Your home should be your happy place: a meaningful and personal haven rooted in comfort and steeped in self-expression. When these two ideals align, home becomes a destination as life-giving, soul-soothing, and enriching as the world beyond your front door.
But let’s be honest…getting to that final destination takes time, effort, and expertise. Knowing who to hire? Balancing your investment? Organizing trades? Selecting the right materials for style and longevity? These are just a few of the hundreds of details involved in any custom home or home renovation.
Spoiler Alert: This is where an interior designer comes in. Yes, for all of the above, and much, much more. Here are just a few of the highlights of working with us…
1. A Home Fully Aligned with Your Life
The single, greatest thing about working with us? A home authentically aligned with who you are, what you love, and how you live. To achieve this, we spend a lot of time getting to know each other at the beginning of your project. I’ll ask questions like:
- Where do you sip your coffee each morning?
- Where does your family spend the most time together?
- What does self-care look like to you?
- What is your favorite item in your home right now?
Developing this level of understanding and trust is what enables us to design a space that is meaningful, intentional, and deeply personal. As we move into the design phase, you’ll see how all of these details are brought together in style, feel, and functionality.
2. Fresh Eyes & A Creative Perspective
A big part of reimagining your experience of home includes problem-solving. When you first moved into your home, you probably noticed some frustrating features that didn’t serve you well. Maybe you just can’t figure out how to make your kitchen layout more functional. Or maybe you have a too-large (or too-small) sofa that just doesn’t fit quite right.
After a while, these unsolved annoyances become accepted inconveniences. With us, they don’t stay that way. I have yet to meet a problem I can’t solve — and I welcome the challenge!
As a designer, I come into your space like a breath of fresh air, using my trained eye to see your home’s highest potential, optimize space and practicality, and make every inch work beautifully for you. Sure, your home will look different when we’re done, but more importantly, it will feel different. In the best way.
3. Flow & Function for Your Lifestyle
Next, we talk about “flow.” Flow might sound like an abstract concept, but it is one of the factors that plays the biggest role in sowing discontent. If your daily routine goes this way and your home is trying to steer you that way, there is natural tension. This wears away at you day after day, year after year. Often, it’s only when you finally experience a well-planned home that you realize how dysfunctional it started!
This is another advantage of working with an interior designer. If you’re building a new home, yes, your architect will play a big role in designing the structure of the home. While they are extremely talented at what they do, we help optimize that layout for your lifestyle. For example, we might propose built-ins where you need them, outlets where they will be hidden behind furniture, walls large enough to accommodate that king-sized bed you want, and more.
If you’re renovating, the same thing applies to your general contractor. Planning the functionality of each corner of the space simply isn’t their expertise – which is also why they love working alongside us! Together, we make an incredible team for you.
4. Materials Crafted with Care & Designed for Longevity
Our clients value longevity for several reasons: it’s a better long-term investment, increases home value, and usually means lower daily maintenance. Those are 3 wins that I am fully onboard with, and probably the biggest reason (aside from style) that I’m not a fan of builder-grade materials. They simply aren’t designed to last.
That said, I don’t think it’s necessary to splurge on every item in your home either. It’s all about being thoughtful and finding the perfect balance for your style and lifestyle. You guessed it — selecting materials that achieve this balance is what a designer does.
For example, if you love the look of marble, great. Me, too. However, I wouldn’t advise that you use it on your kitchen countertops, since it can easily etch and stain. Instead, let’s use it around your fireplace surround or as a beautiful backsplash at your wet bar. The same goes for literally every other material in your home — we have the knowledge, experience, and design eye to make smart choices for you.
5. Access to Exclusive Vendors & Products
The best way to achieve a home that is uniquely yours is to incorporate pieces that are customized to you. This could include that extra-deep sofa for your tall partner, a performance fabric chair that resists stains, custom drapery that makes your ceilings appear taller, or beautiful art straight from the source.
My role as a designer is to build our network of exclusive vendors and resources to give you access to these products at competitive rates. In addition to the superior quality and style options, our relationships with them also mean first-class customer service. They care about you as much as we do! Try getting that kind of love from a retailer. 😉
6. Project Management From Start to Photo Finish
Managing a home renovation or new construction project is more than just a full-time job — it’s a full-time, multi-person job! It requires cross-team collaboration, communication, precise ordering, quality controls, and so much more. If you were to handle this yourself, you would be answering the phone throughout the day, frequently on-site, and expected to answer complex questions when situations arise. (Because those are a normal part of renovating!)
Instead, we handle all of this for you. We are the expert on you, knowing your priorities, style, budget, and lifestyle to make smart choices, present you with the best solutions, and collaborate with the rest of your design team. A new build or home renovation is never without its hiccups, but with us leading the charge, your experience will be as peaceful, enjoyable, and rewarding as possible. That’s our job.
During construction, we will also procure your furnishings — ordering, tracking, receiving, inspecting, storing — and organize the final installation. Once the last chair in place and shelf has been styled, you’re ready to come home to spaces you’ll never want to leave!
So, When Should You Hire a Designer?
As you may have gathered, it’s best to hire a designer during the “starting to think about it” stage of your project. This way, you’ll avoid costly design missteps and begin your project with clear plans, a steady pace, and a roadmap for success. (It’s much easier to adjust a blueprint than remove a wall!)
If that sounds like you, we’d love to chat. Reach out to us here, and let’s get to know each other.
Talk soon!
Kristen
