Why hire an Interior Designer?

Should you hire an Interior Designer to help you with your home renovation? This is a complex question and shouldn’t be taken lightly. After all, this is potentially a large sum of money and you want to make sure you’re spending it wisely. Some projects just aren’t large enough for it to be worth it. But if you’re looking for a transformation of a space that is anything more than a DIY project all the way up to a full renovation, an experienced designer is just what you need! Here are a few thoughts that will hopefully aid you in that decision.

We have access to products that are only “to the trade.” Many finishes and furnishings are released from vendors to design professionals only. This allows you to cut out the retail middleman, and access products that not everyone else will have. Often, these products are showcased in showrooms that only a licensed designer can get you in to. Similarly, major retail stores often offer design professionals trade discounts to encourage sale of their product.

You don’t know what you don’t know. When it comes to laying out a room, we know clearances. How much space should be in front of an oven? How much distance should the toilet paper roll be from the toilet? How high on the wall should your sconces be? There are standards that we use to ensure that your space “feels right” and has an ease of use. Similarly, we also know which materials are appropriate for a specific installation. Things like strength and durability may prevent us from specifying a particular product where it shouldn’t be used. Sometimes products may even have a reaction when used improperly with each other. We continually educate ourselves on new materials introduced into the marketplace so that you don’t have to.

We know what doesn’t work. With a formal design education and practical on the job experience, interior designers know what will work in your space, and what physically cannot. Good design has layered nuance. Just because you found your dream living room on Instagram doesn’t mean that your home (or budget) will be able to achieve that. And we also know what tips to avoid that will prevent you from spending more money trying to “get it right.”

We take the time to hunt for the perfect item, so you don’t have to. One of the biggest benefits of hiring an interior designer is to save yourself time! With millions of products and hundreds of decisions to be made for your project, we take the time to edit what we show you. That often includes dozens of hours researching behind the scenes when we are not with you. From the internet to showrooms; catalogues, to antique stores, we are constantly on the hunt for items, even when we may be looking for another project. When we work with you, your project is always in the back of our mind.

We get to know you as a client and attempt to create a space that not only speaks to your aesthetic, but also takes an objective (and often creative) approach to problem solving. No two projects are ever the same, and you shouldn’t have a home that looks like everyone else’s. Your home should be a reflection of you, and we work with you to really understand your taste. Often, we’ll take a peek into your closet to see what colors you gravitate towards or what your general aesthetic is. We also like to understand where you tend to shop, what magazines you like to read, or hobbies you may have. All of these aspects contribute to how you like to live. By engaging an interior designer, you essentially allow an outside observer to analyze these characteristics and create a design that is specific to you.

Hopefully these examples provide you with a better understanding of whether or not a designer is right for you, but if this hasn’t, it never hurts to give us a call and talk though your project. Most designers will happily take a free call to discuss the general scope of a project and then charge a nominal fee for a basic in-person consultation. At that point, you’ll know if it’s right and then you’ll be off to the races!