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Saturday, April 20th, 2019
We have a team of industry professionals who are ready to assist you in your design requirements.
Lives seem to get busier with each passing year. With technology getting more and more advanced, while it does make life easier, it also causes lives to be more demanding. So if you’re redesigning or redecorating, it is often a lot easier to just trust a pro.
Meet your interior designer. There is a host of benefits that comes with hiring a design expert. Reduced time, maximized costs, and optimization of space are just some of the benefits of hiring an interior designer.
Trend and Industry Perceptions
Let’s accept this fact – interior designers studied design, the principles behind it, and may other know-how that the ordinary fellow might not know. As you trust this professional, you will have an access to the plethora of interior design industry knowledge that he or she has.
A few states require interior designers to have a license coming from the NCIDQ or the National Council for Interior Design Qualification before the professional is able to work.
Sitting through an exam means the person should have undergone no less than two years of interior design college education. Four years of required work experience is also needed in some states.
The alternative to this is for the individual to have four years in design education and two years of work experience. For the states that do not ask their interior designers to hold a license, this is an idea for the interior designer wannabe to become a member of the council.
This expert will also know the trends that are super hot, hot, hot; and even the best innovations that could serve well on your office design or family room needs. It is, after all, their job to know the in things and what’s no longer fashionable.
An interior designer knows all these things because they regularly attend industry events.
Far-reaching Design Experience
On top of attending industry events and knowing the trends and new products, a professional interior designer also offers experience. The longer this professional has worked, the likelier that he or she already has the qualifications that you need for your design project.
Through their numerous projects, designers are able to see which elements work and which don’t. If you pick a pro who specializes in a particular sector, then he or she can offer more insights than the regular designer.
Time and Budget Management
An interior designer should have a strong experience in both time and budget management. Check your preferred expert’s portfolio, especially the major projects that they did in the past.
Was he able to stay in the budget that the client required? Was he able to deliver the project according to the schedule? Knowing these things can help you achieve a smooth process.
Planning is also a huge part of the interior designer’s job. The American Society of Interior Designers point out that a designer must be able to render his plans through drawings or the use of design software. See if hired professional is able to execute either or both.
You Get to Relax
It might be tempting to want to be in control as you embark in a design project.
Don’t.
You could declare that you get to have the final say but as the project is ongoing, well, you need to relax. This is the very reason why you’re hiring a professional; so you could take the backseat and just enjoy the project as it unfolds. A designer, after all, comes with the right management skills so he should know how to work with deadlines.
Ask if the interior designer is going to have other projects alongside yours, though, as this could affect the result. Being overloaded with work could result in deadlines not being met or troubles in maintaining order throughout the duration of the design project.
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, interior designer training, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, reasons for working with interior designers, working with interior designers
Posted in Interior Design 101, The Interior Designer | Comments Off on Why Work with an Interior Designer?
Thursday, April 5th, 2018
Coming very soon: Hooker Furniture Dining Room Miramar Point Reyes Voltaire Display Cabinet.
You have probably heard many horror stories from your friends who have hired interior designers. Working with experts can be a real pain in the @#$ sometimes but you actually have the power to change the game. If this is your first time to become the client of an interior designer, then you need to know a few expectations and concerns that could come your way.
Be Realistic with Your Expectations
With that said, don’t expect your home to look like the posh home of a Hollywood celebrity with limited budget and time. Those reality TV shows have hurt many designers because, now, they are expected to deliver quality despite the tight schedules that are given to them. In the real world, those techniques just might not work.
Remember that those house flipping shows that you see on TV often have a team of designers and laborers who work hard behind the scenes. The salaries of these people are paid for by the show, hence, the recipients of the homes that they create just need to pay for the cost of the materials plus some labor costs. Of course, adding more people to help you with the project can help expedite the schedule.
Remember that each project is diverse. Your best shot at having a lovely home according to your liking is to anticipate your budget as well as the project duration. You also need to sit down and be upfront with the designer about what you want from the outset. Of course, you also need to listen to their advice as some of the things that you want might not work aesthetically.
Shop for the Right Expert
Just as not all homes are created equal, not all designers are also the same. Every designer has his or her own quirkiness, personal preferences, and business practices. To ensure the success of your project, it is crucial that you and the designer agree on what will be done. It is important to interview the candidates before you sign anything.
