Understanding how long it takes to pull together products for a scheme.
If it was as simple as finding each item in a jiffy one by one and ta-da you have a completed project, the job of an Interior Designer would be much easier.
Instead they're navigating hundreds of brands and thousands of products, they're juggling; balancing the budget, specific requirements and client expectations, all whist trying to achieve great design. To be able to achieve this it requires a designer to be creative, resourceful, scrappy, intuitive, detailed, and thorough. But it also requires a client to communicate well, give a realistic budget and understand quality and resourcing time expectations.
The client wants a perfect dream interior and that's a lot of expectation, expense and emotional weight for an Interior Designer to carry. This is especially true if the client gives a tight budget or doesn't have an understanding of the amount of work it will take to complete the design.
The whole visual outcome of the project is dependant on exactly what products the Interior Designer finds or designs, so sourcing and selecting just the right products is a very critical piece of detailed work. Sticking with the very first item we like would likely inhibit the development of the best or a balanced design and we'd likely end up over budget.
BUDGET
Most of the best things available to buy are frankly, the priciest, so it's likely that at the end of finding all the perfect pieces you have to step back and think 'ok, where can we compromise and what can we loose.' A designer is trying to maximise your budget by value engineering their selection. A premium piece here and there will elevate the whole room even if you have to also include a few more cost effective pieces.
DESIGN
A very small example from a recent project of design balance resourcing; I found an antique wardrobe for a client which had rose shaped wooden details on the centres of the doors, so I then resourced the simple ceiling rose for a floral shaped design to order tie in the details.
"The details are not the details. They make the design."
– Charles Eames –
Think of each item in a room being represented by a letter of the alphabet. We'd like the sourcing process to go as smoothly as the alphabet, selecting each item and ticking it off the list in an orderly fashion:
SOURCING DREAM
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
However, for every item sourced you may affect the previous item, from the selection of colour, to the style of the piece, or the budget. For example, you source a green rug, then next you source a chair. This is also green, but so much better in design than the rug and also more expensive which throws off your rough budgeting. The balance of the room is now also affected as the green chair can't sit on the green rug. You have to make the decision as to wether to stick with or re-think the original product. You decide to resource the rug for something else, which is a little more cost effective. So the alphabet song ends up looking something like this:
SOURCING REALITY
a b c d e......b a f g a g h i f h j k l k m n o p q e r s t u v w x y z o k i e f x z
Just how long have you spent trying to find a perfect item? Some things will be a doddle and you’ll find quite quickly whilst others will take hours and hours. Let's compare it to something more relatable; how about a dress for a special occasion?
You could be wandering the shops, feeling the fabrics, trying on 20 pieces to find non of them are just right. Or, you may browse the internet for hours and look on every site you can think of. You have a lot to weigh up; you need to ensure it’s attractive, suits your style, suits the occasion, compliments your colouring and your body shape whilst clinging and draping in all the right places. Perhaps all the brands in your price range just don’t have something special enough to impress, or just look cheap…. so you’re looking for a rare gem! You save all your favourites and then look back over in more detail. Finally, you find the perfect one and….it’s not in your size, damn! Do you consider having a seamstress to re-create or adjust it? You call them to discuss, however, the search recommences. You manage to find one that’s great, perhaps it doesn’t tick every box but you have to make some compromises due to all the requirements. Maybe the box you didn’t tick was sticking to the budget? Or, you wanted full length but they didn’t have the right style, so you end up with a midi? Finally depending on what dress you’ve selected you may need to buy a new bra or underwear too, and those black shoes which you thought you’d wear will no longer suit the baby blue dress….a new search commences and a matching bag too. This will be an all to familiar situation (with ladies out there….those less fashion conscious men you’ll have to use your imagination!).
Now imagine the huge task of an Interior Designer; they don’t face the minor challenge of finding the 1 perfect item, instead for some rooms they’ll be searching for 20+ key items and 40+ with all the accessories and little details. This is whilst trying to understand your style, ensure the technical requirements are correct, and stick to your budget! So many requirements to consider and with each decision affecting what else you may also select.
LIVING ROOM SOURCING EXAMPLE
2 Sofas
2 Armchairs
1 Coffee table
1 Rug
1 Ceiling Light
1 Set of Wall lights
1 Set of Side Tables
2 Styles of Table Lamps
1 Floor Lamp
3 Pieces of Wall Art
Frames
1 Mirror
Set of Designed Custom Shelves
20+ Accessories to fill the shelves
Curtain Poles
Curtains
Blinds
Flooring
Wall covering
Paint colours
Coving, skirting and a ceiling rose
Switches and sockets
We’re looking at 40+ items.
I've know client (prior to working with them) spend hours just trying to find the right coffee table (for example) and yet they never found the right piece; perhaps they didn't know what they wanted, or, they do but have no idea where to find it. As this isn't their profession it's understandable that they'll likely only be familiar with a smaller range of highly promoted high street brands, or products that are advertised under the shopping section of google. Their product search capabilities will be limited and their time ultimately saturated.
On the other hand Interior Designers won't have the limited selection of the 'average joe', their products will range into thousands of products and brands; years and vast amounts of time sourcing, curating and filing. This doesn't mean you won't be familiar with everything we select, that really all depends on the budget and the design, but it means we have a lot more options and resources to bring you something you'd never find alone. Perfect to surprise and delight our clients.
However, thousands of brands and options lead to more choice, and more choice could also be a little more overwhelming and time consuming. I myself have my resources documented with lists on excel sheets and bookmarks, to visual references on pinterest and instagram on a very detailed scale. It doesn't mean that I'll instantly know the right piece or where to go every time (just impossible as I'm not a machine), however it exponentially makes the process easier, more streamlined and in depth. Whilst I may be still be scrolling through hundreds of products on each website or catalogue, I'll have a good idea of which brands to look at with the right style or roughly the right price range. I may also have saved a lamp here, or a fabric there which is exquisite and is just waiting for the right project to pop it into; I've saved it and can return at a later date. So to compare; an hour an Interior Designer may spend on searching for just that right chair is far more valuable than an 'average joe's' hour.
I hope this blog explains the complexities and detail Interior Designers go to create beautiful designs for their clients that also hit the bottom line.
"Anyone can design. It doesn't mean they'll design well.' "
– Katie Longshaw-Pye –
At Magpye Creative Interiors we create unique space for unique clients. To enquire about working with us to create your dream interior please get in touch.
Katie
Katie Longshaw-Pye
Creative Director | Magpye Creative Interiors
Ribble Valley
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