Decompress Your Design Stress

Decompress Your Design Stress

ARCHITECT'S ADVICE

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that stories about design projects often come with ominous undertones.

Home projects are a source of constant stress!
Why would you ever start a renovation––don’t you know projects like that can ruin a marriage?
Design projects just bring out the worst in everyone!  

One quick Google search, and it looks as though the confirmation is right there; pages and pages of articles about this topic are right there at the forefront, and with that, it starts to feel like there’s reason to be worried. Take it one step further, and you can see in seemingly scientific percentages the rates of frustration, regret, and even separation in couples that jump into a home design project.  ​

[Okay, I know that so far, I am sounding like a harbinger of doom, so let’s just take a breath before moving on.] ​

As your resident Studio Pages journalist, I take my research very seriously; you can count on me to bring you the whole truth! So, in the context of these countless articles with a title along the lines of “How my Home Renovation KILLED my Relationship”, let me say one quick thing: Confirmation Bias. With a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips these days, it has become ever easier to fall down the proverbial rabbit hole about any topic you may be thinking about. If you have started to think about a design project of your own, these articles about design and despair are right there, waiting to send you through the looking glass. Couple that with an existing fear relating to construction or budgeting, and before you know it, confirmation bias will rear its ugly head in a few quick Google searches. 

Now, back to my serious research. These apparently academic conclusions vary from article to article, but what they all have in common is a distinct lack of scientific method—no control group, no retests, and not even transparency in what questions were even being asked! From that, I can happily report that these numbers mean nothing...so we can all breathe a little easier now! Furthermore, let’s talk from an experiential perspective; with over forty years of experience, the whole team at Studio21 Architects can confirm that these horrific consequences are the rare exception, not the rule. Heightened stress is a real worry when going through the process of redesigning one’s home, but even then, anxiety during a project is not static; no one needs to resign themselves to months of stress, I promise.  

​If I can make two takeaway points, they would be these: one, take it from our experience and follow the tips in this article to decompress your design stress, and two, please don’t believe the horror stories! ​​

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1. Prepare, Plan & Practice

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
— Benjamin Franklin

If the dream of a design project has entered your mind, don’t even think about jumping in without some proper preparation! Like the late great Mister Franklin meant in his quote, preparation is key; with any kind of design project, planning is a foundational step that can make or break your budget, timeline, and overall experience.  

Now, I’m certainly not saying that you should do so much research that you could defend a dissertation on every aspect of your project--your hired experts are there to fill you in on the finer points of the process. As the homeowner, your focus should be on preparing your goals, needs, wants, and style. An expert can tell you the costs of x, y, and z, but only you can say how much you are able and willing to spend on your project. An expert can show you all the hot new architectural styles, but only you can decide which one you like.  

While it’s usually ideal to temporarily move during the construction, if you do plan to live in your home during the construction phase, you can keep stress levels low by planning out a construction-free zone. You will thank yourself later when you have a space that is free of dust and debris. For a head start on project planning, read through the questions to the left.  ​

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2. There's no "I" in team

It’s not too often that you have one single person going about a project all on their own; most of the time it’s a team effort with a partner, kids, or other family members. While this tip does technically fall under the umbrella of preparedness, there are some crucial points to consider if you want to tone down stressors during your project, especially ones of the interpersonal variety.  

Unhappiness can easily abound when one person tries to overrule the other on parts of the design. Just like a relationship, a project also requires a level of collaboration and compromise. Sure, every relationship is different; it’s entirely possible to have one party who is very design forward, while the other is happy to defer, but more often than not everyone involved has their own opinions and aesthetics. Since every relationship is different, here are some varied approaches to ensure that your team stays cohesive and calm: ​

• Go Eclectic: Depending on everyone’s respective styles, your dream home could come together beautifully with a little bit of each aesthetic represented in an eclectic way. Each party can make a mood board using Pinterest or Houzz and then come together to see if each style plays nicely together.  
• Find Common Ground: It’s common for a reason! There will always be some design preferences that all parties have in common. By establishing these commonalities first, you’ll reduce stress by realizing that the divergence in styles isn’t as wide as you first thought. Any discussions surrounding compromise will go much more smoothly once you know that.  
• Think about Function, then Form: It will certainly sow discontent if the design functions perfectly for one party, and not at all for the other. The motivation to start a project almost always comes from the need to improve upon the functionality of a space, so keep the process peaceful by assessing the pragmatic needs of each person before you start hashing out the stylistic elements.  
• Get a Mediator: If it continues to feel difficult to mesh styles or find common ground, a helpful avenue is to bring in a neutral and knowledgeable third party, like an architect or interior designer. Somebody with an outside perspective has a higher likelihood to find a new viewpoint, especially if you have been in the weeds for a while.  
• Family Matters: While the design process is a team effort, proceed with caution when it comes to asking the thoughts and opinions of every friend and relative. We all know the old saying about “too many cooks in the kitchen”. Prioritize the team who actually live in the house! 
  

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3. Don't doom yourself with diy's

When it comes to do-it-yourself projects, save yourself from stress with this one piece of advice:

KNOW YOUR LIMITS!

Not all of us are the handyperson of our household, and even if you are, you shouldn’t push yourself to DIY something that is better left to a professional. If you’re comfortable and confident doing a specific project, then more power to you (harkening back to preparation, though, don’t forget that some types of work require a professional or permit). DIYs can be a way to save on your spending, but pushing yourself beyond your capabilities is a surefire road to hassle.  ​

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4. hIRE THE BEST TEAM FOR YOUR NEEDS

All experts have a specialty or a strong suit. If you want your kitchen to look ultramodern, it’s probably not a good idea to hire an architect whose portfolio exclusively has country rustic kitchens!  

This goes beyond style, though. Design projects take time, no matter what kind of work you’re doing, and it will do wonders for your peace of mind to hire experts that you get along with and whose values align with yours. It’s often a red flag for a professional to try to push you into a contract without giving you a chance to get to know them or their design philosophy.  

At Studio21 Architects, we want you to see if you even like us before signing a proposal! One of the ways we foster that is by always having an initial meeting with prospective clients before drafting any proposals to see that the client and architect are a good fit for one another. We also have our much-loved Design Discovery Review, a preliminary phase of work where we investigate a project’s goals and vision and compare that to any possible challenges with the site, zoning, et cetera. The DDR offers clarity right at the beginning for our clients, which sets the stage for much less stress later on. ​

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5. cREATE CAUSES TO CELEBRATE...CONSISTENTLY!

I know I’ve already said this, but I must mention this one last time to illustrate the importance of this tip: 

PROJECTS TAKE TIME!

For the homeowners, when your only light at the end of the dust and debris-filled tunnel is the end result, there can quite easily come a time when that finish line feels impossibly far away. Combat that potential feeling of hopelessness by celebrating milestones in the project. You can have a small celebration of your choice, whether it be a nice dinner, a glass of wine, or a long nap, at many steps along the way—the design getting finalized, the permits being approved, and so on and so forth. Honestly, any time the project feels far from being done, give yourself a moment to celebrate how far it’s already come. ​

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WRITTEN BY: EMMA H.

Emma works as the Marketing Manager at Studio21 Architects. For each of our newsletters, Emma conducts interviews, writes articles, and formats the pages to make sure they reflect the great design we value so strongly at this firm. She may not be an architect, but she certainly makes sure that our marketing materials have the same high-quality design that our architecture has!