Reflecting on my most recent remodel, I've recognized four thoughts to guide my design choices.

Remodeling a home is challenging for a plethora of reasons, not the least of which is all of the design options. My goodness. Sizes and styles and colors galore.

And while some people have a natural bent towards design, designing a home is a bit more of an intellectual experience for me. And so, after long hours on Pinterest and perusing showrooms and calling friends and family, I think I've finally landed on a "formula" of sorts:

1. Color

2. Consistency

3. Hierarchy

4. Appropriateness

Color might be the most obvious but for good reason. It truly sets the tone for the whole house. For this reason, I chose white.

Whites can have many different undertones and for cozy cottage-feel, I went with a white with a warm undertone. My exact paint for Galloway was Sherwin William's Simply White, but another good option would be Benjamin Moore's Swiss Coffee. These whites are white without being too cool or stark. (And I have more of my favorite whites listed at the end of the post). 

Now, Mid-Century Modern is another style that benefits from white walls, except in this case cool undertone would be best. Dunn Edwards' Droplets is a favorite and one that we are using right now in a different remodel.

Next up: consistency. I intentionally kept the walls and trim the same color.

Why?

Well, it cut down on my decision making, haha, but also because it allows the walls to sort of fade into the background. It plays into the idea of hierarchy and allows people or furniture or sentimental items to take center stage.

Another scenario would be bathroom finishes. I used the exact same tile and fixtures in both bathrooms.

Why?

Well, it cut down on my decision making - I like to keep it simple, haha - and it creates a sense of flow and style throughout the house. Another way to keep things consistent while mixing elements up a bit would be to keep the bathroom in the same style and not do modern in one bathroom and traditional in another. 

Now as I talk about hierarchy, I'm going to switch gears a little bit. It's not an idea that I think gets a lot of attention but that I think is important. 

Let me start with a metaphor. If you're watching a movie, how many leads are there? Answer: one, maybe two if there's a leading man and a leading lady. Even in the Avengers, only one superhero can have more spunk and personality then all the others (*cough* Ironman *cough*).

This same thought is true with design elements. A room can only handle one, maybe two stand out pieces. And if you're going to choose two standout pieces, I'm suggesting that one be a light fixture and the other a piece of furniture.

And finally, I tried to keep it appropriate. 

I live in El Paso, y'all. So I'm not going to have nautical themed bathrooms. If the outside of my home looks like a historic cottage, I'm not going to make the inside look like a log cabin. If it's a mid-century modern home, then it doesn't need craftsman style details. Why? Because it's jarring. It doesn't make sense. 

And at the end of the day and after all of my time and effort, I really want my home to look good, be comfortable, and make sense. Ya know?

And here they are! Some standout whites (and a gray)

COOL WHITES/ GRAY

• Sherwin William: Simply White

• Benjamin Moore: Classic Gray

• Dunn Edwards: Droplets

WARM WHITES

• Sherwin William: Shoji White

• Sherwin William: China Doll

• Benjamin Moore: Swiss Coffee

• Benjamin Moore: Ballet White

what about you?

Have you discovered any guiding principles to help with a re-design? 

What sort of tips do you use to help define your style?

Can't wait to hear from you, friend!