Construction to completion. Your new home is under way, you have the land, the architect, the floor plans are being designed. So many details and selections to make. When is the best time to bring in an interior designer? Right Away! And here’s why; my Top 5 Benefits to working with an interior designer from construction to completion.
1. Full Design Vision
First, A Designer looks at the blue prints with a slightly different set of eyes than the architect or builder. Seeing not only the room shapes and flow of the floor plan but how will furniture layout for each room, locating electrical outlets and lighting to accommodate furniture, Window treatments and function, how they relate to the ceiling height and the trim details. Even details of function such as where do pet food bowls get placed, and where does your bakeware get stored that is located near your Kitchenaid mixer.
This palm Springs project allows interior walls to be moved and modified to accommodate the needs of my client’s family. My client has an art collection that they want displayed in the home. A large piece in their collection needs a long wall and a good space to be a focal point. The result is the foyer wall built just the right size. The blue tape is my layout during construction to verify the size.
I always layout the furniture and area rug sizes to make sure the sizes fit the space well and to locate electrical floor outlets. Which are important to have in a room where the furniture is placed in the center of the room, or off the walls. You don’t want have lamp chords running from end tables to perimeter walls.
2. The Bells And Whistles
Second, Selecting all surfaces such as flooring, cabinets and color, paint and countertops, can pull together the desired style and aesthetic you want for your home. Next, selections are made for furniture styles and fabrics to build on to the design vision of the home.
We brought in our samples of selected stone tile, wall paint color, cabinet color, and counter top to see the color palette in the actual space. This gives me a chance to see the natural light, textures and constrasts to make sure I’m happy with feel and look. And most importantly, my client’s approval.
Fabric samples and carpet for the master bedroom, which had custom bedding made so I definitely wanted to make sure I was happy with colors and the look!
Fabric samples for the great room are reviewed in the space with natural light for final approval. Furniture is then ordered 8-12 weeks ahead of the completion of the home.
3. A second pair of eyes
Thirdly, A skilled designer has experience with the process and can see the big picture and be your advocate on site. Seeing details and site Measuring. Tweaking the paint color if the actual natural light in the space calls for it. As you probably know, choosing a paint color from a swatch in the paint store is much different than seeing the color in the actual space.
Great room and Dining Room spaces
4. Timeline and budget
Another benefit to having a designer throughout the construction process is to help the project stay on time and within budget. A clear budget and costs up front allow the project to flow smoothly from one phase to the next. Product back ordered or changes on site can be both a construction delay and budget breaker. Therefore, costing you, the homeowner, more money and an extended move in date.
5. Designed and delivered
Finally, Construction is completed! A final Clean is done and we have our install day. My Favorite day is the install day…..what we’ve planned for months and sometimes a year or two in advance. My clients are asked to be busy during install day so we can install all furniture and window coverings, art and accessories for a big reveal.
The End result! The furniture is delivered and set up, ideally without any surprises. We’ve done the planning and paid attention to details ahead of time…..and it is worth it!
The Foyer wall with their piece of art on display – the smallest detail can make the biggest difference.
Hopefully I have shared with you 5 great benefits to working with a designer on your construction to completion home! When the last throw pillow is placed and the pet food bowls are right where they were designed to go, you’ll be so glad you made the investment to work with a designer. If you’d like more information on working with my design team on your project, please give us a call.
Happy Building!
Best~ Michelle
Tiff Gregers
| 29 December 2021How great that you mention that an experienced designer has lots of experience to help. I am building my dream home this year and designing it to match my personality. I will find a reputable luxury interior designer to help me in the area.
Jack
| 9 March 2022Hi there! This is some nice work, I have checked all the necessary topics that I need and was really amazed that I found all related to them very quickly. I have also found this amazing website that teaches for free and also provides free solutions. make sure you check them as well.
Eve Mitchell
| 9 May 2022I loved what you said about a designer looking at blueprints with a different set of eyes. My husband and I are working on the construction of our dream home and it will be done in August. We’re hoping to hire a designer to help us decorate and everything once we get to that process.
Eve Mitchell
| 10 October 2022I loved that you mentioned that a designer can help the home stay on track. My husband and I have been talking about designing our own home for over a year now. We’d really like to hire builders to help us create a home that feels unique and classy.
Michelle
| 25 October 2022I am so glad to hear this post was helpful, Eve! Thank you for your kind words. Good luck with your upcoming dream home build!
Eli Richardson
| 30 May 2023We’ll get the keys to our new house in a few weeks, and we’d like to decorate it before moving into it. That’s why we’re glad you talked about working with a professional interior designer to deliver our project on time and within budget. We’ll look into hiring an interior designer next week to help us create a home for us. Thanks.
St. Louis Retaining Walls
| 18 June 2024This article clearly outlines the benefits of working with an interior designer throughout the entire construction process. The emphasis on collaboration between designer, builder, and client is spot-on. It ensures a cohesive and well-executed final product.
Following the section on collaboration, the blog post mentions your four-phase design process. It sounds very comprehensive! Could you elaborate a bit on the ‘Getting to Know You’ phase? Understanding how you delve into a client’s vision and style preferences at the outset would be interesting, especially for someone considering your design services.