5 reasons why… you might need an Interior Designer
Interior designers used to have a reputation (still do, I think) that they’re exclusively for people with a certain degree of wealth. Throughout all the years that I thought about finally following my childhood dream and studying interior design, I never went for it because it felt like such an inaccessible industry, one in which I just wouldn’t fit in.
Long story short, I eventually went for it anyway and in the short time that I’ve been learning and keeping my mind open to opportunities I’ve started to notice where I could fit in and how I could provide a service. And my sights are not set on the people with bags of money to spare, and not even the ones who lack an eye for style.
I really believe that your surroundings can have a huge impact on your mood and wellbeing, and I think this past year has opened a lot of people’s eyes to this. Spending so much time in our homes has made us realise how important it is to feel comfortable, to not only allow us to feel like ourselves but to bring us back to the best versions of ‘us’, no matter what kind of day we’ve had or how rough the outside world might seem.
Who wouldn’t breathe a little deeper when walking into this room?! One of my favourite designers, Studio McGee.
This is where an interior designer can come in handy – not to tell you what the current Instagram trends are and how you need to style your shelves before you let anyone in your home (ahh visitors… remember those?!), but to use our knowledge of the theory behind design (and believe it or not, there is a lot to learn) and our creative eye to give you a little helping hand in uncovering your own true style, how you can feel most like ‘you’ in your own home and how you can make the best of the space you have, no matter how large or small that space may be.
So here are my 5 reasons why anyone (ANYONE) might want to consider an interior designer…
1. Inspo overload
I get this all the time. All. The. Time.
So I get it. Instagram is amazing for the inspiration but it’s so easy to lose your own sense of style and creativity when you spend too long on it. Do you actually like panelled walls or have you just seen so much of them that you feel like you ‘should’ like them?! Weirdly I don’t feel like this when I’m thinking about projects for other people, just when I get to thinking about my own home. It’s hard to see the wood for the trees sometimes.
So, take a step back and let someone take a subjective view of you, your house, your likes and dislikes, and let them use their knowledge of lighting, colours, space and textiles to guide you to a solution which might be Insta-worthy but more importantly will really work for you and your home.
There’s a fine line between feeling inspired and feeling overwhelmed!
2. Tricky Spaces, Small Spaces
Interior designers spend all day looking at ideas, products and floor plans, so while you might have a tricky shaped room or a small space (the two are never mutually exclusive!) which you just can’t get your head around, a designer will come at it with fresh eyes and some techniques to finding the layouts or storage solutions which work for you.
3. Ideas rich, time poor
You have all the ideas, you have Pins and Saves coming out of your ears, you’ve got the big vision but what you don’t have is the time to do anything with it. Whether it’s choosing paint colours, trawling through wallpapers or scrolling for accessories, it all takes time. For some people that’s where all the fun is regardless of how long it might take, but for other’s it’s the draining part of the process and they would prefer to get from A to B with minimal time spent shopping, whether it be online or IRL. If you fit into the latter category, an interior designer can fill in the gaps while you direct your time and energy elsewhere.
No scrolling, no searching, just sit on the sofa and *add all to cart*
4. A helping hand on the big decisions…
Something I’ve found while working on my own kitchen plans, and which I noticed while working on my first job late last year, was that there’s often a grey area between functionality and aesthetics. The architect and builders will nail the practicalities of an extension, and the kitchen companies will do a brilliant job of planning out a working, functional kitchen. But there was no-one looking at the attention to detail which would take it from being a nice kitchen to an amazing kitchen.
My first client now adores her picture window which gives her an uninterrupted view of the garden down the length of the kitchen when she leaves her utility room. Her vaulted ceiling makes all the difference to the feeling of light and space in the newly-extended room. These features didn’t exist on the plans, it was only when we had a conversation about the depth of the window and the position of the cooker hood that I made the suggestions to enhance the overall look and feel of the room, then her builder made it happen.
Particularly when there’s a big investment at stake, it can be easy to doubt yourself, your style and your decisions. An interior designer can not only be a sounding board and sense checker, but might also spot some opportunities to take your ideas up another level.
This feedback always makes me laugh (and of course they wouldn’t have ‘botched it up’) but a second opinion and fresh pair of eyes made them feel more confident in their decisions
5. …and the small ones
I mean, if you’re anything like me you’ll have a pile of tester pots filling up the garage and at least one room in the house which still isn’t the colour you had in mind. Or maybe you love the look of wall panelling but can’t decide which layout is right for your house. Lots of ‘small’ decisions to make which seem like big decisions when you think about the expense and inconvenience of fixing them if you get it ‘wrong’.
An interior designer can share a little bit of knowledge, based on theory of design and what they’ve experienced in practice, to help steer you in the right direction, show you some alternative solutions or give you some ideas to make your space work for you and to avoid any do-overs further down the line.
Don’t become a slave to the paint swatches!
