Have you ever looked around a room in your home and thought “You know, this really could use a major refresh but I really don’t know where to start…furniture, maybe?” Or perhaps you’re starting with a clean slate–that of a new home which needs to be furnished.
We all love expressing ourselves by purchasing furniture and other nice things for our homes. And we trust we’re making good investments when we do so. But how do we really know we’re getting the best investment, the best value, when we go to a local furniture store? That experience can be overwhelming if you have no idea where to start. You’re basically restricted to what they have in the showroom, and working with the store’s in-house designer may not be the best. They have never been in your home, they don’t have a working relationship with you, and at best, they’re just going by what you share with them.
But maybe you’re intimidated by the thought of hiring an interior designer to furnish your home. Perhaps you’re worried about the cost, unsure of how the process works, or maybe you feel having one more person involved in the project will only add more stress.
Here’s what you don’t know: Extraordinary interior design doesn’t just happen by coincidence. That’s why enlisting an interior designer to help you purchase furniture for your home is well worth it.
If you’re designing a room on your own, you may be able to find some individual pieces, but a designer can help you pull everything together in a theme. They’ll make choices that are very unique to the space…and you.
They can also educate you on resources – or obtain resources – that you cannot access on your own. The end result will be that the room will feel very pulled together – everything in that room will work with your furniture.
A designer typically sources furniture and materials directly from manufacturers. This gives them access to not only a wider selection than you would find at a retail store, but products that are much more durable and customizable to your décor theme. As your designer, they may also travel to the “Home Furnishings Capital of the World” in High Point, North Carolina, where they can visit more than 100 furniture stores and outlets, and touch/look at/sit on over 1,000 brands–just to find your inspiration!
If you want to have custom fabrics for creating cushions, pillows, or built-in seating options that coordinate with your furniture selections, they can do that. They can also suggest custom stitching options such as piping, contrast piping, top stitching or double-stitching, while tailoring it your space and personality.
And as part of their service to you, they usually will coordinate the delivery of items to your home (sometimes working with multiple manufacturers), handle any issues if a purchase is damaged, and supervise the delivery and placement of the pieces. This saves you A LOT of time and stress.
You may be working with a limited budget and think that buying furniture at a cheaper retail store is the way to go. However, many times the quality of the furniture available at those discount retailers is very low. The furniture ends up not lasting as long, and you need to replace it, which costs you more money.
A designer can choose the right furniture for your budget and ensure that you get a better quality of goods. This gives you value for your money, and saves you from trial and error.
So, the next time you’re considering making that home furnishings purchase yourself, consider how much extra value an Interior Designer brings. Realistically, if you are worried about the cost of a designer given your small budget, that should actually encourage you to work with an interior designer: less freedom to take chances on how to spend your money–this is where their value can really kick in.
Consider how much extra value an Interior Designer–who’s been inside your home and has worked with you–can bring to the table to help you create something even more special for your home–your inspiration!
Contact me at kori@horizoninteriordesign.com and we’ll map out your inspiration!
