Those Wonderful Design Decisions. Who Makes Them?

Have you ever found yourself scrolling through the seemingly endless galleries of freshly remodeled homes on Houzz, and slowly becoming overwhelmed by the thought of selecting all of the finishes for your own home?

If you’re like most people, it’s enough to make you throw in the towel and live with those old cabinets for another year. As you study the elements in the various photos, you’ll start to realize how many individual parts and pieces have to come together to make your home a really special place.   

Will I have to make all the design decisions?

Your first thought might be, “Will I have to make all those design decisions myself? I don’t even know the difference between a pull-out and pull-down kitchen faucet!” Five minutes in a lighting showroom is enough to make anyone feel unqualified and worried about messing up these important decisions.

As Paul Bauscher is fond of saying “It’s easy to pick one thing you like, it takes a professional to pick the other thirty that complete the picture.”

So, let’s say you take Paul’s advice and consider hiring an interior designer to help with this important task. For many homeowners, this brings up a second concern, being pushed into a design they don’t like by a designer. Let’s face it, most designers have strong opinions, and frankly, it’s what makes them good at what they do.

If you fear making the wrong design choice…

The number one concern we hear from homeowners is the fear that a designer will impose their personal style on their home. Over our forty years in business, we’ve heard more than one horror story of a client who ended up with a countertop or paint color they didn’t even like because the designer insisted that it was the right choice. Our advice, don’t let this deter you from utilizing this important member of a remodeling project team.

Working with an interior designer requires a balance between standing your ground on what you love and being open to the perspective and advice a professional brings. Let’s talk about a few things that can really make this relationship a collaborative venture.

First, be open with your designer about any concerns you have about being pressured. Starting the relationship off with openness and transparency will set a good foundation for your working relationship.   

Next, take a little time to define your preferred style so you have a good “true north” vision of how you want your home to look and feel. This will give you, and your designer, the perspective you need to veto something that starts to head in a different direction. It also provides the designer with a great insight into the picture of what a perfect project looks like to you.

Also, understand that a good designer can see the project finished in their mind before it ever is. This is a fabulous gift and one that will help them bring all of the different pieces together in a unified way.

Bringing your design vision together

It also means that, at times, they will be able to see the harmony of the different pieces when you’re not able to. When this happens, just be prepared to ask them to walk you through the relationships of the different selections and help you understand how they are moving you in the direction of the style and feel you established as your vision. Many times, you will find that they have very good reason for the suggestions they are making. If you’ve established open communication at the beginning, this will be easy to do, and even appreciated by the designer.

With the simple steps above, you’ll have a great time designing your home, and before you know it, your project will be the one others are looking at in a magazine!

To find your personal style, use the buttons below to download our Design Guides. They will walk you step-by-step through the design process and help you figure out your unique tastes.

SMART PEOPLE MAKE SMART CHOICES

Our goal with these pieces is to help you get the information you need to make educated choices for your home and family. If you’ve found this helpful, share it with others. If you have questions or would like to request other topics to be covered, please use the comment section below and we’ll make sure you get you the answers you need.

Ready to start your project? We’d love to talk with you!