Hiring a designer and a do-it-yourself plan may feel like mutually exclusive things, but they really are not. This type of collaboration provides confidence to get started on that long over due basement upgrade or mudroom reconfiguration. Hiring a designer does not need to blow your budget, but rather can keep you on budget. At Zimmer Design these collaborative plans are a favorite. Below are the top reasons to hire a designer for your DIY adventures.
Spatial planning
A designer can go over your space with you and discuss your goals. Upon doing so they can move forward with a 2D and 3D plan that articulates your vision. Designers are creative and often come up with practical solutions within your current footprint, saving you thousands of dollars. Perhaps you have inadequate space around your main entryway to house your family’s gear. One solution may be to steal unused space in your garage to create a suitable mudroom rather than adding on to your home. Storage is often a voiced problem. Designers may help you see it is not a storage issue, rather a space delegation or layout problem. It’s possible that a few simple design elements and small changes can drastically alter that space. Hiring a designer allows you to get an objective and creative spatial plan.
Vision
Not everyone thinks in 3D. As I ventured into design I would sometimes think why would someone hire me to plan such a personal part of their lives? It quickly became apparent that not everyone visualizes things the way interior designers do and they desperately want help. Frankly, I hired a landscape designer to give me a plan for our home’s garden. I was incapable of visualizing a garden plan and I’m a designer. It was money well spent and we have since executed that landscape plan DIY style. Similarly, interior designers give you vision for your home. You can show and tell the designer what you need/want. Armed with that information, a plan can be developed with the layout and elements you want in your home. This process isolates your personal design objective and allows you to confidently execute your DIY plan. A designer will capture your vision and make it a reality.
Validation
A designer may validate some of your wildest design ideas with practical solutions. Do you want a sauna in your basement but you don’t think you have room, nor do you want pay to rough in plumbing? Good news: you don’t need plumbing in an infrared sauna. I often joke with my husband that some stranger on the street could tell him eating flax helps brain function and he’d start eating flax despite the fact I’ve been telling him that for years. We refer to it as “random third-party validation". Let your designer be the third party validation. Your designer should candidly tell you when something can and cannot be logistically done. You’ll will know you are utilizing your space in the best possible way and eliminate regret. Designers will give you confidence to be creative and make your design dreams come true.