I am a firm believer that the small things in life are the ones that really count. Snuggling in front of a fireplace with my husband, my three cats and a good book is usually enough to make me happy. Add a mug of steaming hot cocoa and shortbread cookies and I am really in heaven.

By the some token, I am a stickler for details. As a designer I believe that every little detail counts, wether it is the perfect hue for a color or the precise proportion for a trim. If you are building a new home or undergoing a major renovation, you already may know that the devil is in the details, a cliche that will became reality when you are faced with numerous decisions daily. The small details are the ones that at the end will give your home its heart, soul and distinct personality.

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal Home Front section was the inspiration for this piece. The headline was "Sweating the Small Stuff" and the writer could have not described any better her experiences during the renovation of her Victorian home in San Francisco. Although it is mostly small stuff, the decisions you make can make or break the whole endeavor.

Typically, you will have to walk the path alone since the architect will not be involved in most of those decisions. What makes it even more difficult is that there are so many choices that will need to be made.
Here are some of the things you will have to think about: Paint color, trims, light fixtures, sinks, faucets, counter tops, tile, hardware for cabinets and even the size and style of your mail box. The list goes on and on.

There are also sub-choices to your major choices: Once you choose a slab of granite you will have to decide on the finish edge. For tile you will have to select not only your grout size but also its color.
Paint is available in hundreds of colors and also in several finishes; the contractor will want to know if you want flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, satin, pearl or high gloss, just to name a few.

Finally, the selections will not matter if the installation is not done correctly, so don't let workers get away with an installation that is not up to your standards. I have had the experience of marking in bright red the height of where I wanted wall sconces mounted, only to find a day later that they were installed a foot below my mark. Having walked the construction path with many clients, I feel qualified to offer some hints to make your process a little less painful:

Make a list -- actually, make several; cross-referencing can only help. I like to have lists by room and then cross-referenced by job-type. For example, I may have a list that will involve all the choices to be made for the kitchen cross-referenced with a list for the tile setter, the cabinet refinisher and the appliance installer.

Carry a large accordion file where you can store ideas, brochures, estimates and invoices by category so you can easily find say the spec sheet for the dishwasher installation or the exact date you ordered your granite.

Start shopping early. Not everything is "cash and carry." Many items will have to be ordered weeks in advance and if they are not there when the installer arrives it will delay your whole job. One of my clients had her kitchen at a standstill for weeks because the custom range hood was delayed by the factory.

If you make a bad decision it is better to redo it than to live with it. One of my clients last year bought a stone for the fireplace while I was away for the weekend. It was a bad choice and I had to tell them. The loss was only in the material and not on the labor since we replaced it before the installation. Remember, if you are going to look at it every day, you do not want to look at a wrong choice.

You should allocate 15% to 20% of your total budget for the finish work. This is not the place to cut corners and if you do, you will regret it later.

A regular walk-through with your designer is also very beneficial since a trained eye can notice things that may otherwise go undetected. In a recent visit to one project, I suggested incorporating numerous details that are easier to add during the construction phase and that might have been difficult to add later. Some of the changes included light-sconces for the dining room and crown molding around the rotunda of a circular staircaseThe sooner you get an interior designer involved in your project the less chance you have of making costly mistakes. One of the projects I have been working on since last year arrived at my desk during the very initial stages, giving me a chance to guide my clients on space planning before the walls where even erected.