Design first, Decoration Second.
Consider the overall design. It will shape an interior ripe for adding personal decoration later.
Before the creation of an interiors scheme begins, the house itself first has to be designed by an architect or house designer. But clients come to me often so excited about the smallest decorative details that they don’t give much thought to the pacing and the sequence. Particularly of the more consequential steps that should come first.
I explain to my clients that design comes first, then decoration for good reason. When the overall design is considered the core elements that shape the home’s interior create an environment ripe for adding personal decoration, when it’s desired. But there is a common-sense order of events that have to be followed for a successful interior design project to occur.
My advice? Keep your eyes on the big picture; follow your designer’s lead. And don’t worry, decoration exists within the kingdom of design.
Enviable, Livable, Design Solutions Exalt Decoration.
Think about it: If your designer is charged with conceiving the primary bedroom of your dreams, she’s already considering just about everything you can imagine: the concept, space plan, texture, and color, as well as the architectural detailing, wall coverings, ceiling design, carpeting and/or hard surface selection, and furniture. She is maximizing natural light and punctuating it with accessory lighting. Just how this room will ultimately live is a preordained plan.
So much goes into the design plan, including accommodating heirlooms and other personal items, that the finished room will almost dictate the perfect final decorative touches, including accessories, sheets and bedding, and art selection.
Full-service interior design firms provide design and decorating, in the proper order.
Decoration Shares an Important Role in the Design PRocess
Design considerations aside, there are as many occasions when decorating might just be what the doctor ordered. Read on.
Interior decorators work with existing homes or spaces, concentrating on helping their client express their personal aesthetics. They work with you to:
Update your home in a way that fits your lifestyle;
Choose new color schemes;
Replace or refurbish furniture;
Conceive window and wall and floor coverings;
Add accessories.
Perhaps most important, a skilled, experienced designer can efficiently assess a home and its current state in order to suggest the most prudent areas of focus for decoration. This way, if there IS a design problem they can at least address it with the homeowner. They always consider the bigger picture, whether the client does or not.
The interior decorator has one particular function: embellish after the fact. With existing homes—in cases where more significant changes are not warranted or lack the budget for interior design concepts—an experienced designer will function as a decorator. This is why there’s often so much confusion. I will discuss that more in a minute.
As a final note here, when the budget is a concern, an assessment of the big picture is the best approach. Even then, with smaller scale projects, a plan and sequence are always put into action. That’s really what design is.
Call Me Your Designer or Call Me Your Decorator
New clients, or those unfamiliar with hiring an interior designer, don’t always fully understand the difference between an interior designer and an interior decorator. Or maybe they’ve never given the subject any thought at all. It’s not that important. The terms often are used interchangeably, and sometimes incorrectly. I can tell you if we’re engaged and talking, it really doesn't matter. I’ll show you the way.
I delight in explaining the different roles a designer plays and the sequence a successful interior design project should follow. A full-service interior design firm usually offers, or includes, decorating services in the continuum of services, again, for good reason.
Engage with Designer The Sooner the Better
Thinking about building? Bring in the interior designer at the earliest possible time. You should be talking about what life will look like in your new home, and it should be exciting. Besides the architectural statement you wish to make, I would argue the importance of how the home lives and breathes on the inside.
This chart illustrates how the interior designer’s engagement from concept planning through move-in day outlives both the architect and the decorator. Again, for good reason.
The architect or house designer is with you at the start, but so often does not, or cannot, follow through to test the experiment. Move-in day and the weeks that follow prove the importance of the small stuff the designer has watched for all along.
Start At the Beginning for the Best Ending
The designer should also be called in to evaluate existing homes and spaces when the client is uncertain whether design or decoration is needed to fulfill their needs or desires. It is also impossible to budget when you don’t know where they’re going!
During the initial visit, the designer will want to understand what has changed in the client’s life. The home could be showing its age. Perhaps the useful function of a room has changed. Professional demands might require streamlining how the home flows. There may be a child on the way and more space is needed. Finally, downsizing is another life-stage change worthy of first discussing with a designer.
When you hire a design professional, keep in mind that while an interior designer can also function as a decorator, as I do in many cases, an interior decorator by definition cannot also be an interior designer.
