Despite rising interest rates, 49% of us plan on some sort of renovation in 2023 (Houzz Australia). With the median house renovation project coming in at $35,000, this represents a significant investment for thousands of Australian families.
With so much money on the line, it’s no surprise you want to ensure you get a great return on your renovation investment. But, how do you do that – especially if you’re coming into the project with no trade or design experience?
Surround yourself with experts
A house renovation, rebuild or extension project requires the help of a team of experts. Even if you’re thinking about becoming an owner-builder, you will need to connect with licensed specialists to oversee electrical and plumbing work.
The same goes for bringing on a professional builder, draftsman or architect when planning your project. A home build or renovation project is no time to go out on your own or try to wing it – it makes sense to surround yourself with experts.
While you wouldn’t bat an eyelid when bringing expert trades onto your project, you might think twice before investing in another house renovation expert – a Sydney interior designer. Often considered a luxury or something that can be put off until later, many people start renovation projects without design assistance – but this can be a big mistake.
When you want to get the most from your renovation investment, it doesn’t make sense to leave out the one expert who can tie everything together – from design to delivery.
Why you should include interior design in your renovation budget
An interior designer has a crucial role to play in every renovation project. While you might picture fluffy cushions and pops of colour, interior designers are more than mere stylists.
Interior designers help homeowners navigate the entire build or renovation process to create the space of their dreams. For interior designers, it’s not about style over substance – function is always the key to a successful project.
Experienced interior designers offer a range of benefits to home renovators, helping to:
- review floor plans
- assess electrical layouts
- recommend colour palettes
- optimise space
- improve communication
- add value to your property
- provide design confidence and clarity
- offer creative solutions
- enhance the flexibility of your home.
These skills don’t just result in an amazing renovation – they also help reduce decision fatigue so you can stop stressing and actually start enjoying the process.
How an experienced interior designer can help maximise your investment
Make the most of every space
Effective planning of space, together with a layout that flows, is the key to a successful house renovation. While an architect can deliver a functional design and a builder can bring it to life, an interior designer has the expertise to bridge the gap between dream and reality.
Drawing on the principles of space planning, interior designers look at how you live in your home to create functional and beautiful spaces that work with you. Using space, light and flow, an interior designer ensures you take advantage of every feature in your home.
Give everything a place
Whether you’re a collector of art or have a fondness for figurines, it’s important that everything has a place in your house renovation project. An interior designer takes on this challenge, coming up with practical storage solutions to keep clutter at bay.
By taking the time to talk to you and learn how you plan to use each room, an interior designer has the power to design custom joinery to meet your everyday needs or find creative ways to store and/or display the items that bring joy and happiness into your home.
Optimise everyday living
Most trades have a single-eyed view of your project – they simply don’t have the time to take a holistic view or consider how you’ll live in the space once the job is done. For interior designers, understanding how you live is the most important part of the design process.
An interior designer looks at the space as a whole to find creative solutions to improve your quality of life. From following your morning routine to understanding how your family relaxes on the weekends, this information helps create spaces that streamline everyday life.
Reduce decision-making fatigue
An interior designer can take on a lot of the decisions that come with planning a house renovation. Budgeting, project management and styling are all key to a successful renovation but the reality of constantly having to make big decisions can really wear you down.
Providing a clear design vision, an experienced interior designer takes some of that load off your shoulders. As well as helping with style and design choices, they often streamline communication with trades and help you stay on track when it comes to your budget too.
Keep everything on track
Hiring an interior designer early on in the renovation process offers another important benefit. Working with the project manager and other stakeholders, an interior designer can help keep everything on track by translating ‘builder speak’ into plain English.
Together with the ability to decode complex plans and design amendments, an interior designer can simplify the process for you, facilitate quick decision making and ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to vision and design.
Add value to your home renovation with an interior designer
Engaging an accredited interior designer at the beginning of your house renovation project gives you the best chance to maximise your investment. Aside from steering you away from potentially costly mistakes, an experienced interior designer will optimise your renovation plans and add even more value to your home.
Not sure if working with an interior designer is right for your upcoming renovation? Why not give Nancy from Design to Inspire a call? With nearly two decades of experience in interior design and project building, Nancy is here to help maximise the value of your house renovation.
Book your free discovery call to find out more.
