You might already know that you want to renovate multiple spaces, but still not know where to start.
It’s a fair question: where SHOULD you begin if you aren’t going to do everything at once?
A more honest version of the question sounds like this: what are you comfortable updating in your home right now, and what will your deciding factor be to prioritize correctly for you?
Prioritizing is NOT hesitating. It’s something we have to do as homeowners.
Some “seasons of homeownership” call for a big reconfigurations, like when you update your home to age comfortably in place. Others call for smarter protection of your biggest asset! And still others call for subtle, much less intimidating improvements that quietly impact how you FEEL every single day.
So…what’s the right first remodel for you? Get that answer right, and you’ll avoid overcommitting (OR under-improving).
Look first at what I call the “seasons of homeownership,” and then you’ll have the context you need for my “Five Key Questions” exercise that reveals the absolute best decision for you!!
Figure Out Your “Season of Homeownership”
Before you decide what to remodel first, you have to decide what “season” of homeownership you’re in.
Forget the “stage of life” language!! That sounds so existential…and it’s linear, whereas seasons come, go, then come again.
Read slowly through the seasons below. You’ll recognize yourself immediately in one of them, or maybe two. If you do feel pulled toward a couple, that’s normal! Just decide which one feels “dominant” right now, and that’s what you can use to move onto the Five Key Questions…
Season One: The Long-Term Owner
You’re in this season if you know you’re not moving anytime soon. Or ever! You’re in a place you’ll call home for a long, long time, and you easily imagine future milestones and life changes there…holidays, future versions of yourself, you name it!
In this season, you’re WAY less concerned about resale optics and much more concerned about durability, layout logic, and your long-term comfort. You’re willing to invest, but you want to invest in things that age well.
You might be thinking:
- If we’re staying, let’s do this right.
- I do NOT want to redo something twice.
- Whatever we do needs to function beautifully for the next decade or more.
Season Two: The Cautious Optimizer
You appreciate home improvement, and you can get excited about updates, but only when they’re beautiful AND functional. You want whatever you do to be smart. Smart for you, for your financial situation, for your needs, and even for your secret desires.
If you’re thinking about remodels, that means you feel subtle (or not so subtle) friction in specific spaces. There are inefficiencies or things you aren’t a fan of…at all. You’re aware of certain aging materials, too, and the growing list of pending fixes…
You might be thinking:
- Let’s improve what actually matters.
- I don’t need everything new, I just need the right things updated.
- What gives us the greatest lift without overshooting?
Season Three: The Lifestyle Evolver
This season can come, go, and come again. If you’re in this season of homeownership, then something about how you live has fundamentally shifted. Maybe you host more than ever, or maybe you work from home now. Maybe the children are older, or have left, or have returned!!
This means your home feels misaligned with your current rhythm.
You might be thinking:
- This space doesn’t reflect how we live anymore…
- We gather so differently now…
- Why does this feel slightly off?
Season Four: The Future Planner
You’re thinking ahead! …But not with fear, just a sense of prudence.
In this season of homeownership, you want your home to support you gracefully, and for YEARS to come. You’re aware that the main space’s circulation, overall lighting, entry access, and bathroom functionality will matter more if you want them to last into every new chapter.
You might be thinking:
- I want to make this easier on us long term.
- I want comfort without compromise on style.
- I’d rather prepare now than react later.
…Now pause.
Which season are you truly in right now?
Be honest. This isn’t about what sounds ambitious, it’s about what feels like it fits.
Once you identify your season, something interesting happens:
Certain projects begin to feel obvious, and others begin to feel premature.
Next, let’s walk through my Five Key Questions that refine your answer even more, and pinpoint EXACTLY where your first remodel should begin!!
The five key questions That Reveal Your First Home Project
Keyword: YOUR first move. Not what some influencer says is the “right” thing to do. Not even what a remodel magazine says is the “smart” thing! It’s your home, your life, your Return On Enjoyment®.
Now that you’ve identified your “season,” we’re going to use it as a filter on your project wish-list.
The goal here is not to justify what you already want to do, it’s to uncover what makes the most strategic sense to do FIRST.
