Hire a designer or do it yourself?
Over the past 21 years since I started Sierra Design Studio, everything has changed. Today with the use of the internet and all of the products that are accessible to the consumer, the days of when the designer was an absolute necessity to build or remodel a home are gone. Homeowners now frequent all of the home improvement stores when they are shopping for any home improvement items and find hundreds of choices.
There are definitely advantages to having all of these products at your fingertips.
However, after many years of observing the trends in design and in how homeowners are able to find and source every product imaginable to mankind, I still see the necessity to find and use the right professional in all areas of interior design, home improvements and remodeling.
When professional designers are trained, either in school or by experience, they have seen the do's and don’ts in all sorts of applications of home improvements, so it’s easy for them to see what not to do. One of the most recognizable areas where a consultation would be helpful is in the paint color and paint finishes for a home. Too many times I have seen a homeowner pick a color or a finish to a paint selection that turns out all wrong…it’s so easy to look at a small swatch of color and see it in a certain light and then have it turn into an expensive mistake. When butter cup yellow becomes screaming “Big Bird” that’s the time you wish you might have asked for help! Also the sheen will make a difference when applied in different areas. Low sheen or semi gloss is ok for bathrooms or heavy use areas, but in most cases the sheen with accentuate any imperfections in the wall texture and make the color jump out into the room instead of just being a nice background to the other elements to the house.
Exterior paint colors make a statement for the entire neighborhood too so; it’s taking all the features of the neighborhood into consideration when choosing color there as well. I have chosen many colors for homes and for commercial applications in the Eastern Sierra and I always look at all the building, trees and other features in the neighborhood before making my final decision on a paint color.
Furniture layout is another area where it is easy to make big mistakes. The size and scale of furniture looks so much different in a showroom or from a catalog than how it will finally look when installed in a home and it’s very easy to misjudge sizes.
I‘ve been very disappointed when I’ve seen homeowners purchase their furniture out of town without any help. The scale, quality and colors are sadly unfitting to the beautiful multi- million -dollar homes and condos. With just an hour or two of design consultation colors, textures and scale can all be chosen to be complimenting any home and give the home a much more pulled together look at an affordable price. Design consultation can also save on architectural mistakes that would reduce the value of the home in the long run. In addition to furniture layout, we offer tile, granite, cabinet, carpet and window coverings and consultation for clients doing their own purchasing.
A few dollars spent with an experienced designer and save agony and expense even for the best online do-it-yourselfer!
Once I consulted a client building a 5 million dollar home in Juniper Ridge. After studying the floor plans I made a suggestion to change the stair to the opposite direction and in doing this the end result was FAR superior! The homeowner thanks me numerous for “saving” the floor plan of the house and making it far more livable.
A home is a lifetime investment whether it’s for the short or long term. If designed and decorated correctly it will give the owner years of peace of mind and joy while inhabited. It can also help when the property is ready to sell to move more quickly if the home has order and the details accounted for.
To save time and money in this era has never been more valuable. By choosing to hire a professional to help get everything together in an orderly and cohesive manner will only benefit all who enjoy the home.
Whether it’s a new home, a remodel or staging to sell, look to a professional designer to help you achieve your desired result.
