Hi, and welcome to the Hackett House Studio Blog! It's been a while since I've introduced myself around here. I'm Erin, Owner and Principal Designer at Hackett House Studio. We are a luxury, full service interior design studio located in Columbus, Ohio. Our primary body of work is large scale renovations and new builds in Central Ohio. However, we accept all kinds of remote projects, large and small, from all over the country (read more about our services here). Since you're here, I'm assuming you probably have a home project you want to embark on this year and you're thinking about hiring an interior designer to help you get it done. Well, congrats! This can be such an exciting time.
When you're assembling your dream team to help you build your dream home, it's important to understand the value those team members are going to bring. So today, I'd like to share with you five ways an interior designer can add value to your home project. Let's dig in!
1
We understand you have a budget.
(And we'll help you maximize it!)
If there's one thing that almost all of our clients and prospective clients have in common, it's budget concerns. Let's be real, a home project is never cheap. And we find that, time and time again, our clients simply don't know what they don't know. If you've never built a house before (or renovated an existing one) how can you be expected to know all of the associated costs? That's where we come in. While your builder or architect can provide a great snapshot on the cost of building materials, it's our job to dissect those costs and help you understand what you're truly getting for your money. Oftentimes, we see builders and contractors quote material costs using "builder-grade" materials, when our clients' tastes align more with higher-end finishes. This can be quite the shock when you're elbow-deep in a project and all of your preliminary quotes are getting blown out of the water when actual selections are being made. Because we're accustomed to using building materials at a wide range of price points, we can help you set your budget expectations more accurately from the outset.
It's also not uncommon that our clients come to us with either completely unrealistic budget expectations, or no expectations at all. And that's fine, too! Budgets and expenditures are one of the first conversations you should be having with your interior designer. Any and all financial expectations should be realistically set from the outset of the project. We frequently work with our clients to help them understand how far their dollars can get them by obtaining preliminary quotes for materials and entering those into our proprietary project management tools. Usually, this means helping them prioritize the parts of the project that are important to invest in, such as architectural features and timeless finishes, so that their budget gets saturated to the absolute best of its ability.
2
We know how important your timelines are.
(And we know how to effectively manage your project's schedule!)
The second variable that undoubtedly keeps our clients up at night is their project's timeline. We've all heard horror stories about nightmarish home renovation projects that drag on forever, costing homeowners money left and right to try to get it back on track. The truth is, if a project is effectively managed from the outset, this almost never needs to happen. By hiring an interior designer, you are not only hiring someone for their extensive project management skills and creative prowess, but also to be your projects #1 advocate and problem solver.
Every project is unique, and each one is going to come with its own set of challenges. It's how you manage those challenges that will define your project's success. Too often, we see homeowners embark on an incredibly costly endeavor without putting the right team in place to help them get it done. The project kicks off, and the homeowners spend their days trying to do their existing day jobs (and managing a family) while also adding a second full-time job to their plate (the home project). Before you know it, the home becomes an unmanageable burden demanding so much of the homeowner's day that their work suffers, money is inefficiently spent on ill-thought-out solutions and, suddenly, the whole family is feeling immense stress. Interior designers exist to take the stress and heavy time burden out of managing your project. We focus on what we do best, allowing you to do the same.
3
We use modeling tools and rendering software to help you visualize your space before construction starts.
(Taking away the stress and uncertainty of tough design decisions!)
Even the most ardent interior design enthusiast who has a defined sense of style and knows exactly they love will still need help the help of visual references in order to make good design choices. The process of putting together a well-designed home with a marked sense of place requires the exercise of editing, editing, and... editing some more. If good design were as easy as picking out your 10 favorite finishes and randomly using each throughout the home, then anyone could do it! But any experienced professional in this field will tell you that that's far outside the realm of possibility.
Our design process involves the use of both digital and tangible references to help you make the best design choices possible for your home. We start by understanding your vision. This involves sharing Pinterest boards and talking through what your goals are for the home. Once we believe we understand your style, then it's time to start building the home digitally in SketchUp and ordering material samples. Through what usually amounts to weeks (sometimes months) of work, we are able to put together mood boards, material trays, and 3D renderings to help you understand and visualize your entire project -- much of which happens before construction even starts. This provides an incredible amount of peace of mind, and ensures we have a plan in place before hammers start swinging.
4
We have an expansive knowledge of building materials as well as a broad network of specialty trades needed to implement creative ideas.
(This means your home will stand out from the rest!)
While our organizational and project management skills are usually at the top of the list for prospective clients, we can't leave out the capacity for creativity that our business hinders on. Creating beautiful, unique interiors that our clients are proud to call their homes is the best part of our job. As principal designer, I spend thousands of hours each year broadening my knowledge base, learning about new materials and ways to use them, and studying the work of other trade professionals to get inspired. With each new project comes new ideas, and with those the need to find new and creative ways to implement them. In our effort to make each project unique, and to execute the work to our very high standards, we work with only the best builders and trades that have a vetted track record and proven capabilities. We bring this creativity and network with us to each and every project we work on, large or small.
5
We focus on function and form equally.
(Because the way you live in a house is just as important as how it looks!)
Our number one priority when helping you design your home is not how it looks... but how it feels. We spend hours meticulously combing through your architectural drawings and construction documentation to make sure everything is harmonious to how you want to live in the home. We consider furniture layouts for each room from the project's outset, making sure that the architecture is going to complement your living style... not hinder it. We pour over common problem areas in the home, such as kitchen corner cabinets or a small powder bath, to make sure they are as functional as possible and all of the kinks are ironed out. It is often stated that "architects design a home from the outside in, interior designers design a home from the inside out." I couldn't agree with this statement more, and have personally seen my fair share of instances where my perspective resulted in changes to the architecture that my client's architect hadn't considered. Good design is a combination of critical thinking and creativity, and when you get both of those put together.... that's where the magic happens!
And there you have it! Although the value an interior designer can hardly be summed up in one article, these five reasons are certainly great starting points to help you understand what our particular profession brings to your project.
If you have a home project and are considering working with Hackett House Studio, we recommend that you submit your information into our Project Inquiry form HERE. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can block off time your project on our very busy calendars, so don't delay.
What questions do you have about working with an interior designer? Leave them in the comments, or shoot me a DM on Instagram at @hacketthousestudio.
Hackett House Studio is a full-service residential interior design studio. Using a combination of your exquisite taste and our creative know-how, we bring your vision of a beautiful and balanced home to life. Here at HHS, we use science-backed research to design carefully-styled spaces that have a positive influence on your health and wellbeing.
Our processes have been carefully refined so that we can fully appreciate our clients' personalities and aspirations from the outset. After gaining an understanding of your goals and wishes, we get to work creating functional interiors that enhance our clients' quality of life. HHS designs are timeless, elevated, approachable and, most importantly, a reflection of the beauty and opportunity you desire to bring into your life.
Click HERE to read about our services and submit your information in our project inquiry form.
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