But you may well be considering a transformation to change Christmas for the better next year with a snug and relaxing perch for all and wonder how on earth to go about it – or where to even start! You may be considering working with an interior designer, but you’re not actually sure about what it is they really do – don’t they just pounce around with ridiculously high heeled shoes on a construction site and plump the cushions when all is said and done? I mean, don’t get me wrong – you’ve seen all those glorious photographs on Pinterest (SandraCarmichaelInteriors123) and Instagram (sandra_carmichael_interiors) but you have no clue how to achieve making your home look anything like them. After all, that’s just for social media, right? Umm, wrong and I will tell you why.
A large majority of our clients at Sandra Carmichael Interiors have never worked with an interior designer when we first meet. Some are tentative, want to try it, but don’t want to or can’t afford to embark on a project of full design services and start with the cheapest design package to see how things work. Almost always, they come back and either do another room the same way or ask us to take on the next project with our full attention and purchase the ‘Full Design Service’ package. But isn’t it a massive investment (I hear you say), I’m pretty sure I can do it all myself, it can’t possibly be that difficult?
I am certainly not here to patronise you and tell you that it is impossible for you to do it yourself, because that will be a lie. But I urge you to consider this. Redesigning a room or a home is a big commitment, and the materials, labour and furnishings are costly. Do you know the best suppliers to approach? Are you certain that your design is cohesive and interesting, and the room won’t look flat and dull once you have already made a significant financial investment and bought all the furnishings and it just looks bleh – you needn’t have bothered. Are you sure the paint colour will work? It sounds silly, but the wrong tone of paint can render the design useless, and paint is expensive – do you have this experience? Finally, do you know tradespeople to approach to help you complete the work? I challenge you to reach out to a few trades on checkaTrade and see if they are interested in doing the job? The trades environment is not how it used to be, trades people are getting increasingly selective of the type of jobs they take on (particularly if there is no opportunity for repeat business), they often quote excessively or worse in extreme cases- take on the job and if it proves to difficult simply disappear. Are you still certain you can go it alone?
Here are additional advantages you will receive when you decide to work with Sandra Carmichael Interiors on your next project:
1. Space Planning. We will analyse and plan the utilisation of the space to perfection by considering traffic flow, functionality and your specific family needs to optimise the layout of the room(s).
2. Colour Coordination. Selecting appropriate colours schemes is a crucial aspect of our designs. We consider the psychology of colour (how you want to the room to feel), the purpose of the space and create a harmonious and visually appealing environment using colour theory. This is more difficult that you may think to achieve on your own, if you have tried before you will understand why I say this.
3. Furniture and Fixtures Selection. The number of decisions that need to be made for a design to be coherent, beautiful and functional are endless! Sandra Carmichael interiors will assist with choosing furniture, lighting fixtures and everything in between (such as doorknobs, cabinetry pulls, tiling transitions) to complement and complete the overall design. All the while considering comfort, style, functionality, and budget.
4. Material Selection. Sandra Carmichael Interiors will assist you with selecting materials for various aspects of the design such as flooring, walls, countertops considering durability, maintenance and aesthetic.
5. Custom Design Elements. We will often create bespoke design features to meet the needs of both you as the client and the space in which we are assisting with. This includes built-in storage solutions and unique decorative pieces.
6. Coordination with Other Professionals. This is the biggie!!! We will collaborate with architects, contractors and other professionals involved in the construction or renovation process. Effective communication is crucial to ensure that the design vision is implemented successful and at an impeccable standard.
7. Budgeting and Project Coordination. Sandra Carmichael Interiors happens to excel in this department because we know how important your money is to you! We work within the limits of budgets and timelines. Importantly, if this even so much as has a whiff of wavering we ensure you are well aware as early on in the process as possible! All design projects are met with surprises, and we ensure you are aware of these as and when they arise. If you instruct us to take on the project in full, we will take on the responsibility of managing the financial aspect of the project, including costs estimates, purchasing and staying within the budget constraints.
8. Staying Current With Trends. Now design trends, per say for us are not particularly important as all of our designs are timeless but what is important are current trends in terms of materials and technologies. If we can source more energy efficient materials and use technology to ensure sustainability – we absolutely will!
9. Client Consultations. This is an important part of the process at Sandra Carmichael Interiors because if we don’t understand your lifestyle preferences, our designs will fail. We conduct thorough consultations to gather as much information about to why you and your family prefer to live to create a design that aligns.
10. Visualisation and Presentation. We use tools such as computer-aided design (CAD) software to create visual representations of our design concepts. These help you to gain a better understanding of the proposed design.
11. Hands On. Sandra Carmichael Interiors has a personalised approach to all our designs because we are designing for you. We will conduct as many site visits as the project requires if instructed for our full services. We will absolutely not arrive on the construction site with high heeled shoes but what we will do is ensure that the work is being done to an impeccable standard.
I wonder if you think that taking on your next project is still a good idea. Wanting a home that makes you feel good isn’t fickle or indulgent, it’s self-care. Why not have an obligation free 30 minute conversation with us and see what we can do for you? Located in Haywards Heath, UK and we cover Horsham, Crawley, Brighton, Uckfield, Billingshurst and East Grinstead. If your home is further afield, get in touch anyway and hopefully we can still help. We look forward to meeting you.