The popularity of design shows, home décor magazines and all things DIY has skyrocketed in recent years. We watch one show after another marvelling at the transformations that take place in a mere 48 hours.
We want to believe that we too can follow the DIY steps to create a WOW space just like the couple featured on last night’s episode. The truth is that’s television – not real life.
Even retailers try to offer design advice, workshops and incentives to help us navigate through our home improvement and decorating projects. So we take a deep breath, sift through paint colors, maybe new backsplash tiles or how about a new counter? Window treatments? No, not that – don’t even know where to start with that.
The pit falls of engaging in such projects soon become evident and the enthusiasm turns into feeling overwhelmed and lost. Things go wrong, money is spent on things that turn out to be not what we envisioned and everything comes to a grinding halt. Nothing left to do but sit down with a cheesecake and sob.
The concept of hiring a designer is one that many people would never consider. After all, isn’t that a luxury afforded by those without budgets? Not to mention all those horror stories about designers bulldozing you into outrageously expensive things seen only on the covers of House & Home and alike. Their ideas of affordable and necessary are far from realistic for most of us. While some of that may be true some of the time, there is a flip side. Here are a few things to consider that may sway your opinion.
For many people, jumping into a home improvement project comes with the risk of costly mistakes. When you have made the decision to take on a project, the excitement of the much anticipated end result causes you to skip some critical steps in the process. Many have a not so clearly defined vision and jump straight to the fun stuff. In the haste to get to the “wow” reveal, rash decisions result in costly mistakes and lunch bag let down.
A designer has vast resources, extensive product knowledge and the creative vision to help you achieve your design goals without all the mistakes. A plan is the first, most critical part of the process. Then a budget wise approach will ensure that your decorating dollars are s t r e t c h e d and spent in the right places.
Have you ever considered hiring a Designer but thought you couldn’t afford it? Consider this a time and cost saving strategy.