You need to define success so that you are able to measure and select ideas, materials, and relationships objectively.

It is natural to become heavily emotionally invested in a design project. I certainly want my clients to be invested as I want them to be happy. We simply need to balance that excitement to ensure that we are not swept away in a direction that does not actually align with the goals, however fun the idea may be.

Remember, everything looks great on a plan or in a meeting or on a showroom floor. The question you need to ask about each element is whether it meets your definition of success. To answer that question, you need to know what success is.

For example, when planning a renovation, you may be hoping for a contractor that will handle the project seamlessly with little involvement from you. On the flip side, you may be interested in a contractor that will meet with you weekly to review all of the project’s details. You need to know which style you prefer in order to be able to review quotes accurately.

On a smaller scale, when selecting furniture, you need to know how you live in each space to ensure that the materials meet those needs. The ideal fabric for the family room sectional that hosts movie nights may be quite different than the options available for the primary suite bedding.

Perhaps most importantly, you need to define what success means as it relates to your budget. I have found that couples often have different perspectives on this point at the outset. Examples: How many rooms are you trying to decorate now? What does styling mean, and what is it worth? Does a renovation budget include furniture and soft materials, or only hard costs, which is often the largest budget question of them all?