Blog Post Three
Wondering whether or not you need an interior designer?
Many people worry about the additional cost of hiring an interior designer when planning a renovation or redesign, however, hiring a design professional not only saves you time and money but has a lot of other benefits.
Interior designers provide a holistic service that includes spatial planning and floor plan layout including furniture placement, custom joinery design, kitchen and bathroom design, lighting design and electrical plans, selection of interior and exterior (yes exterior as well), colours, materials and fixtures, and of course, styling, furniture selection, design of window treatments and soft furnishings, accessories such as rugs, artwork and decor items that add the finishing details to a space. Even incorporating a treasured personal item or editing existing furniture can form part of the design brief.
When you hire an interior designer, they will go through all your needs from the beginning to ensure the process is seamless. They prepare a budget for you based on your design brief, lifestyle, style and scope of works so you will know the cost of the redesign from the outset. There is nothing worse than starting a project and feeling like you are constantly paying invoices that you never anticipated.
An interior designer prepares a design concept for you using mood boards showing key elements and style direction, as well as sample boards, material boards and product schedules of all your selections. Once the concept is complete, a designer can begin to complete any design drawings with your lifestyle and budget in mind. Having accurate, detailed plans avoids delays, mistakes and last-minute purchases to keep a project progressing. Your builder and trades will also all be on the same page with no unexpected surprises along the way.
A designer will know in what order things need to be done and they will do all the leg work for you, including liaising with builders and trades to keep things on track, making timely orders for chosen selections and organising lead times for deliveries, and planning for things you may not consider such as where to position power points or whether you would like 2-way switching.
An interior designer will be able to anticipate any obstacles that may come up and most importantly, they will be critical in keeping things moving swiftly.
Experienced designers will guide you where to spend your money wisely throughout the project and are able to choose the best value-for-money finishes and advise where to splurge for future return. An interior designer’s advice will prevent expensive mistakes, reduce unnecessary spending and help you make design decisions that will increase the value of your home. Many designers have networks of reliable and excellent contractors and suppliers who they can recommend to avoid those costly delays and substandard work. Their connections with furniture suppliers and trades people will mean your project will be finished sooner and to a higher level than you can achieve on your own.
Some interior designers will also extend their trade discounts to their clients meaning that you can save thousands of dollars on your selections.
In addition to reducing the stress of planning and budgeting, an interior designer will reduce the stress and anxiety of making the thousands of decisions involved in completing a redesign project and wondering if the selections you picked will look good. They are experts at combining colour combinations that work and using space to the best advantage. Interior designers have a skill set and trained eye to visualise how a space will look with selected finishes, materials and colours in an existing space or from reviewing plan drawings. Taking advantage of natural light and assessing the best flow of floor plans are integral parts of good design that an interior designer focuses on.
With an interior designer, you can be sure to purchase with confidence.
Finally, if you look around your home and it is lacking life and personality, an interior designer will bring that ‘wow’ factor whilst ensuring the design functions effectively for you and your family. Interior designers are skilled at balancing form and function.
Your home won’t look like everyone else’s, and it will be personalised to include your treasured items along with new pieces that suit the look you’re after.
Interior designers know the latest colours and materials, as they visit trade shows and previews before the products appear in suppliers’ showrooms. This means they can recommend the most up-to-date selections to add years of value to your home, especially the expensive areas of kitchen and bathroom fit-outs.
For the best outcome, seek out an interior designer early in your project. Interior designers are experts at collaborating with other professionals including architects, builders, contractors and landscape designers. They are crucial in delivering the space you dream of. Creating a home that you will love and enjoy is our passion.