I’m a big advocate for using an interior designer on all new build and renovation projects.

You might assume that engaging a designer is an added expense that you can’t afford but I can hand-on-heart tell you that in my experience, hiring an interior designer often saves our clients money.

One of the more obvious benefits is that interior designers have long-standing relationships with a range of textile and furniture suppliers and can usually source these items at more competitive prices than you could as a consumer. But the value they offer goes much further.

I was talking to one of the interior designers Unique Residence regularly works with, Tamlin Prince of Prince Design, the other week and she said that clients often aren’t aware of all the possibilities when they begin a renovation. Interior designers provide options to clients, that they may not realise exist, to help them achieve a better outcome and prevent them from having to make unnecessary compromises or spending additional money.

To quote Tamlin directly, “Interior designers work with clients to identify their desired outcome and vision and then create functional spaces that suit their lifestyle and tastes through clever design, space planning and the selection of suitable materials and colours.”

Interior designers support clients to make considered decisions ahead of time, which helps to minimise changes. They’re able to talk clients through the pros and cons of different options and discuss potential hurdles. People often underestimate how many decisions you need to make when you’re undertaking a renovation or new build – it can be overwhelming and difficult to envisage how a room is going to come together when you’re asked to pick different elements in isolation and can’t see how they’ll look when you put them all together.

You might be picking floors for your kitchen one week, then a couple of weeks later you’ll need to choose the cabinets, then you’ll choose the sink and tapware a week later, and two weeks after that you’ll select the backsplash. I’ve seen lots of clients select particular finishes and feel really confident in their decisions but then change their minds once they see them in the finished space – they don’t look as cohesive as they had imagined. And of course making changes once they’ve been installed means that clients end up paying for things twice.

Not only do interior designers ensure clients make the best possible selection the first time around, the quality of finish on the final product is inevitably higher. They know what works, what doesn’t and how to blend different styles together in a way that works.

Importantly, they provide clients with valuable advice on the impact the decisions they make will have on the resale value of their home.  When you’re putting your hard-earned money into a property, whether it’s one you already own or a new build, you want to make sure that it’s a good investment and you’re not creating a design that could actually reduce, rather than increase, the value of your house.

From a builder’s perspective, using an interior designer helps projects to flow a lot more efficiently. They’re able to work with us as builders to ensure we have all the documentation and details we require for a project up front – we’re not waiting on the client to make decisions. Indecision can cause delays, which cost clients money.

So to make sure you get the best result at the best price with the minimum amount of stress, I strongly encourage you to consider engaging an interior designer.

Adam Stanley

Registered Builder

Unique Residence

Check the blogs and the projects links below for our kitchen renovations before and after photos!

https://uniqueresidence.com.au/home-renovations/perth-renovations/

https://uniqueresidence.com.au/projects/

You can always ask. There may be some that aren’t posted yet as well.