Ask Me Anything: 10 Answers to Your Questions About Interior Design

There is one thing that all interior designers have in common. They get asked a LOT of questions. We do mean a LOT.

A home Interior is predominantly dependent on personal choices, likes, and dislikes. However, there are still a few tips and tricks as well as guidelines that one can adhere to for achieving an inspiring space. And we frequently get asked questions about those tips and guidelines.

In today’s blog, we will tackle all the most commonly asked interior design questions that we encounter on social media daily.

Photo by Spacejoy on Unsplash

Question 1: What are the salient features of a well-designed home?

Answer: A well-designed home is the one that meets all your needs and requirements. It doesn’t just mean aesthetically pleasant looking. It must be functionally suitable for your lifestyle.

Some must-have essential elements of a well-designed home are as follows:

• It should have an appropriate amount of natural light and fresh air. The ventilation must be up to mark. It should be safe and healthy for the occupants to live in.
• Space must be properly utilised ensuring that everything and everyone has a place for them without making it look overcrowded or cluttered.
• The design of the house should pay attention to detail.
• The home interior must be flexible enough to accommodate changing times and needs.
• It should be able to provide appropriate privacy.
• A smartly designed home is essential to make your daily chores simpler.
• The house should be easy to maintain.
• A well-designed home must be comfortable to be a refuge from all the daily life stresses.
• It should cater to all your needs and requirements to help you live better.
• Lastly, as a cherry on the top, a well-designed home must be aesthetically beautiful.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Question 2: Why do I need an Interior Designer to design my home?

Answer: Because they are experts!

Not many have the time or inclination to dedicate to the renovation or building process. That is when the need for Interior Designer comes into play!

Reasons Why You Should Hire an Interior Designer.

• You can save spending your money on unnecessary items. An Interior Designer is knowledgeable about what is needed and what is essential when designing a home. It saves you from buying things you don’t need.
• Trying to design your home yourself may take a lot of research and then going out shopping from one store to another. It is very time-consuming. Even after all this, it is not guaranteed that the output will come out as you visioned. Hiring an Interior Designer helps in avoiding wastage of time. Because Time Is Money!
• A designer helps make the home designing process less stressful. When the experts are handling the process you can rest assured that things are in good hands.
• Designers are well-versed in the proper handling of the decided budget as they plan each and everything meticulously to avoid overspending and stay within budget limits.
• Aside from benefiting from liaison with a Qualified professional, you also get access to better resources and contacts to acquire better items for your home design at great prices.
• Designers give a house the ‘WOW’ factor and minimize any Third Party Conflicts.
• They help you create a home that is functional and suitable to your needs.

Photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash

Question 3: How much do interior designers charge?

Answer: Essentially, the amount or the scope of work required determines what the actual fee would be taken by an interior designer. If the designer is only just involved with the designing process, the fee could be much lesser. However, if the designer is supervising the entire process which also involves collaborating with various vendors such as plumbers, carpenters, electricians etc, then the fee will be much higher.

Photo by Matt Walsh on Unsplash

Question 4: What to ask your interior designer before you hire him/her?

Answer: Here’s a list of questions for interior designers that you want to and should ask when you meet:

• Can you describe your designing style?
• What are the designing services that you or your firm offer?
• How would you manage within my budget?
• What are your service charges?
• What is your mode of presenting your concepts and ideas?
• Who will be assigned with my Project? And, if the Project goes to a design team, how will the selection process be conducted?
• What if I dislike the design presented by you?
• Have you worked on a similar project in the past? Can you show me the finished product?
• What is your usual client base?

For more details, refer to How to plan the first meeting with your Interior Designer

Question 5: How long does it take to get interiors done?

Answer: Time is money! The more time an interior project takes, the more it can be financially taxing.

That is why it is always advisable to decide the time frame before even commencing the project. It helps the project to get completed within the set period unless any unavoidable issues crop up.

There could be a variety of reasons for stretching the timeframe of a Project such as insufficient labor or operational delays. However, these problems can be avoided with proper planning.

Customization can also cause delays. Also, a renovation project takes a certain period of preparation time for installation. If there are any structural changes involved, it will involve demolition which is again a time-taking process.

Factor in all these possibilities when deciding on the time required for finishing an interior design project. It helps the homeowner to have a clear understanding of the timeline.

Question 6: How does the cost of interiors change as per cities?

Answer: The standard of living differs from one city to another. To put it more precisely, the cost of some things in one city is much higher as compared to other cities. This, however, does not affect the cost of interiors in different cities. But the cost of labor, vendors and materials may differ city vise.

Conclusion

Communication is essential for establishing a good designer-client relationship because hiring an interior designer is a long-term work commitment.

There are plenty of questions that we get asked regularly. We have just listed a few of those. If you have any questions about designing, we welcome you to visit us at WallsToHome Interiors and get in touch with our design team. We love to answer your queries.