SECRETS OF A WELL-RUN HOME PROJECT
For most people actively planning a renovation, building a home or purchasing a new home, hiring an interior designer probably isn’t at the top of their to-do list. Interior designers are often thought of as coming in at the middle or even the end of a new home project to make everything look beautiful. But there’s a huge benefit (4 huge benefits, actually) to having an interior designer–or in our case a design team–on your project team from Day One.
1.COLLABORATIVE PLANNING
There’s no way around it; Home projects are big, expensive undertakings. But with proper planning, they can be more exciting than scary. You need an A-Team of professionals who can collaborate and plan together to make your project as efficient as possible. In addition to hiring an architect and a builder, your team (and your new home) will benefit from having an interior design team from the earliest stages of your project.
Photo: @mw.concepts
The design team will ask lots of questions to understand your family’s lifestyle and needs. They will dig deep to discover how you want to use your spaces and identify when a room layout needs a tweak or two for optimal furniture placement.
We’ve been involved in several projects where we’ve impacted preliminary plans to create more functional spaces for our clients:
A breakfast nook gained a few feet of valuable precious space with a simple construction modification to a preliminary plan
An awkward 3rd floor space under a low ceiling was turned into a cozy sleepover hangout for our client’s teenage daughters
An open loft level was upgraded with a glass wall to become an enclosed room that could be used as a cool, private guest bedroom and office
2. MINIMIZE DELAYS
A good design team can also help with the hundreds of selections involved with construction. Your builder will need you to confirm paint colors, cabinet layout, plumbing fixtures, appliances, tile and counter selections, lighting fixtures, hardware and a ton more. Plus, anything special that you’ve been dreaming of (a built-in wall with the hidden TV, a music room, your spa bathroom) needs to be designed, sourced and installed.
And builders don’t always give you a lot of time to make decisions. With a designer team’s help, you can make timely, confident decisions that will keep your project on schedule–ultimately saving you money.
3. BIG PICTURE VIEW
Designing beautiful interiors takes time and the ability to see the big picture–how the whole house flows together in style, palette and mood from room-to-room. In conjunction with making all of the selections mentioned above for the builder, the design team needs to develop the whole-home creative concepts and then source, order and track the new furnishings, as well as manage the trades to ensure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed.
4. ACCESS TO TRUSTED TRADES
Established designers have relationships with some of the best local trades in the business, including; window treatment & carpet workrooms, wallpaper experts, closet designers, carpenters, A/V experts and more. These experts are in high demand. Hiring a designer who has a great working relationship with these craftspeople can ensure your project is on their calendars months in advance.
There will be challenges with any home project given the sheer number of moving parts. But an experienced design team brought on early will help minimize delays and keep things moving through thoughtful planning, meticulous project management and creative problem solving. And you’ll be thrilled with the end results…
Photo: @stylishproductions
If you’re planning a new home project and are looking to assemble your A-Team, we’d love to throw our hat in the ring for your consideration. With over 17 years of experience in luxury design, we’ve successfully lead dozens of home projects from concept to completion.
Take advantage of our COMPLIMENTARY Discovery Call. Just complete our short Design Survey and we’ll schedule a time to chat about your project and how will may be able to help.