# How to Plan a Renovation Like a Pro (Even If You’re DIY-ing It) | Danielle Nicholson (EP456)

An episode of [Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1159498258), 14 Jul 2026, 30 min.

Audio: https://prefix.up.audio/s/pdst.fm/e/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/clrtpod.com/m/mgln.ai/e/35/audio2.redcircle.com/episodes/f36ee6d6-2598-43e2-923b-58a179565200/stream.mp3

Whether you're dreaming about a full home renovation or simply refreshing a room, it's tempting to jump straight into paint colors, furniture, and finishes. But according to interior designer Danielle Nicholson, the most important part of any successful project happens long before the work begins. With more than 18 years of experience designing homes - from simple room updates to custom builds - Danielle has seen firsthand how thoughtful planning saves homeowners time, money, and unnecessary stress. In this episode, she shares why slowing down, clarifying your vision, and making intentional decisions leads to homes that feel both beautiful and deeply functional. Links Discussed in This Episode | • Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane. • Connect with Danielle: • Website • Instagram • Book: Don't Start Without ME: Your how to design planner About Danielle | Danielle Nicholson is the founder of Danielle Nicholson Design, where she's spent the past 18+ years helping homeowners create beautiful, functional spaces through renovations, new builds, and thoughtful interior design. Inspired by her architect grandfather and resourceful mother, Danielle believes great design isn't about spending more - it's about making intentional choices. Her practical philosophy encourages homeowners to shop their own homes first, maximize their budgets, and create spaces they'll love for years to come. Episode Sponsors | The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal! Enjoy the Podcast? Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity. You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook. Our Sponsors: * Check out BetterHelp and use my code betterhelp.com for a great deal: https://www.betterhelp.com * Check out Cure Hydration and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://www.curehydration.com * Check out DeleteMe and use my code joindeleteme.com/MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://joindeleteme.com * Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

## Transcript

[0:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I will get comments from people saying, oh, it must be nice to have money in.
[0:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm like, no, no, no.
[0:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then the cabinet, the other cabinet that I refinished, I paid $100 on Facebook Marketplace and refinished it.
[0:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it's just thinking outside the box being patient and taking the time to source what you need.
[0:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: This is Diane Bowden, and you're listening to the minimalist mom's podcast.
[0:23] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Whether you're dreaming about a full home renovation or simply refreshing a room, it's tempting to jump straight into paint colors, furniture, and finishes.
[0:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But according to interior designer Daniel Nicholson, the most important part of any successful project happens long before the work begins.
[0:39] \[SPEAKER_00\]: With more than 18 years of experience designing homes from simple room updates to custom builds,
[0:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Danielle has seen firsthand how thoughtful planning shares homeowner's time, money, and unnecessary stress.
[0:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: In today's episode, she shares why slowing down, clarifying your vision, and making intentional decisions, leads to homes that feel beautiful and deeply functional.
[1:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But before we get there, I want to share a minimalist resource of the week with all of you.
[1:04] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And my resource of the week is Toy Story 5.
[1:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm sure a great number of you have seen it, but I think it aligns so well with a lot
[1:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: It offered such a great reminder that the best childhood memories aren't built around having more.
[1:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: They're built through imagination, relationships, and time spent together.
[1:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Not to mention, the movie offers a great springboard to open up conversations about technology play and what really matters in the day-to-day.
[1:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I had some really great conversations with my kiddos after we saw it together.
[1:35] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I highly recommend that if you haven't taken the time to see this yet, maybe cool off one afternoon and head to the theater to see it.
[1:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then lastly, if you've been enjoying the minimalist mom's podcast, but if yet to leave a rating and review, I'd love for you to hit five stars or leave a review, tell me who your favorite guest has been, the topic of your favorite episode.
[1:53] \[SPEAKER_00\]: The show is seven reviews away from hitting a thousand, and I would love to hit that by the end of summer.
[1:59] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So if you've been listening for a while now, or you're new, and you just enjoy the content here, I'd love it if you took a moment to do that.
[2:05] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So thank you, thank you.
[2:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And with that, let's go into my conversation with Danielle Nicholson.
[2:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I would love to hear here from the beginning, just an introduction in the who you are and what it is that you do.
