Remodeling your existing home or designing a new home can be an exciting but overwhelming process. Whether you are starting from scratch or giving a room or two a makeover, hiring a professional will streamline the process and save you both time and money as well as give you a cohesive and beautiful design and flow to your home.
If the work you are doing includes construction, hiring a design professional before you begin allows the designer to work together with your architect and contractor to add in design details that could be costly or impossible to add later. Oftentimes, contractors will give you cookie-cutter choices for details such as moldings and hardware. When working with a designer, thought will be given to these details so that the choices made will flow with the overall style and design you are trying to achieve throughout the home. Unfortunately, contractors can also try to cut corners and save time in ways that may not be apparent to the homeowner, but a designer will take note of and correct these shortcuts to give you the high-end result you deserve.
Bringing a designer in early on in the process also affords you the opportunity to get feedback on architectural decisions and lets you know how they will affect your future design decisions. Preliminary furniture layouts can be done at this phase of the process so that any adjustments can be made to window and door locations, electrical outlets, etc. to allow you to have room for the furniture layout you desire. Decisions can also be made at this point to add in any custom built-in furniture items. Completing them during the construction phase will save you money and hassle later on.
If your project does not involve construction but rather updating and redesigning a room, scope of rooms or your entire home, hiring an interior designer will still help you streamline the process and save you time and money. A designer will usually start by meeting with you in your home, looking at your existing furniture and design choices and discussing the overall style and function you would like to achieve with the renovation as well as your budget for the project. This can be done by looking at photos together of rooms you like, and by creating idea books and pin boards on design websites that you can collaborate on together.
Depending on how much time and involvement you would like to have in the process, your designer can either involve you in every step along the way or take care of most everything for you. You can accompany them to furniture, lighting and tile stores or they can shop for you and bring you a selection in your price range. Besides for saving time and getting expert advice, one of the best perks of working with a designer is that they have access to decorative sources that you do not. There are many high-end fabric and furniture showrooms that will not sell to the public but of course sell to designers. Designers are also in touch with professionals who can create custom pieces to suit your taste and needs. If custom is not what you are interested in or is not within your budget, many retail stores now offer a discount to interior designers as well.
Don’t let your project overwhelm you. While it may have at one time been thought of as an unnecessary luxury, hiring an interior designer will afford you the time to focus on what you do best while they use their expertise to create a space that both functions and exudes the style and warmth you want in your home.
By Shoshana Halpert
