Preparing for Your First Home Design Consultation

So you’ve decided to tackle a renovation project but aren’t sure where to start? Hiring an interior designer can be a great way to streamline the renovation process and help you from making costly mistakes. While you can trust that your designer can make your ideas a reality, there are a few things you can do to prepare for your first home consultation that will allow you to hit the ground running.

1. Do your homework :

While designers will have the vision to execute your project, it does help if you have some ideas on how you’d like your finished project to look. Collecting inspiration images is a great start to this process.  Even if you like a mix of styles, your designer will be able to find the common thread among these images and tie them all together. Two great resources for to get you started are Houzz and Pinterest. Not only are they chock full of inspiration images, but both platforms allow you to share ideas with your designer digitally.

2. Prepare a list of questions:

There are no questions that are too insignificant when it comes to a renovation. Want to know the overall process of a remodel? Curious how long your project will take to complete? Hardwood or carpet? A designer can answers all of these questions and more during your initial consultation.

3. Tidy up:

While it isn’t necessary for your space to be absolutely meticulous (and trust us, as designers we’ve seen it all), having a clear path for your designer to take accurate measurements is tremendously helpful. This is especially true for basement renovations where storage items may be piled up.

4. Determine your budget/scope of work:

These two items go hand in hand in the renovation process. Not only do you need to be fully aware of how much you are willing to invest in your renovation, but you need to have a clear vision of how much work you want accomplished. If you have a list of all your high priority items, a designer will be able to let you know if it’s possible with your budget. If you are unsure on whether or not you want to tackle a certain aspect of your space it’s okay, but as long as you are fully aware that the more detailed you are in what you would like completed, the more accurate your estimate will be.

5. Be realistic on how you use your space:

Do you find yourself unable to organize your kitchen? Do you and your partner need shared vanity space in the mornings? Little details on how you move about your space can help your design come up with solutions to every day problems. While you may be most looking forward to an aesthetically pleasing space, it also needs to be able to function best for you and your family.

6. Trust the process:

Be fully aware that your designer is there to help your space work for you! We may present  you with options you wouldn’t have considered previously but we have the advantage of seeing your space from a fresh perspective. And at the end of the day, our number one objective is to make you happy in the place you call home! To get started on your renovation, give us a call at (949) 266-12824 to set up your free in-home or digital consultation.