Sometimes a picture certainly is worth a thousand words, especially when construction and clients are involved. If you haven't hired an architect lately or enlisted the help of a designer, get ready to pay thousands of dollars for a room sketch and even more for revisions. But fear not, if you're planning a renovation project you've come to the right place! Just like recovering a sofa, planning an elegant dinner party, or re-tiling your kitchen floor, you don't have to spend a fortune to get incredible results, especially if you follow my advice. If you hired a design team to renovate your home one of the first steps in the process would be putting a design plan on paper. I've talked about a few incredibly user-friendly APP's available on the market today (I love HOME 3D for the iPad/$19.99 and Live Interior 3D for iMac/$39.99) but let's be honest, even the easiest program takes some skill to manipulate and not everyone has the time and/or patience to learn new tricks. Meet your new, free, best friend...the design team at your local Lowe's Home Improvement Store (www.lowes.com). The client above couldn't visualize what her cramped kitchen would look like without overhead cabinets, so as I shopped for fertilizer and light bulbs, my Lowe's design consultant whipped up a drawing in less than fifteen minutes. Examining the drawing helped her see the light in my design (by converting a broom closet into an organized pantry I doubled her storage space eliminating the heavy, bulky over counter cabinets). So if you have high hopes and great expectations for your design project, pop into Lowe's and have them make it a reality...at least on paper!
QUICK TIP: Lowe's does not require a purchase to sketch a design, so measure your room, make an appointment and let them do the rest.
