Why Hire an Interior Designer?
Photo By SimonTe Tai
I love the expression on this Llama, and I imagine this is the face many people might make when pondering if they should hire an Interior Designer; “Hmm, I think I can do it myself”, “Interior Designers are expensive”, “I can just go to Home Depot and figure it all out”, “I watch HGTV all the time and it looks so easy!".
I get it, some people can design their own spaces, but for those who just can’t, because they either don’t have the time, or they don’t possess that creative bone (it’s okay, we are all born with strengths and weaknesses), Interior Designers can help create the space you imagined within your budget. These are my top 7 reasons why you should hire an interior designer.
1. You will save money!
Toss aside the idea that interior designers are only for the rich and famous. It may seem hard to believe but, in the long run, an interior designer can save you money. A designer will help you plan, plot and coordinate every stage of your project, eliminating costly mistakes. In addition, a well-designed home will increase the value of your home when it is time to sell. Designers also have access to trade-only resources that are often not available to the public or are heavily discounted when bought through a professional and most designers will pass that discount on to their client.
I do!
2. Designers have a trained eye and will help focus your vision.
There is so much more to a well-designed room than simply filling it with your favorite things. Designers are trained to know scale, proportion, color, size and texture, and so will professionally assess your space to ensure it is functional, efficient, and beautiful. In short, a designer offers an extra set of eyes – eyes that are trained to see things you may not. A designer will also take your unique personality and style into account and design a space that truly reflects your aesthetic.
3. Your designer will help you plan (and stick to) a budget.
Setting a budget is the easy part. Deciding how you’re going to allocate it among the different aspects of your design project is a lot harder. This is where the designer comes in. There’s no use in setting a budget if you don’t know what products or materials cost. A designer has this information at his/her fingertips and so can work out a clear item-by- item breakdown of projected expenses before any work begins. A designer will give you a realistic picture of what can be achieved within the scope of your budget.
4. Hiring a designer will save you time.
When you add up all the countless hours (and gas) wasted by looking for samples, or buying items, and then discover they don’t work once you get home and you must then return them, hiring a pro is time-saving no-brainer. Your designer will research options from many available vendors, and bring them to you to review in the comfort of your own home.
5. Designers have contacts and they are good at liaising.
Interior Designers have relationships with other consultants, plumbers, electricians and contractors and can help you get the right people for your job and help keep the project on deadline. A designer will be able to build a stronger bridge between you and your architect or contractors early on and will help prevent design mistakes in your overall plan. Your architect, contractor, and sub-contractors need to be on the same page with your project, and your designer is the one who makes sure this happens. It is important that the lighting plan and furnishing plan needs be addressed before construction; if your sofa is going to be floating in the middle of the room, for instance, you want to make sure you have the proper access to plug points and so on. Each practice informs the other, and you can instantly tell a home that has benefited from collaborative approach.
6. Designers increase the value of your home.
There’s a reason why people hire ‘home stagers’ when they put their properties on the market. If done properly, staging your home will highlight its strengths and help downplay its weaknesses, making it more attractive to potential buyers. The job of the interior designer is no different, designers aren’t there simply to choose paint colors and hang pictures. They are skilled at figuring out the best way to utilize the spaces in a home, making each one more attractive to future buyers.
The return on your interior investment is comfort and an improved lifestyle, both of which will have an impact on your home’s desirability to others should you decide to sell it one day, but it is also important that your financial outlay be in proportion to the value of your property.
A designer will consider factors for maximizing your home’s potential that you may not even have thought of. The designer will look, for instance, at how the light enters a room, during what time of day the space is used most and who uses it. They’ll find ways to make your interiors accentuate the features of your home’s architectural style and they will ensure that every element of the decorating scheme works within the overall layout. This creates a sense of cohesion between the interior and exterior spaces, all of which adds significantly to a home’s appeal and value.
7. Designers are on top of trends.
Designers have their fingers on the pulse of industry developments, new products and suppliers, and the very latest in design thinking. They are exposed to new information and they bring this with them when they create new concepts for existing living spaces, be it converting an old bathroom into a modern wet room, or updating a classic home for the new century. A good designer is able to adapt cutting-edge trends to the client, never losing sight of their vision, yet ensuring that the design is functional and beautiful.
