Common misconceptions about Interior Design
The interior design industry is growing rapidly as more people are looking to improve how they live in their homes. However, hiring an interior designer can still be daunting and unless you know someone personally who has used them, it can be difficult to know what to expect. Therefore, we have identified four common misconceptions of interior designers to give you a little more insight into the way we work.
1. Interior Design means throwing away all your belongings
Interior design is all about creating a home that you love and can enjoy. Many of us have items in our house that keep fond memories and make us smile when we see them. It’s our job to make these a focal point of your house and design around them so that you can enjoy them even more! Our job isn’t to give you a house which lacks your personality, quite the opposite, and we delight in seeing our clients find a new love for their homes.
There is an element of interior design that banishes clutter from the house, but it doesn’t mean we want you to throw away all your possessions. Clutter on worktops, floors and tables can be visually distracting and stopping you from relaxing in a space. We would recommend that before you enlist the services of an interior designer, to look through your possessions and decide what adds value to your life and what you can live without. Once you have done so an interior designer will be able to design bespoke storage for you to easily hide or display your possessions whilst being able to enjoy a calming space to relax in.
2. Interior Design Is All About Décor and Colours
Colour and decoration certainly have a large impact on the design; however, this is far from the only aspects we consider in interior design. When we are drawing up the designs for a client the first thing we speak about and decide is the function and layout of the room. This is the most important aspect of our work. A room should function exactly how you need it to and incorporate plenty of storage. Without either of these, design can become redundant if it does not add value to the way you live. Once we have the layout sorted, we look to lighting, electrical plans, materials, colours and fabrics. This entire package creates a cohesive design scheme, perfectly tailored to enhance how you live.
3. The designer makes all the decisions for me
Popular culture often portrays designers as single track minded and just looking for somewhere to create their own visions. However as residential interior designers we look to you to guide us on your likes and dislikes, to allow us to create a space that is personal and bespoke to you. Before we begin, we will send you a detailed questionnaire on your design choices ranging from the types of flooring you prefer to what types of furniture you will be needing, which we will then discuss in detail with you. We make sure that you are in control of your own home and are kept up to speed during all stages of the design process. However, we do take a lot of decisions off your hands, whilst using our expertise to make the best choices for you, meaning that you don’t need to take on any of the stress from the renovations.
4. Interior Design is bad for the environment
With fast fashion being such a big influence in the western world, it is a common thought that interior design follows an equally throw-away mind set. Whilst some interior design trends are fleeting, a designer will advise you in ways in which you can make choices in your home which will last for years to come. For example, we would recommend when making changes in your home to opt for timeless pieces of furniture that are great quality. We love the idea of ‘buy once and buy well’, which is why we always try to find the best quality pieces for our clients that we will admire for a long time. If you do choose to follow a trend, we would advise to incorporate this in smaller items that are easy to swap in and out, such as soft furnishings and paint colours. Choosing items that you love and quality-wise will last longer, is much better for the environment, as well as your bank account!
Hopefully this have debunked some interior design myths for you, but if you have any questions or are interested in using an interior designer, get in touch with Fiona Brass Interiors below!