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| Surprised by the TV Show's designer? |
When you think or speak about
"interior design", I bet most of you recall the glamorous apartment
you saw recently in the magazine at the dentist waiting room or the
hairdresser, with photographs of depth and spectacular perspective, or - on a
silly TV show that makes someone "a surprise" and he / she is all
amazed, or pretends to be amazed seeing the final result. They don’t show you
his inner thought, cursing himself that giving that mad designer painting the
bedroom wall in black with silver stars...
My worldview, as an interior designer, is
different from most designers I know, and there are good reasons for this:
It is true that, like other designers, I'm trying to understand the customer's needs and the financial possibilities but, unlike them, I'm certainly not trying to impose my own taste on him / her.
Like others, I appreciate the aesthetic side that should be included in interior design, but in my opinion - it is secondary to the importance of proper layout in that space (whether it's a private home, business, etc.). That’s because we, as humans, are able, quite quickly, getting used to the style or aesthetic matters in all areas of life (yes, as it is true, as you know also in interpersonal relationships), but, on the other hand, it is difficult to adapt yourself to a lifestyle and life routine that regularly disturbed by poor planning. For example: bad location of the kitchen far from the dining room, a shower that is too small in width (when even a few inches that are missing could cause harm your quality of life) and so on.
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| Still disappointed by your designer? |
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| Importance of accurate plans |
Therefore, I emphasize to my clients the immense importance (and I don’t think I'm exaggerating) of using accurate plans (views from top and sides) - and the least importance that should be given, at least at the initial phase, to fancy photos from fancy magazines, that often don’t reflect the correct measurements and the exact relative position of various parts of the inner house. So, yes, you may also want to have the house you have seen at that splendid web site, TV or magazine - but, most probably, you won’t be happy to live in it - in the long run.
And NO! Hiring a professional interior designer doesn't necessary mean that you'll pay more for that renovation. On the contrary, a good designer will fit the plan to your real needs, and by this - will save you another renovation after a year or two.
As to those television programs, which give the public a misleading idea about "interior design": Of course, there’s no harm of taking those shows as “entertainment for the masses”, but please don’t think that any designer you’ll hire, is supposed to give you "a surprise" at the end of the process. Those TV shows concept has nothing to do with real planning proceedings and is completely contrary to the principles of the profession. In other various programs, you can see “designers” who even don’t make any blueprints and straight away run with the customer to buy fabrics, accessories or furniture. It is a big mistake starting the process with the details, rather than planning the space as a whole.
Good luck!
