Interior design. Boondoggle or a well needed service?
I have been listening to the podcast: Here’s the thing with Alec Baldwin. One particular episode was about Real Estate in New York. Even though it’s an old one, it inspired me to write a short post about interior design.
According to David Schleicher (Professor at Yale University and expert in Land use), rich people want to live where other rich people are. Although if the demand for luxury is higher than the availability on the market, people will move to gentrified areas and build, refurbish, and do everything to increase the quality.
But how can you make the quality higher? Here is where the title comes in: with the interior design.
You probably always try to upgrade your home if you are a woman. You may search on Pinterest or buy Architectural Digest’s latest issue hoping for an affordable but beautiful idea.
There are many times when you don’t need an interior designer. Like when you are upgrading your daughter’s room because the Powder Pink that worked when she was six is not working now that she is entering her teenage years. Let’s be honest; choosing the colour is not worth wasting the designer’s time.
Malta’s construction industry is booming, which is a very convenient drift for designers. Buyers do not think of square meters but of the number of rooms. Therefore the developers now building the same number of spaces in a smaller area than ten years ago. So, to make the most out of your small apartment, a little magic and fairy dust are definitely needed!
Do you think interior design only combines furniture and shapes, throwing accessories here and there? Well, I have news for you. You are wrong!
Most designers offer design consultations, site measurement and assessment, space planning, design concepts, purchasing or procurement. A complete package!
Hiring one can not only help you avoid expensive errors but also keep you on budget while saving you time and trouble. Also, discounts and unique stocks are only available to them but not to you.
By the way, this also includes project managers. For example, I get very different pricing for the same tiles than someone who just walks in.
“For a house to be successful, the objects in it must communicate with one another, respond and balance one another.”
Andrée Putman, Interior designer
Designers create every room per your way of life. Their job is to think out of the box, plan, erase and re-plan while they regularly communicate with you. The interior design balances aesthetics and functions while considering how each item will fit together.
It may also take an unbiased party to confirm that your inherited furniture doesn’t work well. Or the opposite, it is worth saving that beautiful vintage drawer to restore it into a bathroom vanity!
Which I also did at my dear friend’s place. And that old cabinet looks like it was chosen for the bathroom. Bamm!
I imagine some people are blessed with a designer’s eyes and know how to turn their home into a masterpiece. But many are not like them. Even binge-watching the Dream Home Makeover on Netflix or Christina on the Coast on HGTV! You could try to copy the style and look for items similar to those in the tv show, but it will not be the same. Not to mention the time you would waste searching for the things that fit your budget. In the end, you would be exhausted, annoyed and anxious.
The interior designer is aware of the latest home furnishing trends as well. They know how to turn the room’s disadvantage into an advantage. If necessary, they redesign the spaces’ functions entirely, breaking down the old to give a clear foundation for the new. The result will be a space wholly inspired by you to fit your lifestyle and habits perfectly.
If Pinterest is Facebook*, then Houzz is LinkedIn**.
My go-to website for interiors is Houzz; to get inspired, discover products.
When designers’ work is visible in a home advertisement, it usually means quality cladding, well-thought living spaces, and premium quality. Most probably also new electrical wiring and plumbing and an already furnished kitchen. And indeed, apartments with tasteful designs sell at a higher price than a typical home without a designer’s touch.
Hiring could be expensive. Each project is different and individually tailored. The documentation of an average apartment that does not require any extras could easily kick in 30 pages, resulting from hundreds of hours of work. Every project is complex, requiring great accuracy, diligence and care.
In reality, decorating your home is expensive. So is your coat, but you don’t sew it yourself!
*Facebook is a recreational social network. **LinkedIn is a primarily professional-focused network.
