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10 Questions, You must ask your Interior Designer

Interior Design

Humans started to settle in small groups’ right from the stone ages but our evolution started when new began to invent and adopt.

When basic requirements are met then a house can become a functional dwelling however, to make it a home one would have to exclusively customize it according to their needs.

Only when a dwelling complies with a person’s taste, cultural affinity and standard of living can it truly become his or her residence. So an Interior Designer is a one who can develop a House into your Home.

“It is wiser to find out than to suppose.” -Mark Twain-

When working with an interior designer make sure to ask them questions. As, relevant questions and correct answers avoid blunders in the later stages. If it is a business, you must make sure that you get your money’s worth.

Interior Designing is a service where a Designer is going to determine your lifestyle and provide suggestions on how to utilize the space better, how to select the right material with Proper Specification that not only matches your taste but also your budget.

So before hiring such an important person for your residence, here is a checklist of 10 Questions you can ask your designers.

1. Interior Decorator or Interior Designer

A Decorator adds elements to the existing place and modifies the same. A Designer will transform your space to another level with his creative ideas and special skillset of utilization of spaces in a proficient manner.

2. Unwanted volume for a cheap price or required volume for the right price?

The role of an Interior Designer is to enhance spaces instead of adding more items and reducing the aesthetical value.

Providing an excess amount of woodworks and creating negative space is a big mistake. Increasing the scope for business and providing low-quality material with attractive offers to lure people, will eventually lead to a bad design and consequently unsatisfied clients will harm designers’ business in the long run.

Interior Design

3. A seller or a Maker?

Anyone can have a showroom with a collection of interior design materials. Only a maker can create a Product with a plethora of options, according to your spatial requirement and also your budget.

Also, check whether the firm is importing the product and selling it or manufacturing the same. If in the case of manufacturing, confirm if they are doing it by outsourcing or otherwise.

You can surely go with the firm which runs in own manufacturing unit with their own and right Specification.

Anyone can claim they have their factory by having one single unit of cutting machine.

That single machine cannot be considered a factory as the amount of automation has really been upgraded over the past decade.

The technology of pasting Laminates, Cold Press, Hot Press, cutting edges, Edge Banding and many more processes are to be carefully noted.

4. Customization Possibilities and Design options?

In the continuation of the previous question, when someone has cheap Chinese Machinery, they cannot provide you with more design options and customization. European machines are the standard setters and renowned in the field of interior design.

5. Pioneer in the field Or Popular in the field?

A Fast selling product needs not to be the best one. The number of footfall is not the same as the number of buyers in a Shopping mall.

A famous one can be famous because of various reasons but quality doesn’t seek popularity it is determined by durability.

History of the company in the particular region as well as its reputation is something one must consider before choosing an interior company.

Any specialty? Any inventions in the market?

Any implementation / Innovation in the process and product?

What is their position and where they are standing in this crowd?

All these must also be considered

6. Relevant Type/Scale of Projects?  

A Pilot is a Pilot, a Ship Captain is a Captain.

Just because both are in the transportation field you cannot expect to swap their jobs.

Can I hire a designer for my Kitchen Design? Who is doing Office space designs.

Can I get this Interiors firm who works only for High value clients to do my Budget Modular kitchen?

It is not going to work..!

Suitability matters.

7. Similar Projects and results?

If you are looking for some Interior Designers for your apartment interiors Visit your neighbors’ flats, get suggestions from them.

Make sure they are the right person working in the suitable and proximal region before awarding the Project.

8. Timeline / Clarity / Service?

Project Timeline statement is essential along with Stages of works, Hidden Charges, Hidden Taxes, Unknow charges in the later stage, Improper/ Unclear Specification, Without Guarantee only Warranty.? all these things to be kept in mind before the final steps.

Interiors must last for atleast 15 years.So whoever provides minimum Guarantee of 10 Years or more would be a good choice.

And the warranty is not that strong as Guarantee .Annual or Binal service and Availability of Service Engineer is equally important.

9. Accountability

What material?

What grade of Ply?

What grade of Steel?

Number of Accessories?

Ranks of Accessories?

Investment room wise, unit wise, Cost-cutting options.

Tax exceptions / Transparency

EMI and other bank options.

All these features will be the examples of a good Company.

10. Up today vs. Outdated

The company should work in this generation material. Technology, and with the recently qualified people who can be related to the taste of the current era clients.

The Design Style, Design ideas, Software tools for designing process and development, Implementation and execution all these things should be suitable for the current generation also it should not fade away after 5 or 10 years.

11. Beyond the limits

As you see the 11th Question beyond the limit, in the same line the support your firm provides should be beyond the official relationship.

For example, electrical points and needs, Plumbing line extraction and Ventilation suggestion, lighting design, Recommending Contractors for Civil works if needed, Reliable Source for Appliances, Helping in the fixing of appliances.

Your vendor should not hesitate to provide these things to you.

Hoping that you choose the right path.

Interior Design

Architect Vignesh Kumar

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