Take these questions seriously! Write the answers down. Your instinctive response is usually the honest one…
1. Where do you feel friction every single day?
Friction is different than annoyance. When I say friction, I mean:
- A layout that works against you
- Something that slows down a routine
- Something that makes you maneuver unnecessarily
- Bottlenecks and safety problems
Over time, repetitive friction shapes how you feel about your whole home. To get the gears turning, here are some example answers based on the seasons of homeownership…
- If you’re a Long-Term Owner, friction typically comes from layout and infrastructure.
- If you’re a Cautious Optimizer, friction might point to chore or routine inefficiencies or aging materials.
- If you’re a Lifestyle Evolver, friction likely reveals a misalignment in gathering spaces or where you work.
- If you’re a Future Planner, friction might show up in circulation, lighting, or accessibility.
Write down your answer! Then move onto question number two…
2. What space feels most out of sync with who you are right now?
This is subtle, but SO powerful. As you think about your answer and look for that “gut response.” Maybe take a moment to stand in your kitchen or in your primary bath. Work your way through your whole home! What spaces feel like they belong to a previous version of you? Or someone you’ve never been?!
Life evolves, and sometimes, a room simply doesn’t match the way you live anymore.
If the answer to this one feels obvious, don’t ignore it!! Take note and move onto the next question…
3. What’s aging faster than you’d like?
This question is about materials that are nearing the end of their lifecycle, OR outdated systems, OR finishes that will definitely require replacements at some point soon.
If you’re in the Cautious Optimizer or Long-Term Stayer season, this question carries extra weight!!
Quick note: Protective upgrades are often the smartest first move when they prevent more expensive decisions later.
4. What improvement now would unlock other improvements later?
This is where sequencing your remodels becomes exciting instead of intimidating.
Would redesigning your bathroom be a chance to get ahead of All Ages Design features you know you’ll want to think about in 10 years? Or would updating your guest suite give you a spare kitchenette so you could tackle the bigger kitchen renovation in a year or two, without so much disruption?
The right first project sometimes creates a domino effect, and the answer to this question tends to be the one that surprises people the most…
5. If you could fix ONE thing tomorrow, what would immediately change how you FEEL?
This question matters more than most people know on their own!! But once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
If you could fix one thing that would really change how you FEEL, it would not be an upgrade for resale value or an update that impresses the guests. Instead, it would be something that makes you feel relieved or more at ease during your daily routines.
Now Step Back and Look for a Pattern
Look at your responses to the Five Key Questions. If three of your answers point toward the kitchen, that’s not a coincidence! Or if they consistently point toward lighting and layout, you officially have clarity.
This is where overcommitting and under-improving both disappear. You don’t have to worry about that ever again.
When your season of homeownership aligns with your answers to these five questions, your first remodel feels obvious instead of risky or stressful.
Next, drop a comment with anything you learned that might help other homeowners!! Or, reach out directly with your newfound clarity and schedule a one-on-one call with me!
About the author:
Robin Burrill, RID, NCIDQ, ASID, IDS, CAPS, is an award-winning professional kitchen, bath, and interior designer. Robin and her husband, Robert Mathews, have owned Signature Home Services, Inc. for over three decades, establishing a superior in-house team with a widespread reputation for delivering meticulous design to their many repeat clients.
In 2022, the national publication, Kitchen and Bath Design News magazine, named Robin to their Top Innovator list in recognition of her achievements in the field of kitchen and bath design. In 2024, she was named one of the Fall 2024 Market Pros and “tastemakers” by ANDMORE at High Point Market. In 2024 and again in 2025, Fixr identified her as one of the Top Professional Interior Designers for their nationwide audience. At the start of 2025, she then acted as one of Dallas Market’s “Style Eyes” at Lightovation and Total Home & Gift Market.
Over her extensive career, Robin has been quoted in Architectural Digest and Forbes multiple times; her design work has been featured in top national trade publications; and she has been interviewed for Designers Today magazine’s “Profiles in Design” video series, among others. Widely respected for the depth of her knowledge, Robin is a sought after speaker and judge for many design industry events.
In 2023, Robin designed a bench for Charleston Forge, making her foray into product design. Robin currently serves as a volunteer on the board of the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of the Interior Design Society.