Setting Goals

We have a lot to do for our first place together, so it's important for my husband and I to keep the big picture in mind while managing the small details. I think most homeowners, unless if they're Donald Trump, would have at least one goal in common with ours. Below are the grand scheme of things we're planning for our place.

Make the place look larger than it is - since we don't actually own a house, but rather, a condo, I want to keep the place from looking small. To carry this out, we'll need to:

• keep the place light and airy by avoiding dark, large scale furniture and dark paint (however, since dark sofas mask stains well, we may need to go that route)
  
• use paint with similar undertone in all rooms that will unite the spaces
  

Keep costs low - since this is not our first and final home, we're not looking for a high-end renovation. I do, however, want to have quality of life, so I am allowing some small splurges that won't put a dent in our wallet because our place is relatively small. With this in mind:

• we'll be keeping the existing suspiciously colored kitchen cabinets but investing in a good countertop
  
• tiling just half of our bathroom walls but investing in good looking accent tiles
  

Invest in quality pieces - again, since this is not our first and final home, we'll need to invest in furniture that lasts and can be brought to our next home:

• a wood dining table is tempting, but it's prone to scratches, so we're exploring other options
• we're gravitating towards a leather couch since they are more comfortable and may live longer than a microfiber couch
  

Do all of the above without strangling my husband - somehow, I have a feeling that this may be unavoidable