What Is an Interior Designer’s Role in the Construction Process?
You’ve been dreaming about your home design project, and now you’re ready to put those design plans into action. Whether you are remodeling your kitchen, putting an addition on your existing home, or building your forever home from the ground up, it is always beneficial to have interior designers on staff before construction begins.
Read on to learn about the interior designer’s role in the construction and design process and how they work with your builder to ensure that your design visions are brought to life.
Collaborates with Your General Contractor and Subcontractors
Interior designers collaborate with contractors, complement each other’s expertise, and work cohesively to create custom designs and architectural features that enhance the functionality and aesthetics of your interior spaces.
Here are a few ways interior designers will work with builders on a home design project:
Floor plans: Interior designers are experts in optimizing floor plans. They can help builders maximize layout and ensure the most efficient use of space by pinpointing the best placement of rooms, furnishings, and fixtures.
Materials selection: From flooring and wall finishes to countertops and cabinetry, interior designers have extensive knowledge on materials and know which are the most durable, sustainable, and cost-effective. They can guide builders to use the materials that best match with your preferences and budget.
Color scheme: Interior designers are experts in color theory and know that color selection plays a significant role in creating spaces that are harmonious with their inhabitants. Your interior designer works with your builder to pick paint colors, flooring, and other finishes to achieve your desired aesthetic.
Lighting: Interior designers know that lighting has a huge impact on any space. Considering natural and artificial light sources, they will work with builders to create a holistic lighting plan. This can include placement of windows, skylights, and light fixtures and choosing the correct types of lighting, such as accent, ambient, energy-efficient, and so on.
Handles Project Management
Project management is an integral part of an interior designer’s role in the construction process. Not only do they facilitate communication with the contractor and subcontractors, but they also solve problems that may arise throughout the project.
Having an interior designer on your construction design team lets you sit back and see your design plans come together seamlessly. Your interior designer ensures that the proposed design aligns with your budget, the site conditions, and any structural considerations. Your interior designer can also save you money by preventing having to make expensive changes after construction is underway.
Communicates with All Parties
An interior designer acts as the liaison between all parties involved in the design project, including the builder, architect, and homeowner. They facilitate discussions and provide clarifications. And if a complex problem arises, designers work with all parties to provide the solution.
This effective communication ensures that your design vision is executed according to plan. This helps prevent delays, potential issues, and costly mistakes.
Communicates Your Vision
One of the first steps in the design process for any renovation or remodeling project is identifying your functional needs and the aesthetic you want. From there, the interior designer guides the rest of the design-build team to bring that vision to life.
Your interior designer knows your vision inside and out and gives it a voice throughout all stages of the project. Interior designers spend time on-site during the construction process so they can advocate for your needs. This way, you can stay focused on your family, job, and other responsibilities, while your interior designer ensures that the project proceeds as planned.
Designs Your Dream Home with YOU in Mind
Interior designers not only keep your big vision top of mind, but they also oversee the small details that untrained eyes may easily miss, like the layout of furniture, finishes, and more.
Interior designers create spaces that suit those living in the home. This means designing an environment that is both functional and beautiful. But function and beauty are subjective and look different to each individual. Therefore, they design spaces that are ideal for you and your current lifestyle, while keeping your family’s future needs in mind as well.
Interior designers know that every decision in the construction process has a domino effect. For instance, when the location of electrical outlets, plumbing, lighting, and so on is pre-planned by the interior designer according to furniture placement, it creates a better flow for the space.
Let’s say your design project is for a home office, and you want your desk to face the room’s window, but the closest power outlet is 7 feet away. That could define a problem. Interior designers have the foresight for how such small details, if not done right, can become big problems for those who inhabit the space.
How Well-Designed Home Works
Whether considering a new home construction, a complete remodel of your existing home, or renovating a single room, Well-Designed Home collaborates with your architect and builder to develop design projects from start to finish.
Depending on the scope of your project, our design services can include any of the following:
Spatial planning to configure your home for efficiency and flow.
Interactive design drawings for implementation.
Materials, finishes, and fixture specifications.
Interior design project management.
Furnishings and accessories purchasing, procurement, and installation.
To learn more about our interior design services, book a complimentary discovery call today.