Surely sometime in your life — perhaps when your nesting instincts kicked in — you may have spent time imagining the kind of house that you would like to live in. This kind of daydream is exactly what interior design and decorating are all about. Most home designs start from a daydream or vision from yourself or a designer. Before you can put any ideas down on paper, one has certain feelings about what home feels like.

Some of what you imagine comes from your previous or current experience of the home you grew up in. Whether it was a positive or negative experience, your likes and dislikes are guided by your family home. These recollections predetermine to a certain degree what your taste or preference for design are going to be. You may have loved your family home and choose to emulate that type of design, or you may have detested the kind of decor your parents chose, and therefore be in the market from something distinctly different.

Of course everyone's starting point is different. As a teenager, the most important room was my bedroom ... that immediate realm where I could imagine grey wall and a graffiti accented walls, with the mattress and box spring low down to the ground, surrounded by blue glow in the dark light and iridescent band posters on my walls. Way to go Rock and Roll ... well, thank goodness those days are over.

But in reality, you may start to imagine what your home will be like as a result of where you spend your time. Those with a culinary inclination may start to imagine their home in the kitchen, and will know where they want every utensils and equipment to be exactly placed, imagining Julia Childs' kitchen.

Others that like to entertain a lot may imagine their home starting with a grand living room and dining room — the perfect place to razzle dazzle guests. Of course, even the living room's activities may vary according to the age group and interests of those occupying the home.

And yet those that like to lounge in their bedrooms may start out just like I did back when I was a teenager.

Imagination is also the first component when designing a home. To those that say they can't imagine their home, it's just a poor excuse for not wanting to spend the time doing so, or because it simply overwhelms him or her. There always has to be a starting point. Sometimes the ideas are good, and sometimes they are not, but discussing your ideas with those that will be living in the home is a start. Every idea has its merit. During the design process, regardless of whether you are doing the design yourself or working with a professional, ideas tend to work and weed themselves out. So take a deep breath and allow everyone to express their opinions regarding what is best for the design.

Now, Let's also imagine peace in your imaginary home.

Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Fla. To find out more about Joseph Pubillones, or to read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.