As an interior designer, I want to make your project as enjoyable, stress-free, successful, and within your budget as possible.
As a client, you want your space to feel like your home, the one in your mind’s eye that, sometimes, you may lack a clear vision of but will know it when you see it.
Here are 6 important tips that may surprise you for creating the best working relationship, with the most beautiful and streamlined outcomes, between you and your designer.
Hiring a designer can actually save you a lot of money. Designers know how to avoid costly mistakes. Additionally, many shops give “designer discounts.” This means that if you shop with a designer, they will deduct a substantial fee. Many times, the “designer discount” equals or exceeds the designer's salary. Designers also know the best places to shop for various items and styles, as well as which vendors give reliable service and provide high quality work and products. After all, time is money.
The client has a lot of homework. The final project will reflect both the efforts of the client as well as the work of the designer. This includes the client knowing their budget and having a cushion of 15-20% of the budget for surprises, additions, and changes, finding pictures that show the look and feel you seek (after all, a picture is worth a thousand words), listing how you live in your home as well as items that need a storage place, cleaning out extraneous items and possibly packing up what remains, (for example, how many plugs do you need in your kitchen and what will they be used for?), listing your “must haves” and “I really don’t likes”, buying and measuring the size of lighting/appliances/vacuum/platta/unusually sized pots and pans, etc. to ensure there's proper storage for everything, making endless decisions in a timely and confident manner and sticking to them, working within the time-frame allotted by your agreement, paying on-time, and more. All this is in order for the designer to meet and exceed your needs, desires, and dreams.
Make sure you trust and feel good about your designer. You’ll be spending lots of time together. Though this is a business relationship, you’ll want to enjoy the company of the person you hire. The designer needs to know some of your most intimate details in order to provide you with your needs and wants. (Did someone say shower for two?) You need full confidence that the designer has your best interest at heart and trust her with your wallet. The designer/client connection is a relationship that works best when there is open communication. State your concerns, yet, trust the designer has your back. You also need to trust the designer's suggestions, which may move you a bit past your comfort zone but are suggested based on professional experience. However, if something feels too uncomfortable for you, make that clear. After all, the designer works for you, not for anyone else, and wants you to be happy.
Prepare for surprises. As Robert Burns famously stated, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” With every project, there are surprises. Sometimes walls are opened only to find the pipes need full replacement or there's a hidden pillar that can't be removed. Sometimes the wrong order is delivered. Sometimes materials are no longer available or are delayed. Sometimes contractors get sick. Sometimes (more often than not) expected completion time is extended. The important thing is that your designer handles them well and the client is emotionally prepared for the unexpected. When working with a wide range of venues, contractors, and suppliers, there are endless moving parts that need to come together. Something is bound to happen, and it does. When things go smoothly, thank God and also thank those who worked hard to get you there. When things don’t go smoothly, pray to God and thank the people who resolve the issues.
Once decisions are made, avoid changes. Changes cause confusion and cost time and money. Take the time to be clear from the start (re-read #2 above:-). In addition, procrastinating decisions can cost money as prices regularly rise, cause contractor delays, and bring rush charges to purchases. Sticking with decisions not only saves headache, it also leads to a much more fun and positive relationship between designer, client, contractors, and vendors.
Designers are professionals, just like lawyers. Their time is valuable, just like yours. Whether you are charged a flat fee, hourly rate, or a combination of both, it’s important to respect the designer's time. Agreements usually include how much time is allotted for each step of the project. These time estimates include meetings, phone calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages. Don’t be surprised if you are charged extra for overtime. To best respect the client/designer relationship, try keeping a list of your thoughts and questions over a few days. Then, write one full message or cover everything in one arranged phone call. You may have the greatest idea at 3 am and may even send it out. But, give the designer a proper chance to respond. Keeping deadlines is another way to respect designer’s time and, your own time as well.
When clients do their part, the designer will most successfully do her part. Then, everything, including your home, will be the perfect match.
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