The biggest myth surrounding the interior design profession and the one that I’m working hard to debunk, is that the average person cannot afford an interior designer. Here are a few reasons why this isn’t true and how a designer can actually SAVE money, time, headaches and maybe even a marriage!
Work with what you have!: Designers are like everyone else, many of us cannot afford the newest trends (even though we dream of them nightly), so we WORK WITH WHAT WE HAVE! A few simple changes to a layout like placing the sofa here rather than there, using that chair that’s been tucked in the corner of the guest room, hanging a picture a little lower, adding a couple accent lamps, some greenery, an area rug and VOILA! A complete transformation. I’m going to have to see if I have a before photo of my fiancés “bachelor pad” before I came around…. Talk about an overnight transformation!
A Room at a Time: More than ever it is quite common for people to complete their home or commercial space in stages. Spreading out projects over time helps keep finances in check while still making improvements. If there is not room in the budget to purchase furniture, accessories, rugs or art the designer can provide you a spreadsheet from most important to least along with pictures of appropriate styles, colors and textures, so when the time is right…you can purchase at your leisure!
Designers SAVE Money, Time, Arguments…(fill in the blank!): Yup, I’m ready for my designer hero cape to come in annnny day now!
As a designer I hear all the time, I bought this but I’m not sure what to do with it so it’s just been leaning on my wall…for a year! Or I have painted this wall about 3x already and I’m still not happy! Hiring a designer will help you define your space and your goals. A good designer will help you coordinate your purchases and give you ideas of what you need. This eliminates unnecessary spending! When it comes to remodeling….having a designer on board from the start of the project is the smartest thing you can do!
Some Tips: Be transparent with your designer about your goals, budget and timeline. Most of the designers that I know will take that to heart and be able to tell you that you can’t remodel an entire kitchen with new appliances, cabinetry and slab for $10,000. They might be able to see the space though and suggest tips to upgrade it within that budget. Such as: changing out the cabinet hardware, adding a backsplash, adding updated pendent lights and painting the cabinets. Sometimes just simple changes WITHIN BUDGET will work wonders.
