Remodeling, The MBellished Way

The decisions worth making before the dust, demolition and design choices begin.

A remodel can be incredibly exciting. It's also one of those projects where seemingly small decisions can become expensive ones very quickly.

I've learned that the most successful remodels aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the most dramatic transformations. They're the ones where the thinking happens before the construction begins.

Before choosing tile or falling in love with a fabulous light fixture, there are a few things I think are worth getting right.

Know How You Want to Live

Before thinking about finishes, think about how you actually use your home.

Where does everyone gather? What drives you crazy about the current layout? Where does clutter accumulate? Do you entertain? Do you cook every night? Do you need more privacy—or more connection between rooms?

A beautiful kitchen that doesn't work for the way you cook isn't good design.

I always think function should establish the framework. The beautiful decisions come next.

Open Floor Plan where the Kitchen opens to the dining room.

Decide Where to Spend

Very few remodels have an unlimited budget, which makes knowing where to spend almost as important as knowing what to choose.

I would invest in the things that are difficult or expensive to change later: layout, flooring, cabinetry, plumbing, electrical and good lighting.

Decorative pieces can evolve.

Moving a wall or relocating plumbing after construction is another story.

And I always leave some room in the budget for the unexpected—because there is almost always something unexpected.

Make the Big Decisions Together

One of the easiest ways for a remodel to lose its way is to choose everything independently.

The floors affect the cabinetry. The cabinetry affects the hardware. The stone affects the paint. The lighting affects how all of it looks.

I like establishing the overall material story before making individual selections.

It doesn't mean everything needs to match. In fact, I prefer when it doesn't.

It simply means the house should feel as though the decisions are having a conversation with one another.

Don't Design for the Trend

This may be the one I feel most strongly about.

There's nothing wrong with being inspired by what's happening in design, but a remodel is too expensive and too permanent to be built entirely around what's having a moment.

I would rather start with materials and choices you genuinely love, then bring in something current through lighting, hardware, paint or furnishings.

The goal isn't to create a house that looks like everyone else's Instagram feed.

It's to create one that still feels like you after the trend has moved on.

MBellished Tips

Measure twice—and then measure again. Especially before ordering anything custom.

See materials in your own space. Stone, paint, and wood can look completely different as the light changes.

Order early. The one piece you're waiting for has an uncanny ability to hold up everything else.

Photograph the walls before they're closed. Knowing where plumbing, wiring, and blocking are located can be incredibly useful later.

Don't spend every dollar before construction starts. Keep a contingency for surprises—and for the fabulous thing you inevitably discover halfway through.

What I'm Drawn To

The remodels I respond to most aren't necessarily the most dramatic.

They're the ones where the architecture, materials and interiors feel connected; where there are beautiful details but also restraint; and where you can still sense the people who live there.

Good remodeling should improve your house. Great remodeling should improve the way you live in it.

Patterned Backsplash and Custom lights with a pop of color in a kitchen designed by MBellished Life