Interior designers can cost the earth, if you want them to, or just a few pebbles. With the abundance of YouTube videos and online interior design resources, it really is up to you how much you want to spend with an interior designer.
With prices of product skyrocketing and stock shortages an imminent reality, designers can save you money in the long run with trade discounts, time and a cohesive result that you feel confident with.
If you don’t have a budget then trusting your designer will get you an incredible outcome, but if you are on a budget they can get you on track and on budget minus the stress.
From my experience, there are three easy ways you can keep your professional budget on track.
Start your property search
Going shopping with an interior designer for five hours can achieve most of the big-ticket decisions. Photo / Supplied
Countless times we have building companies with clients wanting to select all the finishes themselves but then quarter way through find themselves completely overwhelmed with the choices, builders chasing them for specifications, not to mention price and lead-time variations that interior designers have to contend with every single day.
If you are doing a new-build or renovation, I understand that this is the exciting part you want control of, but it is hard work and very time-consuming.
I’ve had couples trawl through showroom after showroom weekend after weekend all to simply walk in circles, argue and not lock in anything.
If this is you, create a Pinterest page or gather a few brochures with products marked, then have a project meeting with a designer to cut the “research” time a designer needs. You’ve done the work for us.
And while it doesn’t tell a story yet, we can quickly identify common themes you’ve been drawn to which will narrow our search down to specific product lines to explore.
Laura Heynike: "An interior designer should be a service available to everyone." Photo / Supplied
Going on a shopping trip with an interior designer for five hours can achieve most of the big-ticket decisions.
We love taking both partners of the household on a shopping trip so they both have even contribution to the interior scheme. In five hours you can select the main bathroom product line, benchtop colour, flooring finishes and tiles.
Now this might not be the final selection, but it will give you the confidence to continue on and lock-in those last finishes that you don’t need assurance and direction for.
All of a sudden you have all of your Saturdays and evenings back. It might have cost you five hours in fees, but how much time, worry and debate has it saved with a solid end result.
Gather brochures and mark the products you like then meet with your designer to cut the “research” time. Photo / Supplied
An interior designer can help project-manage your renovation from a distance but have the reassurance that a professional is keeping the project together.
For example, the painter or builder can send videos to the designer so they know what was achieved in the day’s work rather than the designer calling into site every day.
When the client takes over the management role completely, we have found that communication errors occur, lack of quality control, misaligned deliveries and relationships with tradies can suffer so invest in a professional to help make the renovation process an enjoyable one.
Interior designers love taking both partners of the household on a shopping trip so they have an even contribution. Photo / Supplied
The misconception that interior designers are only for the rich is completely distorted.
This isn’t even true for high-end builds. While a high-end house may require more time to spec unique finishes and more layered interior schemes, it’s all relative. As with anything, what you put in is what you get out.
An interior designer should be a service available to everyone and a one-hour advice session right through to a full design is really up to you and the outcome you want for your interior.
- Laura Heynike is director of Pocketspace Interiors
