In January 2013, I was one of 3 business owners on a discussion panel for NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) on Building a Design-Build Team for Small Companies. The topic was centered around how can you market and operate effectively as a Design-Build company if you don’t have an in-house designer or architect. The panelist shared ideas and experiences about the benefits and potential pitfalls involved. Panelists were Brian Martin, Builder and Owner of The Master’s Design Build Group; Eric Van Reed, Architect, and Owner of Creative Design Associates and Pamela Kofsky, Interior Designer and Owner of Elegant Interior Designs.
Many people assume that interior design is an afterthought in the process of building and designing a home when in fact it should be one of the first things you consider. To help you better understand “Why involve an interior designer early in the building process?” I have compiled this list which includes a few points from the panel discussion:
- Window Placement: Do you ever think that a window is too close to a corner, out of place, or awkward in a space? What about when you were looking for a window treatment? Did that make it better or worse? Was there enough space for a window treatment? This problem could be easily avoided if the designer was involved before the construction of the home. Even moving the window as much as 1’ could make a big difference and could allow enough room for window treatments.
- Furniture Layout: can be determined prior to construction to make sure the room addition is large enough to accommodate the desired use of the room.
- Accents and Product Selection: Assistance with flooring, lighting, tiles, backsplash, plumbing fixtures, wall, ceiling, and trim colors can be determined early in the process and help the contractor and homeowner with a smooth and stress-free construction process.
- Electrical and Plumbing locations! Forget wishing the outlet was closer or using an extension cord –our floor plan can lay that out ahead of time.
- Improved Communication: Seeing the big picture early by the homeowner allows the designers to work with a design-build team to provide a single path of communication to the client and assist them with a comprehensive plan for the project. In the end, everyone wins!
Will you now include an interior designer on your design team during the initial planning phase? Don’t forget having an integrated team allows for the work to be completed faster, more efficiently, and with fewer problems.
