Your Interior Designer | Tips

Interior Design is a part of our every day lives, and working with a professionally trained consultant can keep the process simple and remain cost effective.

A qualified Interior Designer is able to support with the many and varied requirements of building or renovating both residential or commercial spaces. An Interior Designer understands the process and can support the client with design development, project briefs, scheduling, construction, demolition, refurbishment, styling, lighting, finishes selection or project manage the complete build liaising with both the client and contractors.

You may only wish to engage a designer for a specific role within the process such as design detailing, concept brief, or colour selection, while on other projects you may require additional services. Utilising a designer from the start will support you in the design decision-making process, saving both yourself and the contractors time, and therefore unnecessary expense.

To Consider | Initial Interior Designer Consult

• Budget ?

• Time frame ?

• Design Brief ? ie. discuss design ideas, scope of works, development application submission (DA) required ?

• Project Management ? ie. The Interior Designer is contracted to develop/produce the concept ideas, draft the working drawings and project manage the entire build inclusive of scheduling the build, liaising with contractors and the client, oversee the works, on-site inspections, quality assurance, budget management, finishes selection, and negotiation of building variations during the build, or contracted to simply produce the concept design, working drawings and provide finishes selection, for example ?

• Contractors ? ie. choose a package with the Interior Designer that is inclusive of supplying the team of contractors, or source yourself ?

Questions to consider at the initial meeting in discussion with all parties involved in the project. By resolving the aforementioned the foundation from which to initiate the project will be solid and clear for all involved so that when the inevitable challenges appear along the way there is a clear path of recourse.

We have always designed and decorated our spaces whether it was a red ochre hand-print on a cave wall with complementary fur-lined bed linen, the styling of the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns of the Greek era, the decorative stylings of Art Nouveau out of Belgium and France in the late 1800's, or the movement towards simplification of the modern era and the eclectic stylings of today with the knowing, the innate understanding, of what will support, align us to our purpose and what will not. We often choose the latter with a desire to remain comfortable in more ways than one.

When our homes and work places are designed, constructed, to truly reflect what is needed, our understanding of the synthesis of what form, light and space offers, will deepen and not only support us, but all those who enter the space.

Melinda Rowe of RESONANT | designs for living works with a team to deliver luxé and liveable designs for your home or office. Learn More about her services here.