[2:20] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And then we'll get into some more practicals in regards to renovation, home design, all that fun stuff.
[2:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Okay, so I'm an interior designer and I pretty much do everything across the board, new builds, renovations from the ground up, select material finishes, all of it.
[2:38] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I've been doing it for about 18 years.
[2:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: My beginnings were much different.
[2:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I came from a home where my mom had a passion for design.
[2:48] \[SPEAKER_01\]: My grandfather was a really well respected architect.
[2:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So the artistic part was there.
[2:54] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But the financial part wasn't there.
[2:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I watched my mom create things out of nothing.
[3:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, like she would find things or go to second hand shops or just really knew how to rework.
[3:07] \[SPEAKER_01\]: things from the home and she'd even bring them to our neighbors, like a lamp, but see calm and go and yeah.
[3:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so I just thought this was normal life.
[3:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I started kind of to realize I was the same way.
[3:20] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then when I was 18, I re-did my bedroom,
[3:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: really on a budget like I worked at a you guys are from the state so can you entire like a home depot type store and so I was able to get paint and then my friend and I went and found wallpaper that was like in a basket so it's a leftover so I did like one wall and then painted whatever I could do on a budget and the neighbor saw my room and she asked me to do their master bedroom.
[3:48] \[SPEAKER_01\]: and then that's kind of how it all started for me.
[3:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So even though I'm doing these big projects and I've done large builds and stuff, my heart has always been on helping people to live beautifully.
[4:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I know that sounds so cliche.
[4:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Okay, every designer wants, but I really do, and I really do believe it can be done on almost any budget.
[4:13] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I mean, I've put used carpeting in my house, which I now sounds really gross, but that was when I was starting out in my friend's parent's out of blood.
[4:22] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So we cut the edges off and still used it, you know?
[4:25] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I think with a little bit of creativity,
[4:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You can really do a lot in your home and when you're doing that and you don't have an endless budget The book becomes very important because you need to plan you have you know you need to have an idea of What you want your space to look and feel like and how are you going to get there?
[4:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then once you have it down on paper, when you do find the right thing because you can't just go and buy it with that endless amount of money, we all wish we had, then you're like, oh, yeah, like I found that fits into my plan, but if you're standing there and you haven't thought it's through and you haven't dreamt about what you want your home or space to feel like when it's in front of you, you're not going to know it's calling you.
[5:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Does that make any sense?
[5:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: know it totally does and i'm sorry i forgot to mention the name of your book it's don't start without me your personal design project planner and organizer so this is really helping people like you said be resourceful be thoughtful and it sounds like that's what you've done since the start of your work like you're a thrifty resourceful woman i am curious though here from the beginning why you think hiring a designer isn't necessarily luxury but it's a
[5:38] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it's funny, I was just before I talked to you, I was talking to one of my clients and we're working on a kitchen.
[5:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And he thanked me for a couple things I did for him, which was to do with the back splash and the kitchen itself.
[5:54] \[SPEAKER_01\]: because he wanted to originally do an IKEA kitchen, which was nothing wrong with an IKEA kitchen.
[6:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: At all, I've had a home that I didn't a IKEA kitchen in, but you have to know what you're doing.
[6:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And you have to be prepared to go back and forth and exchange boxes and really be methodical when you're opening the boxes and placing them.
[6:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And if you're not prepared to do that,
[6:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: or you don't have the right person who can do it for you, I say don't do it.
[6:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I talk them into getting a kitchen from one of my companies that's not necessarily like a super high-end kitchen, but they love it.
[6:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's exactly what they need.
[6:33] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's new.
[6:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: There are other ones like 25 years old, but in doing that,
[6:39] \[SPEAKER_01\]: because I have the resources and I've been doing it for so long.
[6:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I know who to call, what to make happen, what to go with, what to not go with, where to spend your money.
[6:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And he said to me, just in a text today, he said, you know, you've saved us so much money.
[6:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I said, yeah, pretty much what I saved you.
[7:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: He was covered with what you spent on me, right?
[7:02] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so I can't say every designer is going to work that way.
[7:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I don't know for sure.
[7:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's who you call.
[7:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've been doing this for 18 years.
