Design Notebook Part 2: Project Schedules & Worksheets

A few weeks ago I shared my first post on how I create detailed project based design notebooks based on my years of working professionally as a Interior Designer.  You can review that first post here.  Even though I have made dozens of these books, the reality is, sometimes your notebook still ends up looking like this during the process…

My inspiration for this post comes from my current project of renovating our first rental house we purchased back in July that we have started calling The Bradford Street House.

I’m both excited and nervous about renovating our first rental house.  This is the first time the money on the line is mine and all the work is not carried out by hired professional contractors.  Exciting and intimidating!

We are hiring out some of the work with licensed electricians to update the fuse box and electrical work needed, and a construction company to replace all of the windows.

The kitchen is our biggest challenge and it is well under way.  All of the old cabinets have been taken out, the tile backsplash is gone, the soffet has been removed, and the appliances donated to charity.  The new cabinets have arrived and will be installed soon after the new windows are installed.  Hopefully that will be complete this week!

I really have to get this Design Notebook in order before then!

Getting this notebook in order starts with a spreadsheet tool refered to as a Schedule.  What exactly does that mean? Basically it is a Excel spreadsheet with columns and rows filled with every little detail of a room or renovation.  The paint colors, manufacturers information, every piece of furniture and it’s location in the room, prices and budget information.  In fact, if a project is big enough, you may have more than one schedule for a room just so you can keep the furniture specs separated and easy to find compared to the flooring and wall colors.

For the Bradford Street House I have created a schedule for the kitchen and one for the paint and finishes.    The project is just not big enough for any extra schedules.

Sounds boring right?  Well actually you will appreciate having the documented details later if you ever need to repair or change anything in the future or when you go to sell your home.  The look of the schedule spreadsheet can be as creative as you want to make it, or just as plain and straightforward as your OCD tendencies may be (I wouldn’t know anyone like that).

Right now the kitchen schedule for the Bradford Street House looks something like this:

I know, they aren’t very exciting looking but schedules are very efficient in keeping the details of a renovation organized, easy to track progress, and record the nitty gritty details.  If you are doing a renovation yourself, you will one day appreciate the extra steps to stay organized when you need to refer back to something from the project.

Project Schedule Worksheet

If your current project is something as simple as a furniture makeover, or a DIY project that is part of the bigger renovation, then another great printable and organizing tool is called a Project Planner Worksheet.

Project Planner Worksheet

A project worksheet organizes your inspiration sources, DIY steps needed, shopping list, and color and fabric swatches for a small project.  It is also a valued tool by a Interior Designer to hand over to a workshop for upholstery or custom work such as draperies that documents every detail of how something should be made.

I am also sharing free copies of these worksheets for anyone who signs up for my email updates.    If you are already a subscriber, a copy of these worksheets will be emailed to you later this week.

“There is a friend who stays closer than a brother” Proverbs 18:24