All About Interiors

Free advice, may come from everyone who has an opinion but it will for sure, sabatoge your renovation.

I was recently consulting with a client in Southern CT, finalizing the finishes for her new kitchen renovation. As one last piece of advice, I suggested to not install a 4″ slab of granite for her back splash. She was so grateful I had mentioned this detail because she had said her granite fabricator told her that he would install a “matching” 4″ backsplash because that is what he does in all the kitchens he installs. She was ecstatic to hear that she didn’t have to have that look since she would prefer a coordinating decorative tile. A sigh escaped from her lips as I could almost read her relieved mind of how she dodged that mistake.

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Some of the most beautiful homes I’ve gone into recently, have been anywhere from just poorly decorated to downright shake-your-head, kind of sad with the lack of coordination of materials (tile/counter tops/floors/stone fireplace) on their interiors. It constantly surprises me that it doesn’t automatically occur to people to hire a designer even to consult on what they are ABOUT to install. They would save all kinds of money because they’d be doing it right the first time and actually be happy with the result instead of upset once they see how it all looks together.

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There are a lot of do-it-yourself-ers who feel they know what they like and think that just because they like the item individually, it is what will work in their house as a whole. A consultation is even more critical because their ideas will usually be based on the current trends and have little to do with what is appropriate and will actually coordinate with their existing house (perhaps).

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Some people just like free stuff. I get it! Free is good, especially if comes in the form of an ice cream at the end of a satisfying meal. Buy one get one free is good if it is a head of lettuce at the grocery store. Free advice when dealing with so many different aspects of remodeling or decorating? People… NOT so good!

If you want free design advice, you’ll definitely get it, but it will be from all the salespeople or trades who do not have the entire picture of your renovation in their head, or worse, have never even been out to your home or gotten to know your lifestyle.

I recently had a client who purchased all new living room furniture from a high-end furniture store. ‘The designer was free’, she said. What she ended up with was a sofa that was the wrong scale for her living room, chairs that did not coordinate, clashing undertones, the list goes on. The designers job in a furniture store is biased. Their job is to specify the furniture, in their store, not anyone else’s (maybe).

Your builder or contractor will say ‘It can’t be done’ because they don’t want to do it or they don’t know how, or worse, they’ll tell you to do something unnecessary because they will make more money in the process.

The hardwood floor installer will declare ‘That room wasn’t square’ so that’s why you now have a transition strip at the doorway where there should not be one.

Your painter tells you he uses that color ‘All the time, and it works in every house’.

The salesperson assures you that the color of the tile or carpet you are buying ‘Is definitely perfect’.

Add all this to the free advice you’ll receive from your family and friends and your head will start spinning with confusion. The renovation you were so excited about in the beginning might just turn into a hot mess that’s too expensive to re-do and will bother you much more than you’d want to admit because YOU paid for it.

Listen really carefully people… The person selling you a product should be relied upon ONLY for their expertise regarding quality and availability. Conducting a poll with anyone who does not have the design plan for your home and is not a qualified designer, is simply foolish and plainly stated, good design suicide (maybe).

Oh and by the way, there might have been one or more people in all the above possible scenarios who was right and had the correct answer to your design dilemma, but by now you’ll be too confused to be able to see the design you first envisioned.

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Scared stiff to tackle your next design project now?

Good!

I’m trying to jolt you into understanding that a beautiful house, kitchen, bathroom or living room takes a big picture plan and cannot possibly ever happen with 50 different opinions and points of view.

If your renovation was not expensive but you end up with finishes you don’t like, NOW it is expensive because either you or the next homeowner will take it out again as soon as possible.

So either stick to your guns on keeping it simple and beautiful or find someone good who is educated in good design that can help you get to where you want to be. Only then can you have a house that fills you with happiness and peace when you walk in the door.

To contact a professional CT Interior Designer, call All About Interiors.