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Friday, September 2nd, 2016
FFDM Vintage Classics: This bedroom balances the beauty of wood, glass, white sheets and pillows, as well as art.
Just like marriage, you also need to find out if the interior designer that you’re about to hire is a good fit. Find out your style then let this expert help you; but before you sit down and discuss your design project with your choice, there’s that phase when you need to thoroughly get to know this person.
Step One: Know Your Designer’s Style
It is crucial to know your style but it is also equally important to know the interior designer’s signature style. If the portfolio that he or she shows is filled with traditional design, then you should think twice before you propose a modern home project.
Step Two: Look Through Numerous Portfolios
Let’s say that you already know what you are looking for and that you are now targeting a handful of designers. Try to see who among them share your design preferences. Look through several portfolios and imagine yourself living or staying in one of the spaces that they designed.
Step Three: Set Up a Budget
It is important to find out how much you are willing to spend before you begin your construction or remodel. There are designers who ask for a fixed fee while others ask for an hourly payment. These are factors that you need to consider when narrowing down your list of candidates.
Step Four: Schedule a Meet-Up
As soon as you have narrowed down your list to just a name or three, then it’s time to meet these experts face to face. Majority of interior designers do not charge for this session but it would also be great if you ask about it as you set up the appointment over the phone.
Hooker Furniture Home Office 42-in Leg Desk provides the perfect contrast to the whitewashed surroundings.
As you sit down with candidates, ask for references whom you can contact. This is so you would be able to gauge the designer’s capacity through his or her past works. Ask about costs that are specific to your project, how long it would take before the project is completed, and just about any question that you could come up with.
Think of specific questions then write everything that you both have discussed on a sheet of paper.
Step Six: Be Open-Minded
It is rare for clients to love every bit of element that the designer used on a project. Even if the two of you have the exact same style, you still need to prepare for that moment when you won’t agree on a certain detail. Always keep an open mind and don’t immediately close your mind to what your designer is suggesting. Give his or her idea a chance.
Make sure, though, that this expert is not pushing you to make any decisions. Suggestions can be made so you have to be open to other ideas.
Step Seven: Compare Your Notes
When you’re done meeting with the designers, it’s time to compare all the notes that you made. Compare the numbers (estimates) that these experts have provided, their references (past projects), and whether or not you click as a working team. Always keep in mind that the cheaper or priciest option may not always be the right and best choice.
You can only sign the contract as soon as you know who you would hire. You should know how much you would pay, what responsibilities you would give to the designer, the timeline, and your budgetary limits.
Step Nine: Create a Plan
Now is the time to go about with your plan of attack. Know where you would begin. Several rooms may need to be redesigned so find out which materials you would soon buy. Choose with the help of your designer.
Modify the plan if needs be.
Tags: finding interior designers, hiring an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, interior designer characteristics, interior designer interview, interviewing interior designers, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips
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Tuesday, May 10th, 2016
Traditional and modern elements are creatively mixed in this bedroom. The wooden pieces take centerstage as the decorative elements effectively frame their beauty. Featured furniture is from FFDM’s American Cherry Collection.
The artists – oh what wonderful people they are. They seem to be wandering about with creative brains that are filled to the brim with DIY ideas. See their homes and you’d know that they have Midas’ touch. If you envy the creativity exhibited by artists and designers, then you’re not alone. A lot of homeowners also secretly wish that they could just do interior design projects on their own.
Being creative is a choice, though. You just have to learn how to express your identity in your works. In essence, it is a manner of operating or doing things.
Most humans are creative at heart, it’s just that some are more able to express themselves freely than others. If you want to train yourself to become more creative so you can decorate your own home, then here are the characteristics and habits that you should be moulding –
Ritualize
‘Waiting for an inspiration to come? It rarely does. Rather than wait, seek it. Creative individuals are able to push through writer’s block or inspiration famines. These are the people who doodle even when their minds feel empty.
‘Feeling down? Create anyway. You must comprehend the power of consistency.
Lighten Up
You only live your life once so stop taking it too seriously. You can design your home without pulling your hair.
Creative folks know how to have fun. Most of them are playful, even childlike. Adapt the mind of a child whose imaginations know no boundaries. Weed out the mundane and dull. Be excited to live life. There is no such thing as a boring home, just a boring interior design.
So, if you want your home’s interiors to be admired by all, know how to have a little humor in your life.
Explore
Interior designers are naturally curious. These are the people who are often voracious readers. To them, ideas are a fusion of elements that have already existed in the past. All they need now is to harmonize these elements and what they would achieve is no less than a masterpiece.
