If you don't have a clear vision of what you want, I would invest in a few home and decorating magazines, and go through them page by page, tearing out things that appeal to you, perhaps making a post-it-note on them as to what you like in the picture or ad.

When you are all done going through a bunch of magazines, or printing off things that you see on decorating sites like bhg.com, then sit down and look at the pile of tear sheets.

What things do you consistently pick out, or what colors are you drawn to, or what overall look appeals to you? You should see a pattern of things that being to appear regularly with regard to furniture or fabrics or color. Cut those things out that really appeal and paste them on a big piece of cardboard - your design board.

Then decide what on the overall style you want - casual, formal, modern, country, etc. Decide what kind of budget you have, and what things are must changes, where you want to spend your greatest dollars. Then make a plan.

If the cabinets aren't changing in the kitchen, likely the appliances have to work with them as far as size and placement and functionality. Appliances are also probably less affected by the overall style of the home, and more by price and features and color. So those can happen first if you like.

Unless you make changes often, you are probably wise to keep the big things on the neutral side - flooring, major furniture pieces, etc. Bring in drama and color and fun with smaller furniture pieces, accessories (which happen way down the line) and window treatments.

Also keep in mind that sometimes it is best not to try and finish every single item and every detail all at once. Get the major stuff in place, then live with those decisions as you pick out minor furnishings.

Have fun!

Personally, I find it easier to pick paint last...there are so many shades to get the right color, IMO its harder to paint first then pick your fabric or couches. I would start with your main piece of furniture, then rugs (keeping wall to wall neutral) and drapes, flooring and paint. Like Les mentioned you need to look thru books or magazines (model homes are my favorite) and find the style you are looking to achieve, otherwise it can be overwhelming.

Les and GK50, thanks for the input.

A small investment in decorating magazines seems to be in order. I think part of my problem is DH and I are discussing moving in the near future if the right opportunity presents itself. But the market being what it is makes it hard to decide just how much one should invest. If we were to stay I would probably choose differently. But you gave me a place to start and for that IÂm grateful.

As they say, IÂll be backÂÂÂ

Kael, I know just what you're going through. We went through the same thing when we first moved into this house two years ago. So many things needed to be done! Where to start???

I decided to prioritize renovation based on home value. In other words, we don't know exactly when we'll be selling this house to move again, and it's important (to us, anyway) that when we sell this house, it sells easily and for the maximum price.

So I thought of it this way: If for some reason I had to sell this house in a year, where is the best place to spend the money to renovate?

In our house, the major eyesores were the kitchen and the yard. These are also the two places that a new buyer would see first. So that's where we started. Yes, the master bath needs to be renovated, but it's not all that bad, and a prospective buyer will not see it first.

This might not work for you, but it has worked for me. It gave me a place to start.

mclarke,

Thanks for the feedback and it does make sense to prioritize based on ROI. And thatÂs what IÂll do.
Now I just have to figure out how to get the best bang for the dollar without "over improving" for our homeÂs market value. ItÂs tricky so I appreciate all the help.

If you really need and want new furniture, then go start looking at that. Attractive and comfortable pieces of furniture not only create a nice ambience in a home that's for sale, but they move with you when and if you go, so that's a good place to begin. Paint costs very little in the overall scheme of things, so there's no reason not to invest in a nice new background for your new furniture pieces. And, if you sell later, you have new paint.

Other than those two things, you really need to have a fairly accurate assessment of need if you think you're going to sell soon. Do you NEED or just WANT new flooring? Do you NEED or just WANT new appliances? Make a list of what's really important whether you stay or go and move on from there.

Red

To me, what's on the floor is the most important "piece of furniture" in that house. I would start there, then move on to the furniture. Once you get those in place, you should be able to choose a wall color.

I think the flooring is where I will start, working from the bottom up so to speak makes sense to me. Thanks to all that provided feedback.