Whether you’re adding a home addition or remodeling your living room, kitchen or basement, the option to hire an interior designer is likely to come up. Interior designers are professionals with expertise in the art and science behind designing the interior of your home to make it more pleasing to the eye and comfortable to live in. Or, as stated by the professional designers at Mac and Morgan Interiors, LLC, “interior designers turn your house into a happy home”. 

While not essential for every home remodeling project, their services have many advantages.  The skills of an experienced designer can save you time and money and help you to execute your project with a level of precision that is difficult to do on your own.

The Interior Designer’s Role

Alair Homes with Mac and Morgan
Alair and Mac and Morgan on the job

So what exactly is an interior’s designers role in a home remodeling project? Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behaviors and lifestyle choices and using that information to create functional spaces within the home. So, with say a home addition, the interior designer meets with you to better understand your needs and goals and then uses that information to find creative and technical solutions to improve the flow and appearance of the new space in your home. Think of this as space planning. For instance, if your addition will have a floor to ceiling glass window, it is the job of your interior designer to work with your general contractor to ensure it’s installed in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, and that it coincides with the space you have in the room as well as your furniture and accessory choices.

Interior Designer or Interior Decorator?

Some people confuse interior designers with interior decorators. Here’s the difference. Where as a designer helps you plan your space, a decorator will help you to make color choices, accessorize furniture pieces and add the details in your room. An interior designer can perform these functions too, but an interior decorator typically will not get involved in more complex decisions about the layout, flow or major changes in your space.

Local interior design professionals like ID Studio Interiors might assist a client in picking out the perfect shade of over sized herringbone tile for their custom kitchen floor. Taking this further, they will then communicate with the general contractor or project manager to provide specific instructions for tile placement and grouting. The goal is for the flooring to compliment the home’s interior, creating more cohesion and helping the room to feel larger, more open and more comfortable too. 

Do I Need an Interior Designer?

kitchen-design-ideas
Kitchen Design Ideas

Now comes the big question. Do you need an interior designer for your home remodeling project? If you are planning to invest a significant amount of time and money into the changes you’re making in your home, the answer is that the services of a designer will likely prove beneficial. Whether you have no idea where to begin in designing the layout of your new space or you have specific ideas and simply want help tying them together and seeing your vision through, home designers offer some significant advantages.

Worry Less

Hiring an experienced interior designer means you can worry less about your own design skills. Their trained eye can help you create a timeless space that is functional and beautiful. After a consultation with your designer, you’ll also have an immediate plan of action for your room. Things that you might have easily missed will be addressed in a way that helps you maintain functionality, cohesion and aesthetic appeal in your space.

Time Saving Benefits of Interior Design

The skills of an experienced interior designer will also save you time. Even if you have visions of the perfect mauve leather sofa or that one-of-a-kind Moroccan rug for your room, finding it can take time. Developing a plan for placement of those pieces and deciding which accessories will work best with those pieces can also be quite an endeavor. A designer can handle these tasks while consulting with you to make sure the choices match your vision. Those who don’t know where to start will also benefit from the trained eye of a designer. These professionals know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, and they can even anticipate obstacles and take a proactive approach to help overcome them.

Money Saving Benefits

An experienced interior designer is a smart financial investment. Have you ever purchased a comfortable chair, only to get it home and find out it was too big for your space or simply didn’t fit in aesthetically? Or perhaps you’ve tried color after color on your walls but never really liked the finished look? Getting your room right the first time not only saves you time but money too. Designers work with your budget and help you make decisions about less expensive options that still provide the same wow factor as more elaborate pieces. Additionally, when it comes to larger structural changes (window placement or the look and placement of more fixed pieces like a kitchen island, for example), the skills of an interior designer can ensure placement is right for the shape and size of the room and help add value to your home.

Enhanced Communication with Your General Contractor

A great designer knows how to speak the lingo when it comes to communicating with architects and general contractors. This helps to streamline communication and can save you time and money. Things you might not even consider like basing the placement of outlets on where you want to place furniture can really make a difference in the room. Addressing these types of needs up front and before construction begins is a real time saver and can eliminate so many unnecessary mistakes. Remodeling projects often move at a fast pace, and many times, your general contractor or architect might need an answer quickly to avoid delaying the project. These answers are sometimes difficult for homeowners to provide, but an experienced designer anticipates them, maintains communication with your construction team at all times and can help to keep the project moving along smoothly.

Once you’ve decided to hire an interior designer, your next question might be which designer to hire. Alair Homes offers these tips:

Explore Your Vision

living-room-design
Living room design ideas

Before meeting with any designers, take some time to determine what level of involvement you would like to maintain in the creative process and what kind of guidance you need. This can help you to understand the level of service you need your designer to provide as well as the type of personality that might suit you and your project best.

Some clients find that it’s easier to hire their general contractor first, relying on their expertise to help determine the vision for the project. Alair Homes Greenville offers a unique opportunity to do this during our project planning stage. Unlike with other builders who simply offer clients a basic free estimate with allowances, Alair uses this process to better understand your goals and needs and remove much of the stress and complexity that often comes with the process of creating a vision for your remodel. Our personal, hands on approach can help you to determine your specific design needs and also provides you with a more accurate estimate of the cost of your home remodel.

Design Portfolios

The next step in finding your designer involves looking at a few options and scrutinizing their design profile and portfolio to see if their style and experience match your vision. This can be done online, or in some cases, you might be able to visit a home and see a recent project to get an up-close and personal taste of a finished remodel. Meet with your top three choices and ask about their experience, training and credentials. Request references and speak with past clients too.

Cost for Interior Design Services

bathroom-design-ideas
Bathroom design ideas

Cost is a factor in any home remodeling decision, including hiring an interior designer. When you’ve settled on a few designers to meet with, ask about their payment structure. Is it a flat fee, or do they charge by the hour? This can vary widely, but the average cost to hire a designer is between $50 and $200 per hour or $1,893 to $11,180. Read over the contract to ensure that you understand the financial agreement. However, also consider the ways in which designers can save you money. If you pay for their services but save on your furnishings and fixtures or enhance communication with your general contractor and remodeling team resulting in a finished product that you are happier with, it’s an investment worth making.

Relationship and Communication

Finally, much like with your general contractor, a lot about finding the right interior designer comes down to relationship. Find someone you are comfortable with. This is a person you will constantly communicate with for several weeks or months, depending on the size and scope of your project. It’s important to know that your questions will be well received and your requests will be respected too.

Many clients who hire an interior designer for their home remodeling projects find that the investment is a smart one. These professionals save you time and money, and they add value to your remodeling experience too. Alair Homes Greenville welcomes input from local interior design experts like Mac and Morgan Interiors and ID Studio Interiors. We’re happy to further discuss the impacts of these services with you and share honest feedback about our experiences working with these seasoned professionals. Let us know if you have questions, or sit down with us for a consultation to discuss your home remodeling project in detail.