In the world of interior design, this interview is what’s referred to as a consultation. As you consult with the experts, try your best to meet with them in person. Know also if their visit is paid or unpaid. Use this consultation to ask them about their past projects, business practices, as for as for their preferred billing and communication methods.
This is also the right moment to tell the designer about what you prefer. Feel free to show them a few photos of your preferred styles. Ask them to use these as inspiration for the project. Don’t be shy to admit a few quirks of your own. By the end of the consultation, you and the designer should have already arrived at an agreement.
Discuss the Bill
This is a necessary part of every interior designer-client consultation. Most of the interior designers work with a contracting company while there are also those who manage their own businesses. With the latter, they are free to create their own business structures, hence, you have to know if they charge hourly or by project.
This needs to be clarified before the first nail is driven in, so to speak. You just have to be aware of the services that you are going to pay for.
Talk of Communication
Another aspect that you need to clarify is how you can establish good communication. Let your designer know that you might not know a lot about design but your preferences should be considered highly during the project completion.
The best designers are not afraid of decisive clients. They, in fact, feel that their jobs become tons easier because they have someone to help set the tone for them. Also, designers who are willing to listen to their clients tend to end up with happier clients.
Tags: hiring an interior designer, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, searching for interior designer, working with interior designers
Posted in Interior Design 101, The Interior Designer | Comments Off on To the First-Time Interior Design Client (Here’s A Guide)
Friday, July 29th, 2016
1586-80151A-GRY1 Lulu Shaped Console Table 4056CR Henry Exposed Wood: Achieving this look is easy if you know which design elements to balance. Don’t know what to do? Hire an expert.
A lot of residential contractors take on design projects here and there usually with the cooperation of the homeowner. The latter could bring photos, sketches, even tear-outs from interior design magazines or books. This is true when it comes to remodeling where the design choices are constrained by some pre-existing circumstances.
Technically speaking, design contractors provide the design-build services yet they are not referred to as design builders. They also do not charge separately for their design project so long as this is not a line item on their estimate.
On bigger home remodels, though, a lot of contractors prefer to work off another person’s plan unless design is a part of their service. Still some allow homeowners to terminate the contract right after the design stage, allowing you to make use of another contractor’s plans. This is a crucial choice that you would want to see in your contract. Contracts may offer discounts if you would be working with the same contractor during construction.
There are various approaches to design-build bidding as well as contracts. A lot of design-build companies work through negotiated bid since they don’t generally put out the plans to different contractors for bidding. In this case, a contractor will share a portion of the costs with the homeowner and would negotiate a fee (whether hourly, by percentage or fixed) for the services that they offer.
Choosing the Right Design-Build Contractor
If you are hiring a designer and a contractor which is the same person, you need to ask the kind of questions that you would ask an architect/designer and the contractor. When you evaluate a company, be sure to separate the construction from the design side. This is because you might like their design projects but not their construction ones.
Talk to people from the design team and ask about how they work together during the design stage. See how they have previously worked with clients and how they charge for their designs. As to the construction side, ask questions that you would ask a general contractor.
Ask for references then ask their previous clients regarding the design and building phases. You need to know what went well, what surprises or problems came up, any cost overruns and how they were handled, and how much the clients eventually liked the project.
Another important thing to remember is the total cost of the project and a breakdown of the fees.
Make it a point to have the design company take full responsibility of the mistakes should anything happen. Have this stipulated in the contract.
Hooker Furniture Home Office
Advantages of Hiring a Design-Build Contractor
The greatest things that you will enjoy when you hire a design-build contractor are the same advantages that you get from a general contractor. You also get to simplify the process by hiring a one-stop-shop for construction and design.
Hiring just one company for design and construction means you save significantly. There will also be no disputes between the design and construction departments since they are technically in the same department.
You get to have more design freedom when you deal with just one company. Here, you can control the specs such as the fixtures that you use, finishes and mechanical equipment.
Lastly, find a reputable design-build contractor. He should also be someone who you would like to work with. You would also be likely to save money if you hire a single expert rather than a team of professionals. Make sure also that you keep the plans that you would work with so you can still use them with another contractor (should the need for another expert arise).
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, design contractor, design-build contractor, finding an interior designer, hiring an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, how to hire an interior designer, interior design contractor, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips, working with interior designers
Posted in Design Contractor | No Comments »
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