[7:10] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've connected with a lot of people.
[7:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I know the do's and don't.
[7:13] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've also lived.
[7:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm very good at figuring out how to do things on the low end, the high end.
[7:18] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, I had a message from someone that I shared on social media the other day that said that they went through one of my clients' houses.
[7:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And obviously, I have an eye for higher end finishes.
[7:30] \[SPEAKER_01\]: which I do, but that was for that house, right?
[7:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I'm doing two polar opposite homes right now, and that's when you have a designer who can be strategic and know where to spend the money and how to spend the money, I can guarantee you you will save the money in the end that you would have spent yourself maybe twice or three times.
[7:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: because you did it wrong or you didn't go to the right people or you put the money in the wrong place.
[7:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so that's what I mean when I say there's a cost benefit to hiring a designer even though it seems like it's a luxury.
[8:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's actually in my mind very much in necessity and especially depending on the project.
[8:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: right?
[8:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Like I've had people come in to me who were in tears overwhelmed about the project they were doing and they just couldn't handle it.
[8:20] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, when you get into larger square footage, new build, whatever.
[8:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I have in my book at one point, I say, you know, when you read all this, if you feel like you're overwhelmed, considering, considering hiring somebody.
[8:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But the
[8:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: the goal with my book.
[8:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I also want people to have a full understanding of what they're getting themselves into with a renovation in design or build because I've been doing it for so long and I would I would say 98% of people don't realize what they're getting themselves into.
[8:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, no, I mean, that makes a lot of sense because then we can get ourselves into the weeds.
[9:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I think a lot of people feel I recently got my real estate license just kind of here at the beginning of the year.
[9:08] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I'm a realtor here in Ohio and I know that some people are like, why would I hire someone to do something that I could possibly do on my own?
[9:16] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And that's there there is that possibility you can go on your own and do it but there are also a lot of laws that you don't necessarily want to break and that's the what I've been studying and researching and so it's kind of like yeah people can go out and do this but there's always liability there's always risk.
[9:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: There's always more and more in me spent, but if you have a plan and a budget and kind of what you're sticking to, it makes sense to, I wanna say, like, outstores.
[9:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: We're like project managers in a sense.
[9:43] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, you bring your eye, but it's also like, we are the project managers to help stamp budget, which kind of leads me into my next question.
[9:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: A lot of renovations going back to interior design and renovations will go over budget, and I'm just curious here for some tips on how we can keep that in control.
[10:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I'm probably going to repeat the same thing over again in sound, whatever, and again that's what the book is really helpful for, too, is planning ahead.
[10:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's all about planning ahead.
[10:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Like I say,
[10:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You need to be planning when you're dreaming about the project, not when you're ready to sign.
[10:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: When you're dreaming and you don't even, you might not even have a dollar in the bank yet, in you're in your home and you're thinking, like you're a real chair you're saying, right?
[10:31] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So you sell people home and then they move in and,
[10:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: A lot of what I find is right away people are like, oh, I got to do this and I got to do that or whatever and there's no methodical planning and time to to think about how do we want to live here where should we put our money first right my opinion would be you buy a house.
[10:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: you buy my book or a book, most people just grab a line to paper book, right?
[11:02] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And start really thinking through and planning and get the square footage of your flooring, if you think it's something you want to do.
[11:09] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Get the square footage of your bathroom, your shower, whatever.
[11:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Start figuring out how much is that tile going to cost me.
[11:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: maybe if we do a simpler tile upstairs, then we can afford the floor downstairs.
[11:21] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But what I find is people start executing right away, right away, and then they're like, oh, we're over budget.
[11:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Well, yeah, because you didn't take the time to think it through, or maybe
[11:35] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's okay that you take that budget from the bathroom, and that bathroom waits a year, and now you're just going to do the main floor because that's important to you, and the floor is going to cost you more than you thought.
[11:48] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So, you know, start prioritizing.
[11:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: To me, it's all about planning, prioritizing, and getting your numbers in place before you start a project.
[11:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Most people wait till they call the contractor.
[12:01] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, and I mean, you made a good point with moving.
[12:05] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yes, I think people want to act really quickly.
[12:09] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Sometimes you have to.
