Here’s our guide on how to make your selection process run as smoothly as possible:

• Make your interior selections in the order that is suggested by Sterling’s process. It has been recommended this way for a reason! The process is designed to help you navigate what can be an overwhelming number of decisions in the easiest way possible. Going outside of the process often leads to confusion and can take much longer to complete.

• If you cannot commit to one colour selection at a trade visitation, don’t stress! Instead of picking just one, select your top 2 or 3 favourites and ask for samples. Once you collect all your favourites, your designer at Hawthorn Interiors can help you narrow it down and create the best combination for your taste and budget.

• Bring all the inspiration you can find. Visit the showhome multiple times and know what you like and don’t like about it; think about a home you have lived in previously that you either loved or hated (and why), and browse online for ideas and photos of colours and finishings you are attracted to. This all helps create a visual point of reference for you and your designer to help refine your choices as you move through the process.

• That being said, have an idea of a preferred colour palette for your home, but don’t be married to exact colours. Be open to having your designer showing you things outside of that box that you may not have considered or seen before to help balance the look of your home overall. You never know what you might end up liking until you see it in person!

• Have a budget and know where you would like to prioritize your spending. It’s easy to feel like a kid in a candy shop, but “a little bit here and a little bit there” adds up quickly. If you know you want the kitchen backsplash or the shower of your dreams, put some money aside and stick to it or you may have to go back and change things you upgraded earlier in the process.

• Include input from other family members prior to your appointments, but don’t bring the whole family to the meetings. You won’t want to be juggling multiple opinions or caring for children while trying to finalize your interior selections. Not only does this create an extra layer of distraction, but it can also take away from this fun and exciting part of the building process.

It’s a team effort

However you feel about this part of the home building process, just know that our team is here to help you along the way! If you are coming up to this part in your home build journey, be sure to take advantage of some tools we have, like our exterior colour tool and our inspiration gallery.