more. Keep in mind, however, that their job is to interpret whatever insight you give to them. So, taking the time to explore what you want and revise what you already think you know, can make the difference in the final analysis. Your home can either reflect (perhaps more efficiently) the life you have been living -but that may not really support your emerging values-, or it can actually become a partner in further encouraging a direction you find yourself embracing more and more.
It makes a difference in the user-friendly-ness of your home!
Posts