[12:10] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And sometimes you do need renovation if something's flooded or something is damaged.
[12:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Holderly, sometimes sometimes time is not on your side.
[12:17] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But I would suggest that I even tell people that when they move into a home,
[12:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: or before they are going to make those renovations to take it slow because people will just still a space to fill a space and then they end up hating it and it's not what they really wanted and you waste all this money and it's not even what you want.
[12:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I think it's our society backwards in the facts that we want instant gratification and we want it now and then that's again when we get ourselves in the weeds.
[12:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I get so many calls where people say, I did this and I was in a hurry and I picked out this floor and I was in a hurry and I hate the floor.
[12:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I can't even tell you how many things I've gone in and torn out a year or two after the number one thing for me after someone builds that the people call me for is their lighting.
[13:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Because they'll just get like a lighting package and then they hate their lighting and then I have to come in and change it all out to some nicer lighting that's like on a new build that's probably the number one thing that I see and and to your point about how sometimes people can't wait you are correct like last year I did a Renault for a gentleman he bought a house they're moving in 68 weeks he's like I'm not moving in with those floors Danielle I need to do something that he hired me.
[13:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I was able to get to those things much quicker and he was so thankful.
[13:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, I think they only hired me for about 10 hours of my time.
[13:40] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Help them make some good decisions quickly.
[13:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And it was, you know, new countertops, backsplash, flooring, paint colors.
[13:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I think new hardwoods throughout and a fireplace surround.
[13:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The canvas.
[13:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: not furniture we didn't get to the basement yet just the canvas so he could get his kids and his family in there and I think I did two lights the main light in the dining room and that was it and it was enough to get the ball rolling but they wouldn't I shouldn't say this but they wouldn't have been able to do that on their own that quickly and pull it together the way I did.
[14:28] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'd love to talk about minimalism here a bit in design.
[14:31] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I think a lot of people when it comes to good design think that they do require a really large budget and they have to have all this money.
[14:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But I think that you challenge that idea really quite well and you think that there are a lot of misconceptions that people have about creating a beautiful home.
[14:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I'd love for you to share any of those here.
[14:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Oh, a thousand percent.
[14:49] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's so funny.
[14:50] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, this, this is just aesthetics or whatever.
[14:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But I remember years ago, my friend was getting rid of all of her Christmas stuff because she didn't like it anymore.
[14:59] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so I, so fine.
[15:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'll take it and I was newly divorced and had no money and starting over and I'm like, OK, I'll take your stuff.
[15:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I was having a Christmas party because it was the last year in my house.
[15:12] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I took all of her stuff and I kind of repurposed it.
[15:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I cut it apart.
[15:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I changed it or whatever, you know?
[15:19] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I didn't necessarily use it exactly the way she had it.
[15:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then so she came over to the Christmas party and she goes, well, if I would have known I could have done that, I would have kept it all, right?
[15:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it's, it a lot of it is just,
[15:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: you know, thinking outside the box and knobs like knobs for cabinets, you would be amazed with the knobs you can find.
[15:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You guys have habitat for humanity is that something habitat.
[15:48] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, so you can find really high-end brass knobs at habitat all the time.
[15:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And if you don't want them in brass, spray paint them.
[15:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: right.
[15:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I did a vanity in my laundry room.
[15:59] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think it's on Instagram somewhere that I bought from somebody for $80.
[16:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: The bottom was all like kind of mildew or whatever.
[16:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I cut the bottom off.
[16:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I ordered legs on Amazon, painted the whole thing, had a career marble top put on and it looked beautiful.
[16:15] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, so I definitely challenge you because I will get comments on TikTok and stuff from people saying, oh, it must be nice to have money in.
[16:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm like, no, no, no.
[16:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: No, like, and then the cabinet, the other cabinet that I refinished, that's also, I think, on TikTok or whatever, I paid $100 on Facebook Marketplace and refinished it.
[16:33] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it's just thinking about outside the box, being patient and taking the time to source what you need.
[16:44] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And again, in my book, I talk a lot about vision boards, and I think having a vision board is really important
[16:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Again, it gives you something to work towards.
[16:55] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So when you do see something on market place or on the curb or wherever, you know, that could work for you.
