Looking to spruce up your space? Never forget that there is no design without a plan. Comfortable and beautiful rooms don’t just happen. Lots of strategy is required to create even the most effortless-looking and functional living environments. If the thought of fabric samples and color wheels makes you shutter, don’t fret. Here are my top ten tips for painless planning:

10. Do your research. Let yourself absorb good ideas and learn what works without your own trial and error. Read magazines, browse blogs, and visit spaces created by professionals (or talented friends).

9. Listen to the experts. Your research is all for naught if you aren’t going to quality sources and learning from others. Designing an office is much different than revamping a kitchen, so find people who have experience in the right area.

8. Create a budget. Your research should give you a good idea about how much things will cost. Put all of that information to good use and fill out a project budget. Once every dollar is accounted for, you can seek out places where you can save or splurge. Don’t forget to figure in supplies (like paint brushes and drop clothes) and any labor costs.

7. Take stock of what you have. Incorporating your own possessions into your room should be a top priority. It helps make the room more unique, keeps things personal, and saves money.

6. Sketch and collage. Drawing a layout and comparing paint chips gives you the opportunity to anticipate problems and play around with your design. Drawings and scale representations may seem more like a craft project than a proper proposal, but they are essential. Do not neglect to get all of your ideas down on paper; it will provide you with a concrete plan going forward.

5. Look into design software. Sketch and 3D rendering programs are used by many interior designers these days. With some practice, you can render the room of your dreams virtually.

4. Generate a supply list. As you accumulate what you need, you can check it off the list. This way you’ll be sure not to forget anything.

3. Shop around. Finding the perfect piece take patience and determination. Comparison shopping will benefit your plan and your budget.

2. Be flexible. No matter how thorough and organized you’ve been, things are not  going to go perfectly. Be prepared to make changes and substitutions. The ability to recognize when changes need to be made is vital for a good decorator.

1. Have fun. There is no need to stress out about lists and layouts. The creative process should be enjoyable.

There is much more to furniture design than matching color, pattern, and form. The size and placement of large pieces is likely to affect the feel of the room more than any accessory. Think of their layout as the foundation on which all of the flashy finishing elements will be laid. Without a good foundation, your whole room can turn into a disaster, so pay close attention to what you are doing with furniture.

Start with a Plan
It may be tempting to run off the the furniture store, but hasty decisions can often lead to buyer’s remorse. Consider the function of the space and make mental notes about seating, table space, and traffic. Before you start moving furniture in, it helps to plot things out on paper. A detailed sketch will help you visualize the room and allow you to play around with the footprint of each space without doing any heavy lifting. There are even many types of design software available for those of us who are not gifted with artistic talent.

The most important part of your planning should be making sure that the space is usable. You may have the most beautiful furnishings in the world, but they are useless if they are all crammed into a small area. It’s always a good idea to look at magazines and home design programs to find arrangements that keep things livable .

Balance it Out
Keep in mind that each piece placed in a room creates a visual weight. A good decorator should position things so that the room is balanced. For instance, large couches in living rooms are often placed opposite armoires or fireplaces. This assures that every section of the rooms feels filled. (Don’t confuse balance for focal points. Both are essential for good design.)

Finding a balance also involves selecting furnishings that are the correct size and similar in style. You should be able to calculate the ideal dimensions for each piece of furniture from your finished plan. When picking out your new appointments, make sure that each of them holds a similar visual weight.

Make it Work
So you’ve sketched your sketches, furnished your furnishings, and arranged your appointments, but it doesn’t work. Last minute changes are commonplace for even the most experienced designer, so don’t fret. Keep your receipts and get ready to change your mind.

Many of the most distressing furniture setbacks have simple solutions. Too crowded? Get rid of something. Too sparse? Go shopping. Tricky layouts? Rearrange until you find the perfect fit. Sooner or later, you’ll be ready to move on to the easy stuff.

Confessions of a Reformed Slob

There are a lot of people who don’t see the point of home design. I must say that there was a time in my life when I completely agreed with them. Picking out paint chips and sewing throw pillows seemed fussy and complicated. I wanted my life to be simple, so I rejected the idea of creating a plan for my home.

How wrong I was! Interior design isn’t about creating a place that’s impossible to live in. It’s just the opposite. Good design makes a how more comfortable and inspires a better life.

Home decor is about feeling at home.

To those of us who weren’t born with the desire to alphabetize our DVD collection, worrying about the placement of a couch may seem silly. I didn’t see the point of all of it either. Then, I tried it.

I started out simple. A few flourishes of color. I matched my curtains to my new duvet. This weird thing happened. When I went to my clean bedroom and shut the door, all the stresses of the day melted away. I was in a space that I liked. It was clean and put-together. My former self would have been bemoaning the extra few minutes it took to pick up my clothes, but the new me was happy to do it. Even today, when I need to recharge I just straighten up my room, lie on the bed, and look around. It’s my space, and it’s comfortable and beautiful.

Design is organization; organization is design.

Design is dependent on everything being in its place. This doesn’t mean there are hard and fast rules about decor. The best plans marry aesthetics with functionality.

Organization is not all about labels and filing systems. It is all about making things easy to find and use. Don’t be afraid of organizing your home. Once you start sorting, things will look better and task will become easier.

Start planning a room by laying out everything you need access to. Chances are, the simplest solutions are the best for your design. If you’ve ever put books into a bookcase, then congratulations! You’ve implemented a design by organizing.

Make it cohesive.

The most important thing to remember about design a room is that people should want to use it. You don’t achieve this by getting matchy-matchy with fabrics or overstimulating people. Most of the time making something come together is about making it comfortable for all aspects of daily living.

There is a great post about getting started with this over at The Inspired Room. Setting a plan and following through on making a room functional can make all the difference.

Try designing a room by cleaning up and rearranging. Soon, you’ll understand the freedom and fun of interior design.

Here are a few sites you can check out that talk about interior design:

• Haute couture apartments: apartments from ARMANI

- … which will with pleasure, embody all dreams in the refined interior. Absolutely soon true judges of design haute couture, and also admirers of philosophy of Fashionable Armani House can plunge into the refined comfort and [...]

• INTERIOR DESIGN 2008 REVIEW

- I checked out the Interior Design 2008 show yesterday and it didn’t disappoint. Seeing gaggles of Irish vendors and designers together in one place was a reassuring reminder that decent Irish design resources do exist! …