Interior Design with
Julia Luttrell
Planning ahead avoids costly mistakes
So Martha, you say you're planning to build a home and it's so exciting!
You've purchased the lot, you've got the architectural drawings, hired
the builder and you're all set to go.
You know it's going to be fabulous and it'll be fun picking out all the
elements that go together to build your dream home. You can hardly wait.
They can't start digging the foundation until the ground thaws, but
winter is bound to breeze by while you sort out all the details.
Ah yes, the details.
Welcome to the wacky world of “what comes first, the chicken or the
egg?” You had no idea there were so many details, so many decisions to
be made.
The stone has to match the brick that ties in with the facing that works
with the wood. The windows have to relate to the shutters that
co-ordinate with the pillars.
The ceramic has to live with the hardwood that meets the carpet, that
encounters the stain on the banister that should relate to the finish on
the kitchen cabinets, that ties in with the granite counter that works
with the fireplace surround, that meets the stone again.
Now you find that the stone is back-ordered, the brick is no longer
available, the granite is too expensive, the pillars will arrive too
late, let's not even talk about the kitchen, and...omigod, it's all
starting to unravel!
Worse still, you can't seem to agree with your husband on anything. Your
friends, your mother-in-law, your kids, your friend's kids, everyone has
an opinion.
There is so much pressure. You've become so tense, even your hair is
clenched and you've taken to having little conversations with yourself.
"If I can just survive this part," you tell yourself, "If I can just
make it through till the walls are up, the kitchen is in, the flooring
and lighting have been installed, then I can get some help...then I can
call in a designer to HELP ME!”
"Oh, won't that be fun,” you fantasize. “That's when we can choose the
colours and design the window treatments and select the furnishings. By
then all the basics will be there, we'll have something to work with and
finally I can have some fun decorating."
No, no Martha, I implore you.
Don't do this to yourself. Don't wait until you are such a state of
catatonic confusion that even your hair is clenched! Don't wait until
the only time you and your husband speak is to discuss whether you’re
going to have to sell the kids to pay for the project...no, don't do
that.
BEFORE the walls go up, BEFORE the kitchen, the flooring and the
lighting go in, as SOON as you have the architectural drawings,...THAT
is the time to hire a designer!
Because Martha, any designer is a decorator, but not every decorator is
a designer. An interior designer’s skills go well beyond merely
decorating.
An accredited interior designer, working from your architectural
drawings, will keep you on track and on budget from the beginning!
She will sort through the options and empower you with knowledge about
trades and trends, products and services. She will assemble quotes,
organize schedules, expedite deliveries and supervise installations.
A good designer will be your ally, your mediator, your mentor and your
source for stimulating, creative ideas. Like an excellent chef, she will
blend the ingredients to arrive on time in a beautiful, inspired
presentation that appears effortless.
Best of all, a good designer has no agenda beyond making you happy.
An agenda to sell a given product compromises a
designer’s independent advice. Instead, she makes her living from
'conceptual design' and consultations, rather than product sales, so she
has no financial interest in steering you toward product 'A' over
product 'B'.
Referrals are a designer’s lifeblood and happy clients are all she has
to show for herself.
So unclench your hair, pull up a chair, surf the net, call around, ask
for referrals, and get help BEFORE the walls go up. It's much more
affordable than you think.
