Interior Design with Julia Luttrell
Planning ahead avoids costly mistakes
So Martha, you say you're planning to build a home and it's so exciting! You've purchased the lot, you've got the architectural drawings, hired the builder and you're all set to go.
You know it's going to be fabulous and it'll be fun picking out all the elements that go together to build your dream home. You can hardly wait. They can't start digging the foundation until the ground thaws, but winter is bound to breeze by while you sort out all the details.
Ah yes, the details.
Welcome to the wacky world of �what comes first, the chicken or the egg?� You had no idea there were so many details, so many decisions to be made.
The stone has to match the brick that ties in with the facing that works with the wood. The windows have to relate to the shutters that co-ordinate with the pillars.
The ceramic has to live with the hardwood that meets the carpet, that encounters the stain on the banister that should relate to the finish on the kitchen cabinets, that ties in with the granite counter that works with the fireplace surround, that meets the stone again.
Now you find that the stone is back-ordered, the brick is no longer available, the granite is too expensive, the pillars will arrive too late, let's not even talk about the kitchen, and...omigod, it's all starting to unravel!
Worse still, you can't seem to agree with your husband on anything. Your friends, your mother-in-law, your kids, your friend's kids, everyone has an opinion.
There is so much pressure. You've become so tense, even your hair is clenched and you've taken to having little conversations with yourself.
"If I can just survive this part," you tell yourself, "If I can just make it through till the walls are up, the kitchen is in, the flooring and lighting have been installed, then I can get some help...then I can call in a designer to HELP ME!�
"Oh, won't that be fun,� you fantasize. �That's when we can choose the colours and design the window treatments and select the furnishings. By then all the basics will be there, we'll have something to work with and finally I can have some fun decorating."
No, no Martha, I implore you.
Don't do this to yourself. Don't wait until you are such a state of catatonic confusion that even your hair is clenched! Don't wait until the only time you and your husband speak is to discuss whether you�re going to have to sell the kids to pay for the project...no, don't do that.
BEFORE the walls go up, BEFORE the kitchen, the flooring and the lighting go in, as SOON as you have the architectural drawings,...THAT is the time to hire a designer!
Because Martha, any designer is a decorator, but not every decorator is a designer. An interior designer�s skills go well beyond merely decorating.
An accredited interior designer, working from your architectural drawings, will keep you on track and on budget from the beginning!
She will sort through the options and empower you with knowledge about trades and trends, products and services. She will assemble quotes, organize schedules, expedite deliveries and supervise installations.
A good designer will be your ally, your mediator, your mentor and your source for stimulating, creative ideas. Like an excellent chef, she will blend the ingredients to arrive on time in a beautiful, inspired presentation that appears effortless.
Best of all, a good designer has no agenda beyond making you happy.
An agenda to sell a given product compromises a designer�s independent advice. Instead, she makes her living from 'conceptual design' and consultations, rather than product sales, so she has no financial interest in steering you toward product 'A' over product 'B'.
Referrals are a designer�s lifeblood and happy clients are all she has to show for herself.
So unclench your hair, pull up a chair, surf the net, call around, ask for referrals, and get help BEFORE the walls go up. It's much more affordable than you think.
