You watch more than your fair share of HGTV and Magnolia Network and you read all the latest blog posts from the top contributors like Chris Loves Julia, so you're totally prepared for your upcoming remodel or new construction project - right? Well, sort of. That's the misconception by so many people, and you're not necessarily wrong for thinking that. In fact, you are definitely helping yourself by being up to date and knowledgeable on all the trending designs, but there is so much more than just the pretty things. I encourage you to continue diving in deep but I'd invite you to do so with a designer by your side. There are so many great reasons why, but I'll touch on these 5 below in this post:
Color Theory and Application
Your liaison between you and your builder/contractor
Budget (from the very beginning)
Trend vs fads and what's on the horizon
Functionality and what's best for you and your family
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which I may earn a small commission off of just for your interest, so thank you!
COLOR THEORY AND APPLICATION
Have you ever seen a color that someone else used on Instagram post that just spoke to you and you thought "Wow, I HAVE to have that color!" So you go out and buy it without sampling it, because why would you when you've already seen someone else use it so you know it's perfect. And you throw it up on your walls or cabinets (or worse yet, on the exterior of your home - like your window shutters or front door) and you hate it. You think, how can this be when it looked so good on so-and-so's walls? Well, colors are just like that. They are finicky and you have to really study them first. What works for one space may not work for yours. And that's OK. A designer can help guide you to one that would achieve the desired look but will work better with the surrounding colors, finishes and lighting (or lack of) in your particular space. If you love dark green, you need to find the right shade and hue of green that works. Each color will pull different undertones (either warmer or cooler) and can completely change the look of a color when paired with various surrounding elements. As a quick tip, I would tell you to ALWAYS SAMPLE a paint color. And the easiest way to do this is to use Samplize. They offer an amazing list of colors from the leading brands and are constantly adding to it. I use them for every project I work on and they have never steered me wrong. Want more information on color? I offer color studies and color consultations to help you make those tough decisions.
YOUR LIAISON BETWEEN YOUR BUILDER/CONTRACTOR
This seems like a no brainer, but wouldn't you want someone to help bridge that gap? It's often that there are misunderstandings between client and builder, not by fault of either party. It's usually because of simple misunderstandings with definitions or with what is considered "standard". Not to mention all of the codes that can throw curve balls when it comes to design. When spacing is tight, it's time to get creative and not all builders/contractors are right brain thinkers (to any of my builder friends reading this, that is not at ALL a bad thing or meant as a slam!!). They are numbers driven and focus more on what they're seeing on paper and how to construct it. And that's their job and they're good at it, so how about we leave that creative part to the designers. We can take restrictions and turn them into something more functional while maintaining the "pretty". Designers can also make sure that simple things like outlets are not overlooked. If not mentioned or discussed during the design process, builders and contractors may sometimes default to the industry standard which is typically bare minimum dictated by your areas building code. This would mean no floor outlets, but wouldn't one be awesome located just behind your large sectional so that you can plug in phone charges and a reading lamp? Otherwise, you're stringing cords across your floor. Both tacky AND a trip hazard!
BUDGET (duh)
Whether you have a tight budget or an abundant budget, there is still a budget. It's a set number that you are wanting/hoping/praying that you don't go over. I think the biggest issue with budgets is that they are often set too low because they are not properly investigated prior to beginning a project. Let's say you want to build a home and you know you want a 4 bedroom/3 bath, 2 story home with a modern farmhouse aesthetic, wood flooring throughout, open concept kitchen/living.... easy enough, right? Your builder will quote you on what they think you want based on your description to him. This usually does not take into consideration exact finishes or elements that you want.. To take it a step further, if you are wanting 8 ft doors instead of standard height doors, and vaulted ceilings with white oak solid wood flooring, this all needs to be communicated to your builder ahead of time so that he can properly factor all of that in when he quotes you the total cost of building your dream home. Solid hardwood floors and 8 ft doors are not standard, nor are floor to ceiling cabinets. So if these elements are important to you, you need to make sure they are budgeted for. It's better to budget high up front rather than having to skimp later because you didn't consider the cost of these non-standard features.
TRENDS vs. FADS
This is such a hard topic because it's all subjective. They are really just opinions. Before diving into it, I'll stand by my rule that there are no rules on this type of thing. Go with what you LOVE. My only exception to this would be if you are designing a flip property and are wanting to sell it for max profit. In that case I would refrain from pink cabinets. But otherwise, DO YOU. Now that that's said....
Trends are longer lasting than fads. Meaning you will see them for several seasons, whereas fads are usually just a season or two. Elements can be both trendy and timeless. For example, subway tile. A few years back subway was EVERYWHERE and everyone wanted it in there home. It was that perfect modern farmhouse choice for backsplashes and shower surrounds. But the thing with subway tile, it's been used for decades! It's a classic choice and will always be versatile no matter what the current trend is. It's still a great choice today. An example of a trend that is not as timeless would be the color gray. Everything was gray about 8 years ago. Homeowners were wanting to get rid of their dated 90's beige walls. The funny thing, we're now getting rid of gray and going back to beige (or more of an in between greige). So it just goes to show you, do what you love because it all comes back around eventually. I would steer clear of fads, though, which or more spontaneous ideas that are briefly popular. I remember about 8-10 years ago, there was surge in glitter grout with tile installations. I have no idea where that one came from, but please do NOT do something like that. Not only is it a bad choice but it's not an easy one to fix. Save the glitter for your eye shadow and stick with simple, neutral grout colors. Please & thank you.
FUNCTIONALITY AND WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR FAMILY
This one is not exactly easily explained because for lack of words, it's personal and it really does depend on what's best for you and your family. Let's say your architect draws up plans for your new home and it's gorgeous and it hits on all of those magazine worthy features like a grand entrance and a formal dining room or formal living room. But the reality is, are those rooms that your family would really use? Or would you rather have a large kitchen island that could double as a dining space so that you could then free up one of those "formal" spaces to dedicate as your kids playroom? And are you going to be regularly using your front door entrance or does it make more sense to create a mudroom off the garage entrance with a dedicated drop zone for all of your kids "stuff" since you'll be using that as your main entrance 90% of the time? These are all things that should be discussed prior to any project is started. It ultimately leads to less change orders along the way ($$$) or even worse, regret and dissatisfaction once the project is completed. Other important areas to focus on would be kitchen layout, especially for families that love to cook and entertain. Make sure everything has a spot and that the flow makes sense (the kitchen triangle). If you don't like clutter, maybe open shelving isn't the best answer and upper cabinets might be a better choice for you. But if you're on the shorter size, maybe cabinets should be capped at 8' high. These are just examples of things to discuss with your designer ahead of time. And the earlier you get a designer involved, the less changes are likely to be made during the build/renovation process. Get ahead whenever possible to save time and money!
RugsUSA Washable Area Rugs
There are so many more reasons to hire a professional to help design your next remodel or new build and I'll probably do a follow up post to keep the list going, but for now I hope this helps for those of you that are on the fence about whether or not to hire a designer. Let me know if there are any other reasons you would add. And if you're ready to take the next steps, send me a message to get the process started!
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