How to Best Prepare for an Interior Design Consultation
As you prepare for your interior design consultation, you’re brimming with excitement as you anticipate a transformation of your living spaces. You imagine how form and function and lighting and colors will all combine to enhance the beauty and appeal of your home.
Before launching into your interior design project, the first task is to engage with your designer during the interior design consultation.
What is an Interior Design Consultation?
The interior design consultation is intended to be an opportunity to begin the conceptual process, as you and your interior designer collaborate to create a bold vision for the redesign of your living spaces. Your designer will learn about your personal style and how you want to use the space being designed. She will also take into consideration square footage, lighting, and the existing floorplan and furnishings.
Both of you will identify décor challenges and opportunities as you come together to see how your interior design project will fit with your aesthetic tastes and design preferences.
Your interior designer will discuss your goals for this project, as you both reach a consensus on the rooms and spaces to be included in the redesign project. Your designer will then work with you to create a budget that is workable and fits your needs.
In order to ensure your satisfaction with the interior design changes, your designer will become acquainted with your lifestyle. This consultation is an ideal time to share images of rooms or objects that you are partial to so your designer gains insights into what you envision for your interior design project. She will then be able to better understand your aesthetic tastes.
You and your designer will ensure that your home continues to reflect your personality, values, and lifestyle, knowing also that the design of your home’s interior will affect how you feel and how well you live within the space.
Preparing for Your Interior Design Consultation
Be Aware of Your Goals
Before your all-important interior design consultation, consider what your goals are so you can offer direction to your designer. For example, if you and your husband are downsizing after many years of living in a rather large house, knowing what furniture and accessories are important to you and that you want to take with you will enable your designer to incorporate your past with your future.
Maybe you have an older parent who will be coming to live with you, and you want distinct décor changes made that reflect her tastes, as well. Your designer can incorporate these modifications into the design plan for your home.
Have a Budget in Mind
Take the time prior to your interior design consultation to create a budget, as it will save much time and enable your designer to establish what design options that you can and cannot afford. Begin the formation of a budget by identifying furniture pieces you need, then look at websites such as Crate & Barrel and IKEA and record the prices that fit your budget. This gives your designer a baseline to work from once she has dollar figures associated with your preferred furniture, for example.
It is helpful to have realistic expectations when it comes to deciding how much you are willing to spend on your home interior design project.
Know Your Routine
Be cognizant of how you prefer to live or how the interior design of your home could serve your needs better. This is where form meets function. What’s more, this essential information offers your designer insights when it comes to the flow and direction of your interior design project.
It is important that your home functions optimally. That is why it is helpful for your designer to have examples of how you live so your redesign will ideally serve your lifestyle.
Gather All Relevant Materials for Your Consultation
As you prepare for your interior design consultation, be ready to bring the following items: selection of images, swatches, fabrics, products, as well as ideas for your space. All of these elements will give your designer tangible examples of what you are looking for in your home interior design project.
Identify a Process for Decision-Making
As you approach your interior design consultation, make sure anyone who is instrumental in the decision-making process attends the consultation. The designer can then receive complete feedback and learn all of the relevant ideas and grasp the big picture of needs and desires for your interior design project.
Having the key stakeholders at the consultation will save time and potentially money as your designer brings together possible opposing styles. She then works to create a sense of cohesion to the process as everyone reaches an agreement on the overarching vision for the
redesign project.
Have an Open Mind
After giving your designer clear direction, have an open mind and permit her to offer fresh ideas and new solutions. This requires trust between you and your designer.
You have a better chance of forming trust if you initially research different designers prior to choosing one for a consultation. This gives you some sense of a designer’s style and approach to interior design. Ideally, you will be able to form a connection with her as you embark together on the interior design journey.
Spencer Carlson – Helping You Design Your Dream Home
From furniture to window treatments, artwork, and accessories, Spencer Carlson Furniture & Design is the only place in the Tri-Cities area where top-quality products are combined with passion and designer knowledge to transform your home into a stylish, customized environment!
Our designers will work with you to develop a new direction for your home or room design. We work with you throughout the entire design process, from conceptual design to implementation.
We have proudly served the Tri-Cities area since establishing our business in 1993. With over 50 years of combined experience, we can make your home one of a kind.
We invite you to schedule an interior design consultation with Spencer Carlson today!
