Sometimes people think that hiring a designer is a waste of money. Actually, the opposite is the case, according to Melania Holiat, director/designer of Trade Mark Design & Build, based in Hawthorne, New Jersey. A member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), she discusses here why designers can actually save you money - and also help you think of ideas that you had never thought of before, and come up with new and interesting materials and concepts.
There are several benefits to working with a designer. First off, designers can come up with better pricing. We typically have better pricing than the average consumer does. The reason for that is that we get trade pricing, buy in bulk, and can pass that onto the consumer.
Also, typically we designers have access to products before they are released to the marketplace, meaning that we have advance notice of samples, sales and materials, so we can show those to clients before they are available on the mass market.
Resources and Connections
We also have better resources and connections than the average consumer does, so we are able to obtain materials form a variety of sources, whereas typical consumers are limited as to what they can find themselves for the most part.
Designers also have knowledge and training as far as putting concepts, designs, colors and textures together in an effortless manner. They know the latest trends in colors and materials, and since they have firsthand knowledge of these materials, they are able to obtain feedback from customers as to whether the product are useful, what the wear ratings are and what the overall feedback on the item is.
Commercial Applications
Designers also have knowledge of what fabrics or what materials all required by code. For example, if you are working a commercial application, such as a restaurant or office building, certain materials such as window treatments are prohibited because of fire hazards. A good designer is familiar with all the building practices and codes that are necessary and can advise on that.
Finally, a designer can steer a client in the right direction if he is not sure what type of material he wants to use in his home. In fact, that is the whole purpose of hiring the designer as a good one should be introducing new and exciting material elements to the consumer. It is like having a personal shopper for the materials in your home. The designer you hire should be out there working for you, selecting anything you need to fit well in your house.