[17:02] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You would be like, oh, yeah, that's it.
[17:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Like, that's going to work in my.
[17:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It doesn't necessarily have to be the thing that you find online.
[17:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I think constraints make people more creative.
[17:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Like, you have to be when you have constraints around what your budget is or what you can do.
[17:20] \[SPEAKER_01\]: and it allows you to stretch your budget further.
[17:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, just like your Christmas example, I love that that you did that.
[17:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, yeah, it was quite funny because I remember when she walked in and she's like, if I had known, I'm like, well, you know, you got to think a little bit, a little bit bigger, but that's, you know, that's something that again, I've always done and I growing up with really no money, I had to do that right, no, I didn't have to, I could have lived the way I wanted, you know, I could have just lived with nothing or whatever, but I've always had the passion in the eye for design and I've always wanted to make things look nice.
[17:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It doesn't matter what it is.
[17:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I've always wanted to make them look nicer and I I can't shut that off.
[18:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It doesn't matter inside outside It's been innate in me since I was little so You know, I when you're on a budget you figure out how yeah I'm curious from a design I We're obviously bombarded with the
[18:17] \[SPEAKER_00\]: the message of we need more, or we need to change, we need to upgrade the more constantly marketed to when it comes to our home.
[18:23] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So I'm just curious, if there would be this is an example from your wardrobe, I always tell people, like, obviously we live in the world, you're gonna buy things by classic pieces.
[18:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Maybe buy one trendy item, or there's cool rentable services where you can get trendy clothing.
[18:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But it's like create a classic staple wardrobe, and then it's never gonna go out of fashion.
[18:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So in the design world, like is there,
[18:45] \[SPEAKER_00\]: a classic way to design your home that, I don't know, that doesn't constantly, a thousand percent.
[18:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I'm, that's actually something I'm known for, is to be a classic designer.
[18:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm really big on people getting longevity out of their finishes in their hard surfaces.
[19:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I,
[19:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I allow people to express themselves, and obviously when I'm designing a home, I want it to be their home, but I help them lean more towards what I think is going to give them longevity, unless they absolutely want it.
[19:21] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But you can buy accessories that are trendy and infuse those, and then move on in a few
[19:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I'm all about the polish nickel, the unlacker brass, the warm brown hardwood floors, you know, just kind of something that is not going to date.
[19:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then I know we kind of went through this gray phase for a few years there, the gray gray or whatever, and I can honestly say in my portfolio, I don't think I have one house that was in that phase.
[19:56] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I may have trickled it in, but.
[20:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's not something that people were stuck with, you know, and if you really want to get on board with it, then just do paint, but I am all about longevity for sure.
[20:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I've seen so many, just on Instagram, there's always these posts of how the world is losing color.
[20:17] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And it is kind of sad when you see how we're taking color out of spaces, and in a sense that can be trendy because maybe the colors are changing.
[20:26] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But I also think that, yeah, paint, you can always repaint a room.
[20:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I have friends that love to just paint their house different colors or the walls different colors.
[20:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But also in regards to purchasing to purchase, going back to that thought,
[20:40] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I don't know.
[20:41] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Again, why are we feeling the space if it's unnecessary?
[20:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yes, choose the pieces you think, but you also don't need to buy that much.
[20:47] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can buy it just a few things that feel good.
[20:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And chances are you already have it in your home.
[20:53] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, like I always say to people, shop your home first.
[20:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I had a client a few years back, her friend was coming to visit on the train and she was all excited and she's like, my buffet, I don't have anything on my buffet and I said, okay, I'll help you and I was there for something completely different and I pulled out like everything from her buffet and styled it and then she never changed, actually I'm working on another house with them now and from that time till they moved, she never changed that buffet
[21:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And if it's not right in front of you in your home, it's probably in your attic or your mother's attic or somewhere, it's amazing how you can find things in your home that will work.
[21:37] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And that's always my general rule whether I'm having a party, Christmas, whatever, or day to day, shop at home first.
[21:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then you'll be, oh yeah, this can work in that homework.
[21:49] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Even as state sales, I think you can go to a state sale.
[21:52] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Those are always happening around Columbus.