Pablo Picasso amounted to something (that’s an understatement because he was actually great) because he studied long hours. He feasted upon Iberian and African sculptures displayed in Louvre.
Ideas should be constantly fuelled, remember that.
Be In Touch with Your Higher Self
One of the most amazing creative techniques is the ability to relax and allow your subconscious to do the job for you. Who can better attest to this than Thomas Alba Edison?
Edison was stumped for so many times but he did not buckle. He took the time each day to leave his desk and nap. This may sound easy, even futile, but this is a habit that every creative mind should get used to.
Mastering the art of relaxation can help you switch off from creative problems. Once you wake up, you will marvel at the results.
Mingle
Creative people are interested in other people, at least this is the case in majority of the best designers. These are compassionate people who are drawn to the raw emotions evoked by others.
If most people are not good listeners, then change that. Listen, be interested, say hello to people. You would be surprised at the wave of creative ideas that your friends or relatives will be able to offer to you.
A great interior designer must also have excellent communication skills. You should be able to engage in meaningful conversations. It is in such conversations that you can glean creative ideas.
Adapt
No great designer is considered successful without the ability to adapt. The interior design industry is an ever-evolving world. Study new approaches and techniques in interior design. List down your choices and preferences; understand how each material will work with or against a certain project.
Always be a problem solver, a doer, and a visual person. Once you acquire these skills, you should be able to design the rooms of your home without effort.
Hooker Furniture Corsica Collection: This is the perfect harmony of contradicting elements – from dark and light, curvy and straight, distressed and block colors. The unique vase of greens in the middle of the table provides a fresh divergence.
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, finding interior designers, hiring an interior designer, interior designer characteristics, interior designer skills, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
From Hooker Furniture’s Adagio Collection
Not every person is born with an eye for what’s beautiful, comfortable and a clean home. Most interior designers learned their skills, some even as young as when they were children in their homes. Perhaps one had a mother who loved buying interior design magazines or an elder sister who simply liked to mix and match the decor.
Imagination and a dash of God-given creativity pave the way for an artistic interior designer. Those who carve a name for themselves in the interior design industry eventually have an established client network or they are the ones who work for the biggest home stores all over the country.
Interior designers can take on different residential as well as commercial projects. Some are even tasked to design communities and institutional projects such as libraries, schools, offices and chapels.
Interior design is now a discipline that is widely appreciated by more people. This is why a designer should improve on her craft by expanding her knowledge and seeing with artistic eyes.
FFDM Brentwood Collection. The lovely, rustic contrast that the bedside table offers to both the bed and the chair is undeniable.
Interior Designer Inspiration
Inspiration for interior designers can come from history, culture, travel, architecture and especially the arts. Nature also influences some designers’ works, changing their perspectives as they touch the waters of the ocean or feel the breeze against their cheek.
The style that a designer eventually develops depends also on her own preference and her willingness to give in to the client’s whims. Furniture pieces and accessories are often carefully selected according to factors such as the client’s lifestyle, budget and personality.
If there is one rewarding thing about interior designing, it is that the designer knows that she did her best in setting up a beautiful home, one that her clients will be enjoying in style and comfort.
An Interior Designer Adapts
The interior designer might not have grown up in a family of artists or designers but through careful study and constant practice, she will soon have an eye for beauty. Continuously learning and improving one’s craft is a must in this kind of job. She should be able to look, individually, at her projects and say – through the years that – she has improved.
An interior designer knows through dedication and hard work what a client wants. Recommendations come from satisfied clients and so a designer should learn to adapt and not demand what he thinks is better.
A well-loved interior designer is one who makes it a point to make his clients happy. She should never give them a reason to feel dissatisfied on any aspect of her work. Designers have a duty to learn new things about their job from time to time so they can keep up with the changing trends.
A true artist makes a room functional yet beautiful at the same time. This is a skill that can only be mastered through time, constant study and practice. She is an expert when it comes to interior design element optimization.
Universal Furniture Home Entertainment Media Easel 026970 is an artistic way of installing a flatscreen.
An Interior Designer Is a Furniture Connoisseur
While everyone is enjoying an idyllic Sunday morning at home, the interior designer could be out shopping for furniture pieces. These are the very pieces that will define the home of their clients so they take time to choose every piece.
Delivering someone’s dream space is not easy. The furniture pieces used should have textures and patterns that match the client’s chosen theme. It is an invitation to imagine and find the furniture that the client will eventually love.
The greatest reward of being an interior designer is to spread splendour one home at a time.
Speak with our friendly staff here at McCreery’s Home Furnishings and find out which pieces are most suitable for your taste.
Tags: how to become an interior designer, interior designer characteristics, interior designer skills, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
Posted in The Interior Designer | No Comments »
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