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Interior Design - Should You Hire A Professional, Or Go It Alone?

By
Home Stager with Home Staging by Interiors Defined, Inc.

You've been tearing pictures out of magazines, going through model homes, gathering ideas in a shoe box for years . . . now what? How do you begin to put the puzzle pieces of your dream home together? Should you hire an interior designer? Can you afford one? Can you afford not to have one?

For many, the idea of hiring a professional is downright paralyzing! What if they came in to your home and told you to get rid of all of your "stuff" and start over!

Hire a professional or go it alone? Here are some questions to ask yourself before making the decision . . .

1. Are you looking at your shoe box, feeling overwhelmed, and don't know where to begin?

A professional designer has been trained to work with you to determine your overall vision, (not theirs), then develop a master plan. This often can be accomplished through a comprehensive consultation. At this point the homeowner can choose to implement the plan on their own, or with the continued help and guidance of the designer.

2. Will you need help creating a design plan that reflects your personality, and is flexible enough to meet all of your lifestyle needs?

Having a well developed floor plan is the critical first step in designing a room, or an entire home. A lot of consideration should be given to this very important stage of the process. Have you allowed for enough seating? Do you have comfortable traffic patterns? Are the rooms going to be balanced by weight, texture, style and color? And where will you put the 60" plasma television you hope to get?

3. Do you have too many armchair designers second guessing your taste and opinions?

This is a very common problem. Friends and relatives mean well by offering up their opinions, but more often than not they end up leaving you more confused than ever. A professional has been trained to ask the right questions to help you figure out what you want!

4. Have you ever spent a lot of money only to end up "hating the look"?

Because of their experience, designers can help you avoid costly mistakes. They will know that the great little red sofa you fell in love with at the store isn't really 'so little', and would look like a great big red elephant in your room when you got it home!

5. Does your home have a unified look?

Some of the very best looks are eclectic . . . a blending of styles, colors, designs and finishes. But even though you are blending and layering many elements together, you still must have common threads running through each room to create a warm, inviting unified look.

6. Do you know how to find what you want?

Professional designers have access to the latest and greatest resources in home design . . . and where to find them. Through trade shows and showrooms, seminars, and contacts developed through the years a good designer will be able to direct you to the latest trends, what's hot . . .and what's not! They also will have access to reputable painters, upholsterers, paper hangers, carpet installers etc. that they have worked with and can recommend with confidence.

Jeannene H. Edwards, owner of INTERIORS DEFINED,INC. is a highly sought after professional home stager and licensed interior designer in Orlando, Florida. She has merged with DAVID EDWARDS CONSTRUCTION to now offer complete architectural design and building services to further meet the needs of her clientele. Jeannene, known for her dynamic and informative seminars, is available to speak for sales meetings and group events. Her award winning designs and 'how-to' articles have been widely published in newspapers, magazines and trade manuals nationally. INTERIORS DEFINED, INC. is a five-star full service interior design and staging company, specializing in classic design and casual sophistication. To show you how to avoid the guesswork and save thousands of dollars and aggravation to get your home sold in today's challenging market, or further information regarding the many additional design, remodeling and building services being offered, please contact Jeannene Edwards or David Edwards at: http://idihomestaging.com
http://davidedwardsgc.com

Comments (5)

Veronica DeCarolis
Weidel Realtors - Flemington, NJ

Good luck with your venture.

Veronica

Jun 08, 2008 11:53 AM
Michelle Molinari
FEATURE THIS... Real Estate Staging & Interior Decor - Lafayette, LA
Feature This Real, Estate Staging & Curb Appeal Concepts

I agree with your sentiment here Jeannene.

Another thing that designers can  truly assist with it the ORDER in which you make choices. When people want to choose paint color without having a decision on flooring or fabric, I try to redirect them to make their most EXPENSIVE and LIMITED choices first. PAINT IS CHEAP and plentiful.

For instance, there are over 4000 Benjamin Moore shades of paint. However, there are maybe only two sofas in this entire city that the client would consider to spending their money on. SO, Find the sofa! The paint color will go from four thousand shades to three viable options in the snap of a finger. Most decisions can be that easy, if the client lets you lead them in the proper order. Choose granite, flooring and drapery fabric/upoholstered stuff first! Then you get to paint, add artwork, and accessorize.

It is funny how some folks insist on painting first. They usually find out the color isn't what they wanted or expected, because they painted before the first light fixture went in! You have to have lighting to judge the color with.

Even a one-time consult with a good designer can save you dozens of mistakes and thousands of dollars.

~Michelle Molinari

www.featurethisdotdotdot.com 

 

 

Jun 08, 2008 01:13 PM
Jeannene Edwards
Home Staging by Interiors Defined, Inc. - Orlando, FL

Michelle,

I couldn't agree more with your comments.  Once again, I feel that a professional design consultation BEFORE putting your home on the market to sell, redesigning or remodeling is something that will save both time and money!

Jun 27, 2008 02:02 AM
Jeannene Edwards
Home Staging by Interiors Defined, Inc. - Orlando, FL

Lynsey,

You're right.  And as a stager I am well aware that the last thing people want to do when trying to sell a house is spend money . . . but staging in this market is the best investment you can make!

Jun 27, 2008 02:06 AM
Kym Hough
www.Staged-to-Sell - Danville, CA
Staged to Sell East Bay - Danville, CA

Hi Jeannene so true. I have clients now hiring me up to a year in advance to selling. They want to enjoy their house for a while with the upgrades prior to selling and a simple consultations does wonders for their mind set. They know what they are up for. Then I end up doing some design work as well and often design their next home. It's a year or two process that increasing our revenue stream and is a great service to our clients. Kym Hough, www.Stagerslistexpo.com, 3/17/09 Orlando

Mar 04, 2009 09:56 AM