[21:54] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm sure they're happening all over, but it's like you can find some really cool pieces pretty inexpensively.
[22:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Also, I know that my nature group, we have a Slack channel and if someone needs something or needs to borrow it or need something, they put it out in the group just to check their first.
[22:10] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I think that if you, you probably do it on a Facebook marketplace, like buy nothing group, because, again, opting into resourcefulness.
[22:18] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And I think some people are embarrassed to do such a thing, but it's like, no, this is, this actually be applauded.
[22:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Why would I waste the money if I don't have to?
[22:26] \[SPEAKER_00\]: This stuff people used to live.
[22:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: a thousand percent a thousand percent and the other thing too is so if you do have that bathroom you want to renovate let's say yeah and you're dreaming about it and you're saving about it and you're thinking about it I'm a firm believer don't go buy the accessory don't don't go buy the accessories to fill a void in your home because your home isn't the way you
[22:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: sit tight, save that money until you can do the renovation properly.
[23:03] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Right?
[23:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And if it means living with a blank wall, then you live with the blank wall.
[23:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But because I find that a lot of people go in circles, they just keep going around and around because they're never actually
[23:16] \[SPEAKER_01\]: solving the problem which is a bigger picture in the home because they don't have the budget for it but it's like you're never going to have the budget for it if you keep spending money on buying the things that aren't fixing it.
[23:26] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it makes sense?
[23:27] \[SPEAKER_00\]: No, totally, totally.
[23:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I have these shelves behind me that are completely empty.
[23:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm like, I need your eye because I'm sure I have stuff that would be fitting and then I have
[23:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: These shelves over here, people have seen it on Instagram because it's really the only room I photograph.
[23:42] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But it's like I want those better dispersed.
[23:44] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So even a designer, like you said, having someone come in for even an hour to help set your house in the way that you love it.
[23:50] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I just think that that seems like a worthwhile just making your house your refuge in a place that you want to return to and it's cozy and it's comfortable.
[23:57] \[SPEAKER_00\]: You can be a minimalist and still have the things around you that you use in love and bring you joy.
[24:04] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think that's actually very important.
[24:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think it's important to be a minimalist and have the things around you that you enjoy because if you have too much and then you'll never hone in on the things you love and enjoy.
[24:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So if you minimalize what you have and just have those things that are really special to you, then they will stand out and be kind of front and center.
[24:27] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So that makes sense?
[24:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: No, totally, it totally does.
[24:29] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Because it's supposed to clutter together.
[24:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, then y'all this was been a really helpful conversation for listeners that are interested in grabbing a copy of your renovation handbook and it it's a handbook, right?
[24:45] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah, it's a handbook.
[24:46] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It's a book.
[24:48] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it has a few pages of me speaking and kind of guiding you through the process and giving you there's some measurement things that I talk about, you know, that I advise people, you know, when you're creating your space graphing your room or whatever, but yeah.
[25:05] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it's a workbook with a lot of my input and there's also a QR code in here.
[25:11] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And when you scan the QR code, it takes you to a video on YouTube where I explain exactly how to use the book.
[25:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And talk a little bit more about design.
[25:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah.
[25:19] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, where can listeners grab a copy and connect with the online?
[25:24] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Amazon.com.ca wherever and they can find me at Danielle Nicholson Living.com or on Instagram all socials.
[25:32] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Danielle Nicholson Living.
[25:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Perfect.
[25:33] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, as we wrap things up here, I'm going to ask you the final two questions I ask on my guests.
[25:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And the first one is, what has been a beneficial resource in your life that you want to share with the listeners?
[25:43] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I don't know if this is considered a resource, but for me it's been journaling.
[25:51] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know, I have journaled and diary had a diary since I was 10 and I guess that's kind of why the that book is something it's very me because I'm all about putting things on paper and so for for my life I feel that that has really helped me.
[26:08] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I think the best part about journaling is it helps you to look back.
[26:13] \[SPEAKER_01\]: not just look forward but look back because sometimes when you look back and you see where you were in a place in life and you kind of can put the puzzle together and then you're like, oh, you know, maybe this chapter in my life I was going through this and it starts to make sense to you.
[26:28] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So for me, journaling has really helped me get through a lot of things in life.
