Thinking about remodeling or redecorating? Whether you are planning a large-scale renovation project or just wanting to give your home an updated look, now is a great time to renovate and redecorate. Typically, late spring is the time of year when many homeowners’ interest peaks in renovating and upgrading their homes due to all the tantalizing design possibilities they have been exposed to through home improvement TV shows. Bursting with excitement, energy and enthusiasm, homeowners are ready to tackle a home makeover of their own and bring to fruition their envisioned design ideas. Reality TV shows have a way of making home renovation projects look fun and easy, and they often give the false impression that they are a cinch to accomplish all by oneself and on a very limited budget. So, how can one “have it all” like on home improvement TV shows?
As fun and easy as it may seem, one really can’t do it all on one’s own. On TV shows, there is a behind-the-scenes team of very talented design pros who create the design concept, solve difficult space planning issues, work out all the design dilemmas and details that make the project come alive, select the right paint colors the first time, know where to shop for just the right finishing materials, furniture, accessories, etc., In addition, there is a large team of trade contractors who build and install all the selections. Then there is a charismatic show host who acts as the project coordinator and site supervisor and makes it all look fun and easy. If you are not one of those fortunate few who get to have their homes made-over on TV as I’ve described, is there any hope for you to have your home turn out just as attractively and be as eye catching as those on the home renovation shows? Is it really possible to “have it all” like they do on TV? Yes, it is. Here’s how.
No matter how large or small your home renovation project, the first and most important step is to engage the services of a licensed, professional interior designer. A licensed interior designer is a highly skilled, extensively trained and educated, multi-talented design professional who can provide invaluable expertise in renovation, remodeling, conceptual design, materials selection and final decoration, beginning with the initial planning process all the way through to final completion of the project. Unfortunately, many homeowners think that they should hire an interior designer near the end of their project, (or don’t think they need to hire an interior designer at all), because they are not aware of the extensive range of valuable services and tasks that an interior designer is capable of performing for them throughout their remodeling or renovating project. Licensed interior designers are highly qualified professionals who, through years of extensive training, education and experience are able to perform a multitude of demanding technical and artistic tasks that are crucial throughout the planning and execution stages of home renovation projects. Interior designers of today are capable of going far beyond selecting drapery fabrics or rearranging furniture and accessories.
Today, interior designers are frequently called upon to draft floor plans and elevations, provide sketches and working drawings for custom cabinetry, create custom mouldings and trims, provide innovative kitchen and bath solutions, deliver creative space plan layouts, design lighting plans and specify electrical systems to highlight clients’ furniture, artwork and accessories, design wine rooms, media rooms, home offices and home theaters, select unique finishing materials, prepare cost estimates and detailed project proposals, oversee workroom fabrications and installations, provide site supervision and project coordination with trade contractors, and the list goes on and on in addition to providing the usual interior design products like window treatments, furniture, artwork, area rugs, antiques and accessories.
Interior designers are the key to having a beautiful home. Eventhough many homeowners have their own sense of style and taste and are therefore often hesitant to engage the services of an interior designer, a professional interior designer’s talent and expertise can take one’s sense of style and “kick it up a notch.”
Interior designers know where to concentrate your financial resources to give you the biggest bang for your buck, which colors to select and how to create the just right look for your home. They are experienced professionals who you can trust to help you make critically important design decisions. On your next home renovation or redecorating project, use a licensed interior designer. The results will amaze you.
By Susan Fruit - www.susanfruitinteriors.com |
