Myth #5: I don’t need a designer I can get free advice in the hair salon...
This is another one of many myths about the interior design and decor field, over the following few months I will be discussing, and hopefully dispelling these:
- Interior design myth #1 – There is no difference between interior designers and interior decorators.
- Interior design myth #2 – I can’t afford an interior designer.
- Interior Design myth#3 – My home will look like your style, and wont reflect my personality.
- Interior design myth#4 – I can do it myself, I see it on TV all the time.
- Interior design myth #5 – I can get free designer advice in a salon or shop.
- Interior design myth#6 – Good design is trendy
- Interior design myth #7 – Interior designers are “artsy weirdoes”.
- Interior design myth #8 – Even if I don’t like the design, I will still have to pay.
Yes definitely getting advice on interior design in a furniture shop could work for you,
One thing to remember is that if the advice, being given to you (for free), in say for example a furniture or fabric shop, is limited as the person giving the advice is generally trying to make a sale. This person will very seldomly give you advice on your space as a part of a whole, and provide the attention to detail that is necessary. Without conducting a site visit, or at least an hour’s consultation, how could that person really know what it is that you as a client needs and wants.
Having your home look like a singular furniture or fabric houses showroom is not ideal, and this is generally the look you will achieve if you are getting advice from the sales person/”designer” that is at the end of the day just trying to make a sale.
I am sure that the designer that is based in this shop is not going to tell you that the chair in the competitions showroom next door is going to be a better design option... when in fact it just might be.
As mentioned over and over before, the job of an interior designer is to ensure functionality of any given area, combined with aesthetic appeal. A true designer will always make sure their client is happy and safe, and if it means purchasing from over a 100 suppliers to achieve this, that is what an independent interior designer would and should do.
At the end of the day one has to remember that nothing is for free, it is up to us as an educated public to decide where we would like to spend our money. Paying a professional Designer for a few hours to put together a scheme, which you have briefed them on, and letting them do all the leg work and weeding out the items that you don’t want will more than likely safe you many, many hours, and time is money. You will also have one point of contact for your entire interior, and also have the advantage of your home being unique, and not looking like a furniture showroom (unless of course you would like it to).
Not all interior advice given in a shop is bad; please just bear in mind where the advice is coming from.
Dale Dennis (B-Tech Interior design TUT)
