Does the thought of shopping for furniture overwhelm you?  If you’re like most people, you may not feel you can make a decision unless you involve all of your friends, family and entire social network.  Part of this uncertainty comes from not knowing how to organize your options.

As a high end interior design professional, I have to practice organization to keep me focused on my clients’ needs and wants and budgets.  My background as an executive assistant helps me achieve this by applying the same principles I used then, to my life and career now.  While picking out furniture can be a stressful experience, now you can learn from me how to do it stress-free.

USE SPREADSHEETS
Does this sound tedious?  It may actually be exactly what you need.  Once you have determined the furniture requirements per room, you’ll have tool to help you get exactly what you want for the amount of dollars you want to spend. It doesn’t need to be complicated, just a few columns; one for furniture, another for vendor/store and the last for cost.

What do you need this for?  Well, having well-thought out list will ensure you won’t veer from it. As result, you’ll know just which items you need to look for and compare prices on.

MAKE A DECK
The ultimate organization tool for me has been to use Powerpoint to load all of my furniture choices and schemes.  I use it ritually!

It’s kind of a joke around the office, “oh there’s Adriana, making another PowerPoint.”

Let them talk—it’s been a big secret to my success. Powerpoint allows me to easily present my clients with the selections for their design, giving them the ability to interact and become part of the decision making process.  They love when I email them a pdf or slideshow of their design concept.

It’s great to organize your rooms and pieces together this way. Not to mention, if you still need your best friend or special someone to give you their approval on your furniture choices, you can email them the slides. Now they can weigh in on the decision making with you.

CREATE A GOLD BOOK
At Interiors by Steven G. I must create what we call a Gold Book for every client.  These are basically specification books that show each and every item that is going into their home’s design.  Each page has a signature stamp where our clients are able to sign-off on every item noted. However you’re approaching the design of your home, I strongly recommend you take a page out of our book when it comes to this technique.

The process of putting together a book with all the design elements you’ve come up with helps you decide on your furniture finalists. It also gives you an organized way to get others involved in the decision making (family, spouse, designer, etc.).

I notice many designers use Microsoft Word or other word processors for this step. But for me, creating it in PowerPoint and turning it into a Gold Book is a no brainer.

Ultimately, these 3 tips will your organized when assessing your interior design needs, making decisions to bring them to live, and sharing them with people who need to be in the know.