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For many of us, the very reason that we hire in
interior designer is to utilize their talents in
conceptualizing an idea for a room based on our
personal tastes, and then making that room a
reality. While you may have a tendency think
that an interior designer will know what you want
after your first meeting, this is not always
true. An interior designer is a talent, not an
oracle. Some homework on your part will make the
process much smoother, and you will ultimately
achieve a room that is very much to your liking.
Good communication with your designer is
the most important part of the process. While he
or she will handle the intricacies of the
project, it is up to you to express your likes
and dislikes, and a vision about what sort of
environment would please you. Sometimes, these
ideas can be hard to articulate. If you knew
exactly how to achieve the look you are after,
then you would not need a designer. We hire them
for their professional ability to deliver on
dreams. When an interior designer is able to
create a room so perfect that you can tell your
friends that it is exactly the way you
envisioned it, then you have had a most
successful collaboration. Interior designers
will think of all of the extra touches and the
methods of attaining a look of which we might
not think to do and are essential in creating
the final product. That is why we hire them and
appreciate their abilities. But how do you
convey your ideas so that the designer
understands your goals for the space?
One of the best places to begin is on the
pages of interior design and home improvement
magazines. Do you ever find yourself perusing
the pages of local and national design magazines
at the grocery store? Do you have a subscription
and anticipate a magazine’s arrival each month?
Design magazines are created to showcase the
best of the best in home design, interior design
and landscaping. One of the very reasons that
they are so popular is that they are a
repository for the most brilliant ideas that you
can learn from and utilize in your own home.
While your budget might not allow for the
duplication of a room you have found in an
interior design magazine, you can draw from its
ideas and concepts and incorporate them into
your design.
If you are about to meet with your interior
designer for the first time to discuss a new
project, a little preparation can go a long way.
Buy a package of folders and start a file for
your project. This system will work for one room
projects through an entire house redesign. Now,
find the most comfortable place in your home and
surround yourself with every design magazine
that you love. You may wish to do this all at
once, but a little time spent each week and the
largest collection of magazines you can draw
from will yield better results. Make an event of
it and think of it as personal time. Delve into
the pages and begin by marking every page on
which you see a room that speaks to your tastes.
Once you have found a large collection of rooms,
revisit all of your book marks. Do you notice a
trend? Are many of the rooms that you like
similar? Are just a few similar and you are
finding that you have a wide variety of tastes?
Chances are that you will notice some sort
of trend. It might be that you prefer
contemporary over traditional or antique décor.
Gather all of the similar pages up into one
collection. You might have to use scissors here.
The thought of cutting on a beautiful magazine
is painful, but you have a mission. Compare all
of the interiors that you have selected that
made the final “cut.” Decide what elements that
you like about each room that you have selected.
You should make notes. These pictures then need
to go into your file. You will find that this is
an enjoyable process and also learn something
about yourself. You knew your tastes better than
you thought.
Finally, on the day of the meeting with your new
interior designer bring your file along. You
will see that he or she will be impressed with
your preparation and ability to express your
ideas. Giving them the clearest picture possible
of your expectations of them will lead to a
successful project. You may believe that the
designer will think that you want them to
duplicate a room you have brought to show them.
In reality, a good designer is an artist and
uses the pages that you bring them as a study in
your tastes and will create an original that
echoes all of your good taste. |
