Handbook

A designer is part of a narrow professional circle that each person creates once and for a lifetime. Lawyer, therapist, psychologist, hairdresser, designer…

 

These professionals are trusted with the most significant parts of life, health, safety, image, status, so they are chosen carefully, to successfully use their services for a long time.

 

To avoid terrible and difficult-to-correct mistakes in your dream home design, such as a toilet near the entrance door which hinders the harmonious flow of positive energy through the house and is simply indecent according to hygiene and etiquette standards, the choice of a designer must be particularly meticulous.

 

Some design project specialists position themselves as highly artistic, creative natures who should not be concerned with the prose of life – the development of bathroom and toilet spaces, the correct distribution of technical communications, and the overall organization of renovation and construction work. Turning to such specialists may result in a beautiful, but not high-quality and durable interior.

 

Moreover, it can be dangerous if the construction work ignored the requirements for proper and safe living space arrangement or used materials not intended for housing.

 

In my understanding, a designer’s task is to create a cozy, comfortable, harmonious, and safe space that gives the impression of a beautiful, stylish, modern dwelling. Behind the beauty of the design project, there is always the quality of life in the spaces I create. In the process of working on the design of an apartment or house, I alternately become a creative artist and a strict manager. This is what my clients value in my work.

 

Congratulations if you are reading these lines, it means you are on the verge of an exciting stage of your life – creating the home of your dreams!

 

To do this, first of all, you will need the services of a good reliable professional who will turn the design of the house you aspire to into reality.

 

A good designer, just by looking at the layout of the dwelling, can offer you several interesting solutions and help you decide on the final vision of your future home.

 

Over many years of working in interior creation, communicating with my clients, I understood what they encounter on the way to their professional, the difficulties they overcome.

 

Conventionally, there are 8 steps on this path. Whether this is a lot or a little is for you to judge.

 

Step 1. Determine the estimated budget for creating the interior. Pay attention! The question concerns the overall approximate amount you are willing to spend on creating or remodeling a dwelling, not the price list of a specific specialist. The price of design services can vary greatly depending on the volume of services ordered and can almost completely be covered by the discounts on materials, furniture, textiles, available to some interior design specialists.

 

Design services typically range from 5% to 10% and depend on the scale and budget cost of the proposed works.

 

The specific amount depends on the size of the space and the budget: the higher the overall budget, the lower the designer’s percentage rate. For example, the design of a 60-80 sq. m. apartment may cost 10% of the total cost of the works, while the design of a 600-1000 sq. m. house will cost only 5%.

 

And another professional secret: each of us, actively sought-after designers, is always ready to meet the client halfway and discuss an individual price with them if an interesting project is offered.

 

Step 2. Activate “word-of-mouth radio”. Tell all relatives, friends, acquaintances, friends of friends that you are looking for a designer. Usually, there are several people in the circle of acquaintances who have already used the services of specialists and can recommend them to you. Thus, you will gather information about good verified professionals to whom you can turn.

 

Step 3. Immerse yourself in the world of design. Find information and examples of works (photos of design projects, already implemented by the specialist). Choose those whose works are close to you in spirit, understanding of comfort and safety, convenience of the interior. If you have not yet decided on the style of the future interior, look at my works, maybe they will help you express your desires, at least in terms of style.

 

For searching information on the Internet, formulate queries correctly according to your needs:

 

• by the geographical affiliation of designers – “design studio in Italy”, “designer in Italy”;
• by the type of space planned for decoration – “apartment design”, “country house design”, “kitchen design in a house”, “bedroom design”, “living room design”, “children’s room design”, “bathroom design”, etc.

From the vast list of websites, choose those that present not only text about the specialist and the types of his services but also photos of design projects implemented by them.

 

Step 4. Choose the top three. From all the works you liked, select no more than three authors whom you are ready to entrust with the interior design work. Gather information about them: portfolio, terms of working with them, their list of services, prices for them, contact details.

 

Prepare and send a letter to all of them, in which you outline the essence of the appeal: remodeling of which object you want to order (house/apartment/separate room), its area, desired style, approximate budget, expected deadlines for work.

 

From the responses of the specialists, you will already be able to understand their readiness to work with you on the object, assess the proposed level of their qualifications and adequacy.

 

Step 5. Conduct negotiations. Hold a personal meeting with all the candidates. It is very good if the first meeting takes place directly at the object of remodeling. You will immediately be able to assess the designer’s approach to work, his personal qualities, “try on” this person and professional, and understand if you are ready to trust him.

 

If it is not possible to visit the object, the meeting can be held in a café or in the designer’s office. But carefully study him and track your feelings and attitude towards him. After all, you are going to have a long and very responsible joint work on the development and implementation of your interior design.

 

Step 6. Choosing a designer. Determine for yourself the criteria by which you will choose the performer of your dream about the ideal dwelling. For some, a significant indicator is the presence of awards and merits of the designer, his fame. For others – the length of work in the profession. For some, the most important criterion is the price. And some make their choice based on the communicability and charm of the designer.

 

Evaluate the leaders according to your chosen criteria and decide who you are ready to discuss the possibility of cooperation on the design project.

 

Step 7. Secure your rear. Congratulations, the task of finding a designer has been successfully completed. But, just in case, I recommend not crossing out and not forgetting about the other two finalists. Life is unpredictable, and in the early stages of work, you may not work well with the selected specialist, and you will need an urgent replacement so that the plan for creating the design project does not stop. In this case, you will be able to use your own selection results.

 

Step 8. Formally establish your relationship. Drafting and signing a contract is a responsible procedure. Read each line of the document carefully. If something is unclear to you or raises doubts, do not remain silent, ask, demand explanations. There should be no ambiguous or unsaid themes in the contract, so that there are no unpleasant surprises during the implementation of the design project due to misunderstandings or unfulfilled expectations.

 

My experience of starting work with new clients My job is to create designs for happy people. This is a significant part of my life and soul. My approach to developing and creating a separate world of harmony and comfort is based not just on creating a technical action plan for builders but on deep knowledge of astrology, ancient teachings about the organization of living space, in which you want to be, live, and enjoy. For each client, I create an individual world, consonant with his understanding of the universe, comfort, and convenience.

 

I value and respect everyone who turns to me for help. Sometimes I can just give a few tips that will help a person make the right approach to the design of a room or the arrangement of an entire dwelling.

 

My clients often become my friends, and we can discuss with them their plans related to the designer decoration of the house, construction, or its renovation if they need it. I tell them about the novelties of the world of comfort and decor, I can offer to implement a fresh interesting solution that will bring an element of modernity into the living space.

 

Now you know everything you will have to face in the process of finding your designer to create a home design. If you are interested in this path, you are not afraid of difficulties and, most importantly, you are ready to risk the result, choosing the wrong specialist, good luck to you! To those who value time and nerves, I can offer to immediately turn to my team for help and become a respected regular client there.

 

Ready to join the club of my regular clients? Please let me know in a convenient way for you. I’m sure I have something to offer you.