What will an interior designer do?

Do you really need one? Interior designers have many responsibilities. Their job starts when they book their appointment with the customer, you. The first appointment with your interior designer is crucial. It will establish whether they look and act professionally, build a relationship of trust, and ultimately help you understand if they are the right fit for your project. Should everything go well, then you will discuss the specifics of your project. How big is it? Is it a room or a building? What type is it? A home, a coffee shop, or a hotel? What will it need? Decoration, Space planning, renovation, is it being built now? Depending on these information, the project’s length will be determined. For simpler projects that do not require building or ordering materials, around a month’s notice should be enough. For larger ones, make sure that you have at least three months ahead. 

Interior design projects can cover a number of different things. It can be something as simple as redecorating a bedroom, or as complicated as designing a hotel. The project may also be residential, commercial, or even industrial. It is important therefore to find the right person who will conceptualize, design, and piece together the perfect style for you. This person is usually the interior designer, although sometimes architects who may have a certain vision of a building they designed, can take over its interior as well. 

The time frame may look wide, but interior design projects are not simple processes. In order to achieve the best results each time, it takes planning, thinking, creativity and shopping around. Your interior designer will determine the style that suits you best and start brainstorming and researching. If your project involves materials or furniture, then they will select and create a database for you to choose from. 

A very important part of the process is the visual representation of the final result, either in the form of 3D renderings, or mood boards. This helps both the designer and the client determine whether the choices made are suitable and what should the latter expect in terms of colours, positioning and aesthetic. For projects that are mainly for home decoration ideas, then the mood boards work better.

For larger projects with more details, it is usually recommended that the visuals are in 3D renderings, as they can be easily modified if required and can provide better explanations. For example, if an open plan area has both a sofa and a dining table, then a 3D rendering will show where they are placed and why the designer believes that this option is the best in terms of clear pathways and visual aesthetic. 

Interior design projects include, but are not limited to, whole houses or individual rooms, industrial workplaces like shops or offices, and commercial spaces. Any space that is being used whether for residential, official, or recreational purposes, is a potential project. For an interior designer, it is a chance to be creative.

Choosing the right interior designer for your project is the first and most important step. Start by researching interior design companies in your area, or ones that can handle remote projects. Check their completed projects and read reviews by customers. Feel free to contact them with questions on how they tackle each project. Your ideal interior designer should be able to:

1. Listen to your needs. Even if you have no idea on the style or colours that you want for your space, your interior designer should be able to read between the lines, ask you the right questions and understand what works best for you not only in terms of aesthetic, but also how to make the space work for you. They should aim to create the perfect environment for your requirements, and not theirs.
2. Find solutions. Architects create spaces that may not always be practical or suitable for normal sized furniture. Your interior designer should be able to make each space habitable and efficient. This requires extensive knowledge on furniture sizes.
3. Design custom made furniture if needed. Following on the previous point, should standard sized furniture don’t work, your interior designer must be able to design made to measure furniture in order to make your space functional and habitable. 
4. Aim for perfection. They should not only be able to find solutions, but also have detailed knowledge on materials. Choosing the right materials has a long-term impact. For example, for outdoor furniture they should be able to check for aluminium and waterproof fabrics, or for families with children they can recommend waterproof fabrics or ceramic tabletops that are easy to clean. 
5. Work with your budget. Not all budgets are the same and a good interior designer knows that and should be in position to find solutions that are within your budget. 
6. Be there even after the project is completed. A good after sales service is always appreciated. 

Before meeting with your designer, it is advisable to have your plans or photos of the space, have done some research or printed anything you would like to have, and most importantly, be able to describe your vision or requirements to them, so they know what they are working with. Finally, having a budget in mind is something that you should be able to discuss with your potential interior designer both for their services as well as the project itself, so as to avoid any future misunderstandings.

We at KEA Designs, one of Dubai’s most successful interior design companies, aim to provide you with all of the above-mentioned qualities which are part of our identity. We feel that our success is only as good as your satisfaction, hence our primary goal is your content with our creation. In order for you to feel confident in your choice, we give you the option to book a free consultation with our team of experts and discuss your project. Through our discussion, we first of all give you the opportunity to meet us, the people who will be handling your project, and decide whether our line of thinking matches your dream. We, from our perspective, take this chance and get to know you and your needs so that we can make an offer that exclusively caters to your needs and budget. We believe that everyone should get the chance to have the best possible treatment when it comes to having their home or shop, or whichever other space the need decorated, which is why we offer an array of options in regard to services and budgets. 

Our team can cover entire projects, from start to finish and not only in terms of interior design. Starting with, architectural planning where aesthetic meets practicality, and any 2d plan comes to life. Following that, we offer specialized space planning, and interior architecture in order to make any space efficient and functional, as well as interior decorating to make them aesthetically pleasing. This also entails selecting furniture, materials and accessories that create the style of the space. None of the above is complete without proper 3D representation, for our clients to see their vision come to life and to check our proposals. Our services are concluded with fit outs like ceiling installation and wiring, product designing and custom made-to-measure solutions. 

Our innovative creativity and state of the art technology are at your services, so that you can get the finest results. Additionally, while making sure that your project is nothing less than perfect, at the same time we are also striving to be as environmentally friendly and ecological as possible, by turning to renewable supplies, materials, and products with as few environmental impacts as possible. 

Moreover, in order to ensure that your style is met and celebrated, we can work with a number of different styles and decorative techniques, from modern, to luxurious and industrial, not only as standalones but also by mixing and matching as needed in order to create a unique result every time. In order to achieve this, our firm has internationally acclaimed designers and architects, of European and Lebanese backgrounds, who are able to truly capture your dream and put it on paper. 

We have also gone a step further by utilizing online shopping in order to simplify your life. Our turn to digitalizing your shopping list is for two main reasons. Firstly, it will save you time by having everything neatly listed at your disposal, and secondly for the people who wish to limit their movements due to covid, to still be able to shop for the necessary products for the completion of their project without adding further delay to it. Our list also includes prices, so that you can make sure that everything is within the budget discussed. 

Due to the fact that there are many types of interior design projects, a time frame recommendation varies depending on what the project entails and needs. By booking an appointment with us, or any other interior designer, this is one of the things you will need to discuss. Our general advice is the longer you have, the better. It gives more time to you and your designer to talk, exchange ideas and reviewing. Keeping in mind that due to the pandemic many materials or furniture might take longer than expected to be delivered and installed, then a few months in advance are your best option in order to keep everything within your desired due date. 

So, starting early is essential, as your project starts as soon as you begin looking for an interior designer. Book your appointment, talk to them, and make sure you have the right person for the job! For us at KEA Design, it is important to have the necessary time to prepare everything as you deserve.