Finish Strong: The Secret to Avoiding Decision Fatigue When Choosing Finishes

A two-step plan for making confident choices about your home’s interior style.

Commitment issues — even the most confident homeowners face them at some point during the building process. If you’re reading this, chances are you can relate. Maybe you’re torn between two styles you love, maybe your indecision stems from the worry of making the “wrong” choice, or maybe you’re nearing the end of the building process and feeling overwhelmed or uninspired to pick between this faucet or that one.

Whatever the cause, you don’t have to stay stuck in indecision. With a simple, two-step process, you can move forward with a clear vision and confidence:

1) Start With Your Limitations
In many ways, your new log or timber hybrid is a blank canvas, and the sky is the limit when it comes to interior design options. But that reality can feel overwhelming and inadvertently stifle your creativity. How do you settle on something — which light fixture, countertop material or cabinet color — when you can choose anything?

The key is to focus on your limitations. It may sound counterintuitive but hear us out: narrowing your selections based on your home’s setting and your lifestyle (and your budget!) will rein in the possibilities, allowing you to focus on what has real potential.

Start your style plan with what makes sense for your space. For example, maybe you need interior selections that are pet- or child-friendly. Or perhaps you’re building a lakeside cabin and need to consider the effects of the environment on your interiors. (E.g. Those hardwood floors might look stunning but could quickly become a source of worry with bathing-suit clad guests filtering in and out all day.) Once you’ve got part one of your plan in place, you’re ready for step two: homing in on the look you love.

2) Find Your Signature Style
A common approach when making interior selections is to choose a specific “style” — be it rustic, farmhouse or traditional — and then make choices that fit that particular category. This can feel like a safe bet, but it can lead to uninspired, cookie-cutter interiors and it may keep you from choosing elements you truly love simply because they fall outside a certain “design” scheme.

Instead, here is what we recommend: gather inspiration from Pinterest, Google or your favorite home decor magazine. (The more the better!) Once you have a solid collection, begin to refine it, cutting your selections in half and then repeating that process until you reach your top 10. From there, look for patterns and common elements. What themes consistently draw your attention? Do you lean towards rooms that are cozy and moody, or do you prefer light and bright spaces? Do clean lines appeal, or do you prefer more rustic textures or ornate details? Does a certain color palette or specific hue weave through all the images?

As your personal preferences come into focus, you’ll quickly develop an eye for identifying selections you love. For a foolproof, full-circle approach, simply compare that eye-catching element with the plan you created in step one to be sure it’s the right fit for your home.

Here at Ward, we’ve been producing customized log homes for more than 100 years. We’ve seen it all and are well-prepared to help you navigate a sea of options and decisions. Reach out today to see how we can help.

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