5 Reasons You Need an Interior Designer

When you see a photo of a beautifully-decorated space, and you immediately think, “That’s gorgeous. I want my home to look like that,” know that an interior designer has been hard at work.

Working together with an architect, an interior designer informs the interior finishes and details of a home to make sure the interiors work together with the architectural design to create a cohesive look and feel. They help create that finished “wow” effect when you walk into a home.

Interior designers are also worth their weight in gold when it comes to making the huge number of decisions for a home design or renovation project – everything from what color and material you want for kitchen countertops, backsplash tiles, cabinet styles, plumbing fixtures, lighting options, flooring, and so much more.

This is why we offer in-house interior design services. It helps make homeowners’ design projects more enjoyable and easier, and the end result is always a finished, cohesive aesthetic that compliments the architecture and captures homeowners’ personal style beautifully.

If you’re thinking about whether you should include interior design services for your project, consider the following five valuable ways an interior design professional can add to your home design.

Photographer: Eric Roth | Builder: Kaminski Construction

1. Elevate Your Home’s Interior

Your home’s architecture will be thoughtfully designed down to the smallest detail. You want your furniture, fixtures, color selections and décor to compliment and highlight the architecture to create a cohesive style. When everything works beautifully together, this is when you get that “wow” factor.

Some of the best reasons to work with an interior designers are if you:

  • Are interested in your home style but aren’t sure what you want
  • Would like unique ideas for personal design touches
  • Want experienced advice about products that will fit your style and functional needs and are within your budget
  • Are looking for a different style than you’ve had in the past
  • Don’t have a strong visual sense and it’s hard for you to picture how things could look
  • Aren’t interested in home style but understand why you would want one

An interior designer can help you think of design ideas you might never have considered, like personal details that add meaning and joy to your space, while working within your budget. This can mean the difference between any magazine-worthy house and the personal home of your dreams.

2. More Enjoyable, Easier Design Decisions

Home design projects can involve hundreds of design decisions for homeowners, which can become overwhelming. What sounds like a fun process in the beginning may start to feel like a time-consuming chore.

These decisions include items like:

  • Paint colors and/or wallpaper for each room
  • Floor finishes
  • Cabinets
  • Trim and moulding details
  • Door Styles
  • Countertop materials
  • Knobs and handles
  • Appliances
  • Window treatments
  • Artwork
  • Mirrors and Wall Decoration
  • Furniture layouts and pieces
  • Lighting

An interior designer can make these decisions faster and easier by providing experienced, knowledgeable advice so you can feel confident that your choices will work well together.

Photographer: Joyelle West | Builder: Windhill Builders

3. The Right Products for You

If you live with children, then ease of cleaning is likely an important factor when you’re choosing materials for your home. And if you’re planning to live in your home for many years, durability and warranty coverage are important. Your priorities for the design decisions you make are unique to your life and expectations for your home.

Interior designers are experts in every material, fixture, and product. They can advise you on which options are more durable, easier to clean, and have the best warranties. They can also help you understand why it’s not ideal to use an absorbent carpet or cloth wallpaper in a bathroom, or non-washable flat paint in a child’s bedroom,or why frequent cooks with young kids may not want to use marble counter tops.

These design decisions will affect how you experience day-to-day life in your new home, and having a knowledgeable advisor can help you ensure that you don’t regret a single choice.

Photographer: Eric Roth

4. Make the Most of Your Existing Furniture and Décor

Can you picture your existing furniture in your new or renovated home? Where will your favorite sofa look best? Should the painting that used to hang in your living room go over the mantel or in the study? An interior designer can help you decide how best to place your existing furniture, artwork, family heirlooms and other décor into your new space so the layout functions well and the style looks like it belongs together.

5. Oversee Installation

Some interior fixtures and finishes can affect architectural plans – even before construction begins. This is one reason why it’s important for your interior designer to have a close relationship with your architect (and builder). For example, sconces can impact electrical plans and the placement for molding and wall paneling. Your interior designer will also ensure that paint is applied correctly, tile is installed well, and cabinets and flooring are installed according to the plans.

Working with an Interior Designer

An interior designer does more than help you select furniture and window treatments. They work closely with the architect to help shape the way the interior finishes compliment and complete your home’s design – everything from kitchen cabinets to flooring, built-ins, lighting fixtures, moldings and paneling, and other details.

This works best if your interior designer is involved in the project from the very beginning, so they can provide design input at the earliest ideas stages. But if you’re not sure whether you want this service in the beginning, you can introduce an interior designer to your project as late as the construction phase.

Learn about our *new* E-Design services! You can get our professional interior design services for a single room or small project – entirely virtual. Learn about our E-Design Services >>
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