The perception of an Interior Designer...
Hello.. welcome to my first ever blog... hopefully this will be informative and not too amusing, lets see how we go.
So whilst studying for my diploma of professional interior design I read so many articles, books also a stack of information in each of my tutorials (my brain was slightly frazzled) but I thoroughly enjoyed learning the history and practises of the interior design industry. For some of the assignments I was given I had to ask friends and neighbours if I could practise if you like on designing a room for them which I did with great enthusiasm and enjoyed (pretending) to be an interior designer for the afternoon . It was almost like being back in my old drama class.
But whilst pretending and obviously knowing my neighbours and friends I also asked them questions I wouldn't ask my clients. So I asked them;
"what do you think of Interior Designers?" to which they replied "well they just pick paint don't they and make a room look nice?"
Someone also said to me " interior designers only use materials that are expensive, that only rich people can afford.”
Another one was "interior designers come into your home and make all the decisions."
And a lot of people I spoke to also said "interior designers always stick to the latest trends." and last but not least...(there were many more) "you don't really need an interior designer they don't do anything I couldn't do."
As you can imagine this made me think if I should continue with my studies as thoughts went through my mind.. once I had completed the diploma am I likely to get any clients? where would I start...
Obviously I continued as it was more of a hobby to me I enjoyed every assignment I was given and continued (pretending) to be the interior designer. The more I continued with the course the more in depth it got, drawing up floor plans, measuring furniture to fit into the spaces, budget breakdowns, creating perspective drawings, mood boards, gathering samples, talking to people in the industry and tradesmen... the list is endless and this was all proof that peoples perception of what an interior designer actually does was totally wrong.
I wanted to write about this as my first ever blog to tell you about my experience whist learning this profession as I strongly believe that interior designers need the credit we deserve. We are not just here to follow the latest trends, to use only expensive materials or to just pick out paint and make your spaces look nice. We are here to listen to what our clients want and like and if these are not the latest trends then that doesn't matter because the client is the one having to live in the space not the designer, we are not here to put our stamp on your home. We simply want to help you create a functional, beautiful space that you can live happily in as this is our passion.
So that's a little insight into my studying and starting up as an interior designer and I suppose I just wanted to say please don't be afraid of hiring a designer, we are not scary or expensive, we are here to listen to your needs, your likes and dislikes, your desires, your budget but most of all we are here to help you create beautiful, safe and functional spaces.
Wow I actually enjoyed writing my first ever blog, I thought it would be so much harder than it was . Tune in for more interior design advice, tips and pictures soon.
Thanks so much for reading I hope I did ok...
Bye for now,
Stacy
“Design is not just about the way a space looks... its about the way it works.”