living room

Have you ever tried solving a 750-pieces or more jigsaw puzzle with a time limit?

I have.

Didn’t complete it, of course, within the time limit.

Building a house is like a novice juggling 10 balls in the air, or solving a 1000-pc jigsaw puzzle. Just when you think you have everything figured out, there’s a whole new dimension that appears out of nowhere. This is a project that requires planning, budgeting, and an approach to implement it, much like any other project.

With this post, I’m taking a step back to understand why you need or do not need an interior designer? Then,

WHY YOU NEED AN INTERIOR DESIGNER

  • Better pricing with suppliers: For most accessories such as kitchen baskets or electrical fittings, they have a better pricing because of the volume of the business they do on a regular basis. The only downside is I’m told by a Hetitch dealer sometimes the warranty on accessories go void if the bill is not in your name, which usually isn’t, because the interior designer is buying them.
  • Sequencing: sometimes we need hand holding as we end up doing errors in what may otherwise seem common-sense. Both time and money are precious when building a house. So, for instance, when interiors has just begun, you have at least a month before you move in. Getting the sequencing right is important. You need to shop for appliances first, then electrical fittings, then painting and simultaneously curtains and soft furnishings. Doing this in the reverse order just because there is a sale going on for curtains will only cause chaos. A designer should ideally help you in sorting out your priorities.

soft furnishing

  • Project management: To coordinate with vendors of  curtains, tiles, electrical fittings, appliances, soft furnishing, furniture can be a daunting task. Often, it takes multiple follow-ups and you can never be sure of the time they will arrive at the site. If the distance between your current home and new home are far off in a city like Bangalore, or if you work full-time, or if you have small kids and can’t visit the site on a regular basis, this will soon turn into a logistics nightmare to coordinate everything. You need some interface who can get things done for you. Most designers charge an additional 5% of the entire project cost for this activity. So, keep this factor in mind, and ask if they have a designated person assigned for your home who will coordinate with the multiple parties.

Furnishing

curtains

allergy free bed linen

 

For someone familiar with design or who knows what what they want, these are the only factors I could think of. If you stay close by to your new home, the house has a good plan, and you are a hands-on person, then all you need is a good carpenter. You will understand the reason I have stressed on a  good plan in the next post where I showcase some houses that are brilliant in their architecture that there is no need for interior design : just the need to keep it simple with elegant styling.

 

 

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