4 Reasons Your Home Is Never Done & What to Do About It

You may or may not love your home, but how long is your home’s to-do list? Does it feel like updates, fixes, and organizational projects are never-ending? Do you get a thrill when you cross something off your to-do list only to have it quickly squashed by yet another project? 

If so, you’re not alone. The secret no one tells you? Your home will always have a to-do list.

Don’t grab your pitchfork just yet. There are several reasons why your home will never be finished — and it has nothing to do with you! Well, some of those reasons actually do concern you, but they are all 100% normal and unavoidable. I would even call them Good Things. What are they?

Here are the top 4 reasons your home will never be finished, why it’s okay, and what you can do about it…

From our San Francisco Style Project. Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

Reason 1. Your Family Develops

How you use the rooms in your home will change as your family changes. Maybe you’ll start having kids, your kids will grow, and little Alice’s room will morph from pristine nursery to functional playroom and then to a glowing Fortnite den with room for friends. Your kids’ rooms will naturally change every few years, adding to your to-do list. 

Or, maybe you’ll get married, divorced, or your parents move in as they age. Maybe you thought you were done having kids, and then ten years later — surprise! — another bundle of joy. Some family changes are planned, some aren’t. Your home is there for all of it.

This could mean converting rooms for new purposes, redecorating for changing tastes, adding storage and functionality for new needs, etc. That’s okay. Families change. Your needs change. Your to-do list changes. It’s the circle of life. 

From our Beach House project. Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

Reason 2. Design Trends Transition

Remember the lime green bathrooms of the ‘70s? An obsession with oak cabinets in the ‘80s? The stenciled walls of the ‘90s? *Shudder* We think those were bad ideas now, but back then, they were decade-defining features. 

The reality is that trends change all the time, and though we’re pretty sure which will only last a season, others have an undetermined expiration date. 

What we do know is that even if you set a great foundation for a timeless home with longevity, in the next 15 years, you will still probably want to update your light fixtures, wall colors, and hardware. That’s just how it is, and yes, all those things will be on your future to-do list. Embrace it.

From our Scandi Modern project. Photographed by Vivian Johnson.

Reason 3. You Change

Not pointing fingers here, but it’s probably true, right? We are all constantly evolving. Your interests change and mature, outside circumstances may change you, and of course, you need space to explore your hobbies as they develop over the years.

For example, you may be working from home and finally ready to renovate that home office because the kitchen table just isn’t cutting it anymore. If you are learning to regulate your stress and go tech-free in your leisure time, you may want a quiet meditation room. Maybe you have new fitness goals and want a designated place to spin on your Peloton. Add “create home gym in the basement” to your to-do list.

What you want from your home will change because YOU are changing, and the way your home can support you right now may be different in two years. Again, that’s life. And you know I’ll always support a fellow go-getter who’s striving to be the best version of themselves. You got this.

From our Beach House project. Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

Reason 4. Technology Advances

Real story: In my first few years as an interior designer, we were creating these huge custom cabinets to hide massive TVs. Now that all TVs are flat screens, those cabinets are now obsolete. Likewise, home offices look different now. Before, they were housing clunky computer monitors and their CPUs (remember those?!). Now, many people are working from a sleek laptop or Mac with no processing unit in sight.  

You get the idea. It’s not just style that changes from year to year, decade to decade. Technology changes, too, and the way we incorporate it into our homes and lives is an ongoing process. C’est la vie.

From our San Francisco Style Project. Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

What Can You Do About It?

Alright, you’ve heard the hopefully relieving news — this uphill battle à la Sisyphus is not your fault. But what can you do about it? How can you even think about designing your home if you know it’s going to constantly evolve?

I love the hard questions. Here’s my answer… 

We acknowledge that change is good and necessary, and we believe that when a home is designed for you, and you alone, it will stand the test of time and be flexible when your needs change. 

To do this, your home should reflect you and your family right now, not who you aspire to become someday after the dog dies and the kids start picking up after themselves. It should be about your taste, not what will impress your neighbors. It should serve your real needs, not the ones you think you should have. (Tricky to distinguish, I know, but we’ve got your back!) 

To design a home like this, we get to know you and your family really well. We want to know what you love, hate, do for fun, and where you drink your morning coffee. When you make design decisions for yourself, you can follow our lead, too. Ask yourself… Is this meaningful to me? Will it serve my family now? Is this supporting our lifestyle? 

If the answers are no, save your time and energy for the next yes. If the answers are yes, to-do list it, my friend. Or better yet, keep calm and hire us to help you. 

Cheers,

Melanie