5 Things You Didn’t Know an Interior Designer Could Do For You!
Maybe you watch a lot of H.G.T.V and find yourself asking “What can an interior designer do for me?” Beyond the unrealistic 30 minute whole house gut and renovation projects seen on television, working with a real interior designer is a bit of a mystery to most people. You might think of an Interior Designer more in the role of an interior decorator that just touches the surfaces of a space with decor and furniture, or maybe just someone who specializes in technical aspects of kitchen or bathroom design. Yes, we can do all those things, but there is so much more to the role an interior designer can play on your project!
I bet there are AT LEAST five things you didn’t know an interior designer could do for you! I challenge you to read on and see if any of these five areas apply to a project you are currently working on or considering taking on!
5 Things you didn’t know an interior designer can do for you:
1. An Interior Designer can save you time and money
This may seems counter-intuitive, but interior designer services can save you time and money by helping you choose the right path for your project … the first time, and help you get the project done right… the first time.
The following design services can help avoid costly mistakes and ultimately increase the value of your home or workplace. Designers can give special attention to details you might not even know about, help create a solid and efficient plan for completing your unique project and protect your investment once it’s done!
Interior Design Services to Save You Time and Money
Full Service Design: When you work with an interior designer led team from “concept to completion” you get the benefit of applying a systematized design process to your project. This design process helps the designer to think creatively through all your needs/wants and to work efficiently through the documentation and implementation process. Starting by clearly identifying your needs and tying back the design to solving those issues every step of the way keeps the project moving forward and minimizes last minute changes. It also keeps you, the client, informed and reduces uncertainty about what has been done and what is to come.
Pre-construction plan review: If you haven’t worked with an interior designer to come up with your home plans from the very beginning, you may still want to consult with one prior to starting construction. We can recommend solutions to optimize space planning, interior circulation, and furniture layouts. An interior designer can save time and money by being a second set of eyes early in the project, helping to catch anything your builder might not have considered. Do you have blocking for art, bathroom accessories, future grab bars, drapery hardware? What about the correct positioning of lighting fixtures based on desired furniture layout? The sooner you know these types of things, the easier (and less expensive) they are to accommodate!
Construction Observation: Part of our full-service design package, this includes site visits to monitor progress and guide our client through the multiple steps in the building process to achieve the best possible outcome.
Industry Knowledge: Interior designers have a wide range of industry knowledge and can be an asset to the construction team, especially when considering implementation of green building principles, recommendation of eco-sensitive products and energy efficient solutions to save you money over the lifecycle of your project.
2. An Interior Designer Can Help Ease Life Changes
At the highest level, we have seen this need come to the forefront in 2020/21 with the unforeseen opportunities for many to work and educate from home when they perhaps used to perform those functions elsewhere.
On a move focused level, interior designers can address the needs of our more vulnerable populations that need extra assistance. For example, those with mobility challenges or that have specific environmental needs. This can include those on the Autism Spectrum or family members suffering with Dementia and Alzheimers.
Interior designers can recommend and oversee implementation of modifications for improved accessibility and/or aging-in-place. The principles of Universal Design can benefit everyone.
Interior designers can help to bridge the gap between health care and home care so all environments can be healing environments.
Interior Designers can design for inclusivity so that health care related items are artfully integrated into the home and look like part of the overall design.
Not all health care based environmental changes are for people who need care. Some changes, like extra space in accessible bathrooms or door locks that can be operated remotely, are there to support the visiting or in-home caregivers as well.
Diane Alexander, Founder and C.E.O. of Making Sensory Design says “The family unit paradigm has shifted and it is difficult to find families that are not facing some type of "special need" situation in their daily life or in the life of someone near and dear to them. It is equally hard to find designers and manufacturers addressing these needs "outside the institution" on a personalized basis and for residential use and needs. As a healthcare design specialist, the "I don’t do homes" phrase I used for years now seems uncaring and shallow. On the flip side, the residential designer's “I don’t do healthcare” causes missed opportunities. Occupational therapists and others providing care and rehabilitation want clients to continue therapy and well-being at home, but they “don’t do design;” thus a Design Gap exists that needs to be fixed. Just as in medicine, design specialization is necessary. However, in both fields, client needs go unchecked when each specialty works in a cocoon with little collaboration.”
