You’re tired of your current home interior. The functional layout, lighting, accents and decor, and all around aesthetic no longer works for your household. There are updates and adjustments that you have made in an attempt to make it all work, but the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach really isn’t cutting it. As a result you are coming around to the realization that you may need to bring in a professional. However, as a pragmatic person you have decided to weigh the pros and cons of hiring an interior designer for your house or condo. Unsure of what these may be? Let’s review!

oVERVIEW OF the Pros and Cons of Hiring an Interior Designer to Enhance the Look, Function, and Feel of Your House or Condominium

PROS of Hiring an Interior Designer

Ability to Make Structural Upgrades for Your Home

If you only wanted to update the visuals in your home (furniture, window coverings, accents, and decor) you would be consider an interior decorator. But as addressed above, you desire enhancements to the function and flow of your spaces as well. This typically involves the removal of structures and barriers that obstruct views, natural light, and occupant movement. Full service firms with interior architects on staff are qualified to make structural recommendations and changes to your property so that you can enjoy upgrades that will accomplish your goals. These may include (but are not exclusive to) skylight and window installations, removal of walls, additions of kitchen islands/prep-stations, entire bathroom renovations, and conversions that turn a simple storage space into a fully functioning suite.

Access to Preferred Subcontractors

This carries over from above. A professional interior designer has vetted and established relationships with the best subcontractors in your locale. This helps ensure that electrical, alternative energy, HVAC, and plumbing integrations that are a part of interior upgrades are enhanced and installed to protect the integrity of your home.

Access to Distinguishing Materials

Interior designers, particularly those with an international pedigree, know where the “good stuff” is located. They have access to distinguishing materials needed to make statement-making and incomparable (in your community) upgrades to countertops, flooring, cabinets, backsplashes, ceilings, furnishings, and other tactile areas of your home. The average homeowner has little-to-no idea where ( nor the connections) to access these textile, wood, steel, stone, and composite materials to create a dream interior.

Access to Discounts on Materials

Interior designers have access to the aforementioned premium materials (or all other materials for that matter) at a price that an individual homeowner does not. Interior designers receive either “bulk discounts” for providing repeat business to material/furnishing suppliers, or reduced rates by simply having an established professional relationship with given manufactures and suppliers. This is the benefit of years of networking from within the industry.

Understanding of How Installations and Additions Impact a Home

An interior designer is trained to understand how new integrations can impact quality of life and the integrity of a home. For instance, do you know to what degree window coverings impact heating and cooling requirements through each season, and how these translate to monthly energy expenditure? This is just one example of how an interior designer can optimize your home and help you mitigate longterm expenses. This leads us to the “cons” portion of the overview. Let’s get to it!

Cons of Hiring an Interior Designer

Cost (or perception of cost)

Removing any risk of choosing a poor and under-qualified interior design firm from the equation (view how to choose one here) there is only one con that consistently comes up - cost. Yes, interior design is an investment. You can view the by-room fees associated with premium interior design right here. However, it’s important to note that this is a short term concern. As discussed in the first section, an investment in interior design, no matter how substantial., eventually pays for itself. This occurs in-part because of increased energy efficiencies, and logically through increased market value. The latter is a big benefit should you choose to sell in the future, but it can also be beneficial when an in market value increases equity and allows a homeowner to leverage equity to make other investments. But that’s another story for another day. Stay tuned!

As you can see, the pros far outweigh the single (and short term) “con”. If your home is located anywhere in the Greater Vancouver BC area you can reach out to our firm for a FREE 20-minute phone consultation.