Hiring an interior designer seems like a luxury but it’s not exclusively for the wealthiest among us. It can be an economical choice that actually saves you stress and money in the long run. In fact, hiring an experienced interior designer can be the difference between completing a successful project or a wallet-depleting headache.
Decision fatigue is real and design projects require A LOT of decision making. Remodeling a four bedroom, three bathroom home would have a minimum of 150 finish and fixture selections on top of the space plan, furniture layout, and any mechanical or architectural changes that need to be made. Most homeowners rarely take on major building or remodeling projects. A busy interior designer is constantly immersed in the construction process, with dozens of projects each year, which keeps their decision-making abilities agile–a crucial skill for preventing decision fatigue.
Consider the act of selecting a backsplash for your kitchen. You’ve narrowed down the material type to a white tile, which seems pretty straightforward. A quick Google search of “white backsplash tile” comes up with 34,000,000 results. Yes, 34 million. That’s roughly 33,999,990 too many! An experienced interior designer could name three or four white backsplash tiles that would be appropriate for your project’s style and budget. They can also help advise on all the decisions that come with a backsplash tile like tile layout, grout thickness, grout color and trim.
This spreadsheet shows clients a concise list of personalized choices for finishes.
You may be thinking you don’t need an interior designer because you know your style and what you want. You might even be relishing in the idea of making so many choices and learning the construction process. That is great! More and more often I have clients come to me with mood boards. Platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram, and Free Form have made searching and collecting design imagery accessible for most people. I’ve even had clients come prepared with Sketch Up drawings.
So why hire an interior designer? The answer is TIME. Time is our most valuable resource and it becomes a house of cards during any design project, with each step relying on the completion of every other step along the way. Remember those 34 million white backsplash tiles we discussed? An interior designer’s experience allows them to select those tiles quickly and offer them to a client for the final selection. Being familiar with other projects, current trends, visiting showrooms, and attending design expos gives interior designers the ability to streamline the options efficiently.
In addition to streamlining the decision making process, designers are also able to prevent projects from going over time and budget through communicating with general contractors. Having “boots on the ground” who know the lingo and have everyone’s best interest in mind is critical. Like any other field, construction has its own jargon. An interior designer participates in the construction process by translating the client’s design intention into construction jargon. They also monitor the process through site visits ensuring that the client’s design is being implemented the way it was intended. Interior designers also prevent costly and frustrating mistakes because they know what to look for. For example, a light switch placed in the middle of the wall where you plan to hang a family portrait or the wrong grout color being used in an expensive marble shower.
It’s helpful to the contractor to have an interior designer on the team as well. As a liaison between the clients and contractors I’m able to advocate for my clients. I also work with contractors to problem solve site issues before we present solutions to the clients. The construction process, especially the remodel process, is messy, long, and stressful. The more experienced professionals you can have on your team, the better the end result will be.
Now you know why you should hire an interior designer. Are you wondering how to find one that is a good fit? Fifteen years of experience has taught me that there are many types of designers and many different clients. My best advice is to pick a designer who you trust and like on a personal level. A great designer can execute many different styles and budgets.
Niche Homes Studio would love to work with you. If you are looking for an interior designer, please contact Kayley at kayley@nichehomes.com.
