Moving into a new home is exciting, but furnishing an entire house can quickly feel overwhelming. This is especially true when moving into a larger Westchester home, where the room proportions, number of spaces, or architectural elements are very different from your previous home. Whether you’re moving from an apartment to your first home in the suburbs, making a big move across the country (like I did!), or just moving to a town that feels more “you,” you need to start with a plan for the whole home, not just a shopping list.

So, where do you start?

1. Start with a plan.

The hardest part of any project is starting. Begin with assessing how each room will be used, and what furniture and artwork will move with you. Measure rooms, windows, doorways, and circulation paths, and figure out your budget and timeline. Establish a few priorities for the first few months.

(This is one of the areas where we shine here at Dwell & Oak. We start with a complimentary 30 minute discovery call, where you fill me in on your project, your priorities, and what you envision for the home. Next, we schedule a design consultation, where I walk through the entire home with you, working through how each space will be used, take measurements, and organize busy thoughts into a clear plan forward.)

2. Understand (and Embrace) Your Home’s Architecture and Character

Westchester County has a range of beautiful architectural styles, from traditional Colonials and Tudors to contemporary homes and historical properties. The home’s architecture can inform the design, without dictating every decision – it’s a balance!

You can decide to upgrade a fireplace, while still embracing some of the traditional millwork in other areas of the home. If floors are in rough shape, you can choose something new that still feels cohesive with the rest of the home. Sometimes the quirkiest homes are the most fun to design.

3. Create a Cohesive Design Direction for the Entire Home

Consistent design direction makes a home feel intentional, without making every room look identical. Start by choosing a foundational color palette. From there, move on to repeating materials, finishes, and textures. Give each room a personality, while maintaining continuity.

4. Decide Which Rooms to Furnish First

When you use a full service interior designer like Dwell & Oak, we work to install all rooms at once so that you come home to a fully finished, furnished space. But, maybe that isn’t what works best for you. Sometimes moves happen quickly, and certain rooms need to be prioritized before others.

Primary bedrooms and essential sleeping spaces take precedence. If you love to host, formal living, dining and kitchen areas are probably next on the list. Secondary living areas, bonus rooms, and guest rooms can usually wait, but every family is different, which is why it’s so important to have a plan.

Even if you’re holding off on a few spaces, it’s important to have a plan in place so the entire home feels cohesive, and not like it was finished piecemeal.

5. Where to Invest When Furnishing a Whole House

There is no magic formula for a universal budget split. Instead, examine your priorities, lifestyle, room usage, existing furnishings, and project scope. We like to recommend investing in sofas, frequently used upholstered furniture, rugs, lighting, foundational pieces that influence the overall design, custom cabinetry and millwork, and window treatments.

For more recommendations, check out some of our previous blog posts:

Where Should You Splurge When Furnishing A Luxury Home?

Where Can You Save Money on a High End Interior Design Project?

Save This Before Buying A Sofa

6. Measure Carefully and Choose Furniture at the Right Scale

Furniture that worked in a smaller previous home may look undersized in a new larger living room, while oversized pieces may overwhelm a more intimate space. Measuring room dimensions and ceiling heights and planning out furniture layouts before ordering is so important. Don’t forget to allow for comfortable walkways and conversation areas!

(This is another area where a designer can really guide you, with precise measurements, furniture layout floorplans, and 3D renderings.)

7. Plan Early For Custom Furniture, Window Treatments, and Built-Ins

Custom pieces take time, and some decisions need to be made before you move on to purchasing furniture. Built-ins that influence furniture placement should be tackled first. Window treatments can take time, and require very precise measurements and coordination. Custom sofas can take 12-16 weeks, even if the fabric is currently in stock. It’s a timeline with a lot of moving pieces, but we happily manage that for our clients.

8. Make Your Home Functional for Everyday Life

You want your home to be beautiful, but you also want it to be home. At Dwell & Oak, we are firm believers in life-proof luxury. A beautiful home should support the people living in it!

Select performance fabrics for upholstered pieces like sofas, accent seating, and dining chairs. Include custom designed mudrooms and practical storage solutions for busy families. Design children’s spaces that evolve as they grow and change. Durability, comfort, and sophistication can coexist!

Even though this was just a general overview, I hope you found this helpful if you’re beginning a new adventure and moving into a new home! At the end of it all, the real question is – should you hire an interior designer to help you with all of the above? The answer is yes. A designer will help you establish a cohesive vision, develop room layouts and furniture plans, select and source furnishings, coordinate custom pieces, finishes, and window treatments, manage ordering, delivery, and installation, and balance the overall investment with your priorities.

If you’re interested in our design services, book a discovery call here on our website! I’d love to hear more about your project – welcome to Westchester County!

The post How to Furnish a Whole House After Moving to Westchester County appeared first on Dwell & Oak.

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