“The family unit paradigm has shifted and it is difficult to find families that are not facing some type of “special need” situation in their daily life or in the life of someone near and dear to them. ”
3. An Interior Designer Guides the Decision Making Process
An interior designer will help you navigate the many choices through a clearly defined vision of your project. Most interior designers do an in-depth needs assessment at the onset of the project. They weigh the information you provide against your space, your list of wants and your budget to give you achievable design solutions. For an example, read more in our 5 Questions to Ask Before Starting A Furniture Project post.
If you have tried D.I.Y. and are tired of the exhausting range of options or you don’t even know where to start, this vision can help you create a clear plan to move forward, reducing the stress of a construction or renovation project.
Having an interior designer on your team can help you make decisions more quickly. No need to get stuck in “analysis paralysis” or research every option to nauseam (because we do that for you). From all of our experience and research, we can provide you with a curated and personalized set of options to choose from and guide you to make the best decision for your project! No more trying to make a generic square peg solution fit into a round hole problem.
4. An Interior Designer Gives Professional Advisement
An interior designer provides professional recommendations, not opinions. Anyone can give an opinion, and most everyone will. And often, those opinions come without taking the full extent of a project into consideration.
Working with an interior designer should be a warm and cordial experience, but it’s not the same as taking D.I.Y. home advice from Pinterest or a friend over coffee. We offer professional recommendations, not based on opinion, but based on education, industry knowledge and experience.
The next time you think “Can I just get your opinion…?” call a friend or ask the collective mind on social media. When you are ready for an in-depth project assessment and professional recommendation, book an in-person or virtual consultation with an interior designer!
“A trained pair of eyes will see things you’re guaranteed to miss. Interior design is a delicate balance of art and science, and good interior designers have studied both, so they know how to put them together.”
5. An Interior Designer Shares Access to Their Resources with Clients
Interior Designers have access to “trade-only” sources, established industry connections and a wealth of industry knowledge- especially when it comes to finishes, furniture and decor. With those sources, come a lot of opportunity to make your design truly unique.
Anne Reagan, in her 2011 article for Apartment Therapy, puts it this way “One of the biggest advantages of shopping at a trade-only shop with (or through) your interior designer is that most of the furniture and furnishings… are made to order. Bespoke furniture is usually offered in a wide variety of finishes, sizes and styles. When ordering a sofa, for example, a number of details need to be specified: arm style, leg style, size, cushion filling, upholstery, trim details, pillows, etc. To the experienced designer these decisions are expected and can be made quickly and efficiently. For the novice these decisions are overwhelming and confusing.” (emphasis, mine)
In Texas, Registered Interior Designers are required to complete continuing education each year. This training allows us to stay up-to-date on emerging trends and technologies in the design and construction industries, further equipping us to best serve our clients.
Interior Designers have an extensive network that they bring to your project. They can typically recommend other qualified professionals in their area of expertise. So if a project requires a general contractor, architect, structural engineer, drapery installer, A.V. or home automation technician, landscape designer or someone to build a custom designed piece of furniture, we can offer that to our contracted clients.
How can an interior designer help you?
An Interior Designer can save you time and money
An Interior Designer Can Help Ease Life Changes
An Interior Designer Guides the Decision Making Process
An Interior Designer Gives Professional Advisement
An Interior Designer Shares Access to Their Resources with Clients
These five things an interior designer can do for you just scratch the surface of the interior design industry! You can get a fuller picture of the Interior Design profession in our post: The New Definition of Interior Design.
Did you learn something about how working with an interior designer can benefit your project?
If so, we love to work with clients who understand the value we bring to their projects and trust us to make it the best it can be!
