Designing your dream home and moving into the construction phase can be complex and challenging. While you might be excited to see your vision take shape, numerous details and potential issues can arise along the way. What seems perfect on paper doesn’t always translate seamlessly into reality—measurements can be slightly off, tiles may not align as planned, and unexpected challenges often emerge during renovations. That’s why you should never underestimate the importance of an interior designer in home construction. Working with an experienced interior designer can help you navigate these obstacles, ensuring that your project stays on track and that the result exceeds your expectations.
Having an expert guide you through the construction process is invaluable, helping you make informed decisions and effectively address any challenges that may arise. To illustrate the importance of professional assistance, here are seven reasons to collaborate with an interior designer during the construction of your dream home:
During the design phase, it is essential to catch design issues early, before construction, when they become much more expensive to change.
A professional interior designer considers how spaces will function differently from those of the other building team members. During site visits, the designer can fine-tune details and identify opportunities to utilize space more efficiently. For example, adjust your wall sizes to accommodate large art pieces or find better light switches and outlet locations.
One of my clients came with photographs and the dimensions of an extensive, valuable art collection. Walking through the design plans, we ensured there were places on the walls to hang each piece of art. In some cases, I recommended adjusting wall sizes to accommodate hanging large art pieces.
Making these changes on paper is much less costly than reworking electrical plans or framing once construction is underway. When the designer collaborates early on with the architect and builder to walk through the functionality of your home’s layout, you can use address potential problems.
An interior designer can help identify opportunities to utilize space more efficiently during construction.
When framing walkthroughs, an interior designer inspects how walls and structures are coming together and may identify more innovative space utilization. For example, the designer may notice an area that could function well as a linen cabinet or additional storage. Making these changes early avoids wasting space that you could find helpful.
An experienced designer also considers your future wants and needs that may need to be made apparent. Ensuring structural elements are in place even if a particular feature is not immediately required provides flexibility to modify your custom home over time. Often, we block walls to allow for future grab rails in bathrooms if you plan to age in place or if someone in the home becomes dependent on a wheelchair or walker.
Collaborating with the architect also allows the designer to suggest creative layout solutions and brainstorm with other team members to maximize functionality within challenging areas or spatial constraints.
Not only is there collaboration between the architect, builder, and interior designer, but there is also coordination with tradespeople which is just as crucial to a successful outcome.
For example, I always have conversations with tile installers to plan your detailed tile layouts to have an aesthetically pleasing appearance while avoiding delays or waste of materials. In a recent project, large-format flooring tiles in 56x56-inch pieces were selected. Larger tiles pose layout challenges, requiring an on-site meeting to walk through and identify where the seams and grout lines should fall. Planning this out in advance helped ensure a smooth installation process without delays and avoided potential aesthetic issues regarding layout during installation.
Being on-site provided input on the strategic placement of tiles, ensuring that full pieces were utilized as much as possible rather than causing excess waste.
During construction, an interior designer must be flexible able to pivot when things do not match the plans, and adapt to design project changes.
Discovering an unexpected cold air return location under where the bathroom vanity cabinet would be installed was an unpleasant surprise on a renovation project. This return should have been indicated on the floor plans, but the vanity could no longer have the intended floating design with the return already embedded in concrete. The cabinet design was changed to be built to the floor instead to compensate. Being on-site allowed the design to be adjusted before construction proceeded to align with the client's needs and vision. The ability to coordinate on-site and overcome design challenges expertly helps resolve these discrepancies between plans and reality.
Working with an experienced designer benefits you by allowing you to leverage a vast network of suppliers and vendors for access to quality materials. A vetted list of professionals ensures you receive a higher-quality product and a higher level of service.
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For example, when a client wanted to recover her outdoor patio cushions, she contacted an upholsterer recommended by her builder for fabric options. The upholsterer showed the client three books containing around 150 fabric choices. The client selected what she thought was the best blue option.
However, when the cushions were completed, the fabric color did not match the home's exterior as intended. My extensive trusted supplier network and years of experience helped the client find a better solution. I researched thousands of fabric choices and then narrowed it down to a select few appropriate options to recover the cushions correctly. Having trusted resources lets you accomplish tasks smoothly and avoid issues down the road.
As you design your dream home, it is important to think ahead and anticipate your future needs. By planning and constructing with flexibility in mind, you can ensure that structural elements are in place to accommodate potential changes.
During a recent site walk with a cabinet company, we discovered plumbing lines in the BBQ area that weren’t shown on the architectural plans. Although the homeowner’s current plan didn’t include a sink, we adjusted the cabinet design to allow for a sink installation should they decide to add one.
Identifying this during construction avoids unnecessary renovation costs later. Being aware of potential changes helps you include adaptable home designs for the long term.
Building a custom home involves making countless decisions—in fact, over 35,000 decisions for a typical three-bedroom, 3.5-bath home of around 5,000 square feet need to be made! These decisions go far beyond choosing cabinets, countertops, and flooring.
Homeowners must also select wall and ceiling finishes, paint colors, architectural millwork, fireplace designs, light fixtures, and details like outlet placement and switch plate colors. With so many choices, managing this process can be overwhelming, especially without experience in home design. Making informed choices with an interior designer is crucial so you are not just copying the trends you see online. Decisions often reflect your priorities. For instance, you might want floor-to-ceiling windows opposite your bed, but this could complicate where to place a TV, if you want one in your bedroom.
Involving an interior designer early in the process can address functional lifestyle considerations like TV placement. The designer might suggest shortening the windows to allow space for a cabinet that houses the TV without blocking your view. A designer takes into account lifestyle details that architects might overlook.
Overall, a professional interior designer can guide you through critical decisions early on and throughout the construction of your home.
Designing your dream home to reality is a journey. You must make many decisions as you consider what your family desires now and in the future. As the design process continues and before you begin construction, you’ll want to catch any issues that could be expensive to change down the road.
You want your home to align with your lifestyle. Take the opportunity to create spaces that function well and are as efficient as possible, using any hidden nooks and crannies. Knowing you have an expert team that coordinates together and access to trusted and vested resources ensures construction is as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Your custom home can be beautiful, taking your breath away each time you enter. If you are ready to design your dream home to align with your lifestyle, click here to contact us or call 480-275-2968.
Schedule your Design Discovery Conversation today!