An interior designer will look at key areas of your home for functionality as well as aesthetics.
Here are some examples of what an interior designer will review early on, to ensure you’re getting the best possible result, and best value.
Window treatments
They will review your windows to assess them for your ideal window treatments: how big are your windows, will electrical wiring be required for motorisation? Will there be in-built pelmets? Will there be issues with light bleed? How will the window reveal affect your blinds or curtains? Do you have enough wall for a curtain stackback?
Many people are not considering these components at floorplan stage, so may miss the boat in being able to have them at all. There is also the element of future proofing and what can be provisioned for later on.
Lighting
An interior designer will think about task, mood, and ambient lighting, and should be suggesting alternatives to downlights to ensure all the lighting in your home is meeting its intended purpose. They will review decorative lighting such as pendants and lamps, and how they are incorporated into the overall interior design aesthetic.
They may also suggest a lighting designer depending on your objectives for the home.
Functionality
An interior designer will review how the overall home will work for you, and will ask lots of questions to do this. They will look at entertaining, where you will be relaxing, how to create zones, and the integration between indoor and outdoor space, just as an example. They will assess flexibility of spaces, including future-proofing, and really delve into what is going to be happening in the home now, and in years to come to ensure it’s going to service you as it should.
They will get into the details of functionality in the kitchen and bathrooms in terms of layout, flow, storage, and essential components to make them work for you.
Space Planning
A designer will get into the ‘nitty gritty’ and details of space planning, too. They will create a furniture layout for each room to ensure windows are in the right location for your interior layout, and that key furniture pieces will fit where you want it to go.
An interior designer should not be an afterthought. They are not someone who comes in at the end to sort out your furniture and scatter cushions. Of course, they can do all of this, and it finishes a home off, however, their expertise means you need to get them engaged right from the start. They’ll work in and out of the project at different stages.
