January is so often a time to take stock and set goals for the year ahead, but chances are, if you have a home renovation on the agenda, you have been thinking of it for some time. But there is a wisdom in starting the ball rolling at this time of year, as contractors look ahead to plan their year (and need booking in) and the whole year stretches ahead in front of you like a lovely fresh sheet of paper. But before you think of buying a tester pot, booking an architect or heading to the furniture sales, do these simple but essential tasks to ensure the outcome to your home renovation that you really desire.

1. Observe how you REALLY live. Your comings and goings, the sticking points and the stressors - and how you feel when you walk in the front door. What are the things that you love about your home and what drives you mad? Write them down - these are going to the be the foundations of your decision making as you solve problems around your home.

2. Reflect on your aspirations. When we renovate a home we are really building our dreams and our future. What have you longed for, aspired to and been observing in other homes that you would love to implement in your own? Focus on feelings and the intangible things - a sense of order, peace, joy, ease etc, rather than that sofa you’ve seen on Instagram. It’s dreams you’re hoping to fulfil, not a passing trend.

3. Create a vision board. This is where you can start to get creative. Using the words you have mulled over and the feelings you are aspiring to, sit and pour over magazines, looking for images of that reflect back those feelings to you - they don’t have to be interiors magazines - anything with strong visual imagery will do. Stick it all together on a large sheet of paper, writing the words amongst them to keep you focused.

4. Look for themes. Anyone who has a Pinterest board or piles of magazine pages knows how quickly overwhelm kicks in. The trick is to look at common themes amongst the imagery you have put on your vision board - it might be colours, textures or natural materials, shapes that you like. These are the visuals you should focus on and chances are they’re the things you’ll find easiest to live with long term.

5. Consider the final details first. Decision fatigue is REAL. A renovation takes a long time and often the last decisions are the ones that you end up rushing. It’s also those final details that can make or break the finished look. So make a list now of the finishing touches that you’ll need, and make the decisions now (as far as is possible). It’s worth setting aside a proportion of your budget for those details - electrical switches, a particular painting you’ve been eyeing up, a smart light fitting. You don’t want to cut corners on the items that you will notice more than the background features of your room. A smart finish to a scheme makes the world of difference.