[26:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah.
[26:34] \[SPEAKER_00\]: No, totally.
[26:35] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I totally agree.
[26:36] \[SPEAKER_00\]: All right.
[26:37] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Last question.
[26:38] \[SPEAKER_00\]: What is something you can't stop talking about?
[26:40] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Okay.
[26:41] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So I am also an esthetician because I love like beauty not so much like I love skincare and beauty and all of that.
[26:52] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And so red light therapy has really been on my mind for the last probably six months.
[26:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I've been doing red light therapy for
[27:01] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I don't know.
[27:02] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Two months or something now and I just love learning about about things to kind of keep us healthy and whatever as I start on my journey of the second half of my life.
[27:14] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So yeah, I would say red light therapy.
[27:17] \[SPEAKER_01\]: I seem to be talking about it a lot lately.
[27:21] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Is are you wearing one of those masks that people have so I started with an inexpensive panel on Amazon and that was mostly because not to get to personal but stomach troubles that I was having and then and then I kind of.
[27:36] \[SPEAKER_01\]: was using it in front of my face to help like I have a lot of anxiety and stuff so is using it to like help ground me in anxiety and whatever and I felt found that I was really enjoying it.
[27:47] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Sometimes I would put it just like I have a wellness room at home and I would just turn it on in the wellness room for the red light but a couple weeks ago I bought the mask.
[27:56] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Okay.
[27:57] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I invested in the mask and I'm really liking it.
[28:00] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So it was kind of like, you know, I spent $100 on Amazon to see how I would like it.
[28:06] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And I did.
[28:07] \[SPEAKER_01\]: And then I spent more on now getting the mask.
[28:11] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, so you didn't state because that makes sense.
[28:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: That makes sense.
[28:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Very curious.
[28:14] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I'm not quite there.
[28:15] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Like, I'm interested at something that once I have some extra room in the budget that I'd be curious about.
[28:20] \[SPEAKER_00\]: But I am interested in that.
[28:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So thanks for sharing those.
[28:23] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Well, if you ever want to know about the went you want to start the way I didn't get the went off Amazon, it's actually a bell.
[28:29] \[SPEAKER_01\]: But you, and it's got all the panels and the numbers because I'm a researcher.
[28:34] \[SPEAKER_01\]: You know and so I think Canadian it was a hundred so for you will be less and I thought I thought it was great In fact my niece unfortunately was in a car accident last week and I've been thinking and she she broke her pelvis and so it's yeah It's really yeah and so I've been thinking of sending her one because they're supposed to really help with the healing process
[28:57] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[28:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: Yeah.
[28:58] \[SPEAKER_01\]: So, but I'd be happy to send you the link of the one I got if you're interested in it.
[29:03] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah.
[29:04] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Save you the research.
[29:06] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yeah, I'll include in the show notes for listeners for sure.
[29:09] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Well, Danielle, again, this was really helpful and slow and steady.
[29:13] \[SPEAKER_00\]: With most things, slow and steady, and being really intentional about what it is that we're doing when it comes to home renovations if we can.
[29:20] \[SPEAKER_00\]: So, thanks so much for
[29:22] \[SPEAKER_00\]: for mining us.
[29:23] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Absolutely.
[29:24] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Yes, absolutely.
[29:25] \[SPEAKER_01\]: It was lovely speaking with you and thank you for having me on.
[29:29] \[SPEAKER_00\]: What did you think of the episode?
[29:30] \[SPEAKER_00\]: I hope you enjoyed the conversation.
[29:32] \[SPEAKER_00\]: To learn more about today's guest, including links, resources related to everything discussed today, visit the episode page at minimalsmamspodcast.com where you can find the entire podcast archive as well as my book minimalsmams living in parenting with simplicity or other ways to connect or work with me online.
[29:51] \[SPEAKER_00\]: If you'd like to support the podcast, the easiest and most impactful thing you can do is subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify, or YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
[30:00] \[SPEAKER_00\]: And leave a rating or review of your favorite episode.
[30:03] \[SPEAKER_00\]: Lastly, sharing the show or your favorite episode with friends and social media is very helpful and will encourage others on their journey to think more and do with less.

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