I love the expression on this Llama, and I imagine this is the face many people might make when pondering if they should hire an Interior Designer; “Hmm, I think I can do it myself”, “Interior Designers are expensive”, “I can just go to Home Depot and figure it all out”, “I watch HGTV all the time and it looks so easy!".
I get it, some people can design their own spaces, but for those who just can’t, because they either don’t have the time, or they don’t possess that creative bone (it’s okay, we are all born with strengths and weaknesses), Interior Designers can help create the space you imagined within your budget. These are my top 7 reasons why you should hire an interior designer.
1. You will save money!
Toss aside the idea that interior designers are only for the rich and famous. It may seem hard to believe but, in the long run, an interior designer can save you money. A designer will help you plan, plot and coordinate every stage of your project, eliminating costly mistakes. In addition, a well-designed home will increase the value of your home when it is time to sell. Designers also have access to trade-only resources that are often not available to the public or are heavily discounted when bought through a professional and most designers will pass that discount on to their client.
I do!
2. Designers have a trained eye and will help focus your vision.
There is so much more to a well-designed room than simply filling it with your favorite things. Designers are trained to know scale, proportion, color, size and texture, and so will professionally assess your space to ensure it is functional, efficient, and beautiful. In short, a designer offers an extra set of eyes – eyes that are trained to see things you may not. A designer will also take your unique personality and style into account and design a space that truly reflects your aesthetic.
3. Your designer will help you plan (and stick to) a budget.
Setting a budget is the easy part. Deciding how you’re going to allocate it among the different aspects of your design project is a lot harder. This is where the designer comes in. There’s no use in setting a budget if you don’t know what products or materials cost. A designer has this information at his/her fingertips and so can work out a clear item-by- item breakdown of projected expenses before any work begins. A designer will give you a realistic picture of what can be achieved within the scope of your budget.
4. Hiring a designer will save you time.
When you add up all the countless hours (and gas) wasted by looking for samples, or buying items, and then discover they don’t work once you get home and you must then return them, hiring a pro is time-saving no-brainer. Your designer will research options from many available vendors, and bring them to you to review in the comfort of your own home.
5. Designers have contacts and they are good at liaising.
Interior Designers have relationships with other consultants, plumbers, electricians and contractors and can help you get the right people for your job and help keep the project on deadline. A designer will be able to build a stronger bridge between you and your architect or contractors early on and will help prevent design mistakes in your overall plan. Your architect, contractor, and sub-contractors need to be on the same page with your project, and your designer is the one who makes sure this happens. It is important that the lighting plan and furnishing plan needs be addressed before construction; if your sofa is going to be floating in the middle of the room, for instance, you want to make sure you have the proper access to plug points and so on. Each practice informs the other, and you can instantly tell a home that has benefited from collaborative approach.
6. Designers increase the value of your home.
There’s a reason why people hire ‘home stagers’ when they put their properties on the market. If done properly, staging your home will highlight its strengths and help downplay its weaknesses, making it more attractive to potential buyers. The job of the interior designer is no different, designers aren’t there simply to choose paint colors and hang pictures. They are skilled at figuring out the best way to utilize the spaces in a home, making each one more attractive to future buyers.
The return on your interior investment is comfort and an improved lifestyle, both of which will have an impact on your home’s desirability to others should you decide to sell it one day, but it is also important that your financial outlay be in proportion to the value of your property.
A designer will consider factors for maximizing your home’s potential that you may not even have thought of. The designer will look, for instance, at how the light enters a room, during what time of day the space is used most and who uses it. They’ll find ways to make your interiors accentuate the features of your home’s architectural style and they will ensure that every element of the decorating scheme works within the overall layout. This creates a sense of cohesion between the interior and exterior spaces, all of which adds significantly to a home’s appeal and value.
7. Designers are on top of trends.
Designers have their fingers on the pulse of industry developments, new products and suppliers, and the very latest in design thinking. They are exposed to new information and they bring this with them when they create new concepts for existing living spaces, be it converting an old bathroom into a modern wet room, or updating a classic home for the new century. A good designer is able to adapt cutting-edge trends to the client, never losing sight of their vision, yet ensuring that the design is functional and beautiful.
Convinced! Ready to hire an Interior Designer?
Give me a call and “Let’s have fun designing!”
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