Working with an interior designer. Courtesy photo
By SUZETTE FOX
Los Alamos
Lately I’ve been pondering how to communicate the value of interior design. Defining one’s personal value is more than what service we offer, of course, but it’s good to communicate a lifetime’s wealth of knowledge in order to help others.
One of the most common myths about working with an interior designer is that it will cost too much. While it is true that some designers command high fees, many charge rates that are quite reasonable and affordable. An interior designer can even save you money by helping you avoid costly mistakes, referring reliable contractors, and selecting products and materials that meet your budget and design requirements.
An interior designer provides real value in the following ways:
Experience And Knowledge
A designer is familiar with the thousands of details that make the difference between a good project and a great project. In addition to advising on color, fabric, furniture and furnishings, professional interior designers have an in-depth knowledge of flooring, wall coverings, windows, finishes and sealants, hardware, flooring, lighting, acoustics and many other elements involved in completing a room.
Professional Assessment
A designer can give you a professional assessment of your home that will lead to a solid plan of action. The design plan is key in determining what can be repurposed or should be edited. A designer offers an extra set of eyes that are trained to see and notice things that you may not.
A designer is a professional with a trained eye that can automatically tell you if there is something wrong or right with a space. Having that immediate consult is a major advantage when making aesthetic decisions. It is the result of years of experience. Often times homeowners try to do it all themselves and get frustrated.
Budget/Resources
A designer can keep you on budget and save you time and effort. A designer knows where to go for resources for everything related to your home. This will save you endless amounts of time researching products, brands and prices so that you don’t have to. Hiring a designer can help you to avoid costly mistakes that will not only help you save money but can increase the value of your home.
Liaison
A designer will be able to build a stronger bridge between you and your architect or contractor early on and can head off design misses in your overall plan. This is crucial in managing time and money. Also designers are trained to think about things you may overlook.
Contacts
In addition to vendor resources, designers have many home improvement industry contacts. They can save homeowner’s time and headaches trying to identify reliable, contractors, plumbers and electricians for their projects.
There are things available to designers that are not available to the general public in terms of connections, resources and general merchandise. By culminating these resources designers can help to make your space look more collected, unique and pulled together.
Home Sale
A designer can potentially add a great deal to the aesthetic of your home, which in turn can increase showings and sales. This increased appeal can exponentially speed up the amount of time your home sits on the market before it is sold. The benefit here is two-fold, a faster turn-around time and more money in your pocket.
Wow Factor
Designers can help to give you the “wow” factor you’ve been looking for. They are trained to think differently, spatially and to see an overall picture that clients often cannot. Thinking outside of the box is what designers do all day long.
In most cases, the designer can work with what you have, finding creative ways to refresh, reuse and recycle existing furniture, accessories and materials.
Just ask someone who’s worked with a designer. In a survey of homeowners, nearly nine out of 10 who had worked with an interior designer on a home design or remodeling project said their experience was highly satisfactory, and more than half said it was “Extremely Satisfactory.” Almost all said they would work with an interior designer again. What’s more, 8 in 10 said they thought the designer’s fee was fair for the work done.
When you meet with the designer, be frank about your budget and what your priorities are. The designer will work with you to help you get the most for your designing dollar. Like many other clients, you may find that the price of doing your project without a designer just isn’t worth it.
Stanley Abercrombie, one of the most influential design writers of our time, for many years the editor of Interior Design magazine, said “What drew most designers to their profession is the fact that interior design is an art. It is not a fine art, but an applied art. It is a hardworking art, with serious and sometimes mundane problems to solve. At their best, interior designers are artists.”
A seasoned interior design professional offers their knowledge of a lifetime of experience by doing work that is worth the client’s money.
We need the solace of interiors that are not only intelligently functional but also intelligently artful. In these days more than ever, the art of interior design is worth paying for, because a heightened quality of life is worth paying for.
Interior design is a skill and an art that will only enhance the space and the quality of your life in the space. Hiring a professional brings experience and makes your house a home. A designer can help you tell your visual story.
Feel free to contact Los Alamos Interior Designer Suzette Fox to help with your home.
Find her on Facebook at facebook.com/SuzetteFoxInteriorDesign and on her website www.suzettefoxinteriors.com
