We all want our homes to look as gorgeous as something out of a magazine, but not everyone has the skills to give their rooms that super-styled but still ‘lived-in’ look. Leanne Abrahams from Lily Rose Interiors explains how interior designers can help achieve your styling dreams.
Life is frantically busy for families, that’s for sure! With the kids, school and work, there’s little time for anything else. And let’s be honest, most people would like a stylish home that reflects their personal taste and style but don’t have the time to make it happen. Who has time to spend hours searching for that perfect living room sofa or to make over their dated bedroom? Not only that, but it can be very overwhelming trudging through furniture stores or even browsing through endless online stores. There is so much choice out there that over time, everything starts to look the same or worse, it all becomes too confusing! Suddenly that sofa you fell in love is way too big for your living room, or that artwork you envisioned perched above your bed has made the room look too busy. There is a very real risk that you could get it all wrong after spending thousands of dollars!
However, while it really is the simple things that can make or break a space, getting everything to mesh together in perfect harmony is not always easy. Luckily, many interior designers tailor reasonable packages for the everyday family looking for guidance when styling their home. Plus, they do all the hard work for you!
1. They’re in the know
Not only do interior designers trawl through Instagram, Facebook and design magazines every day, but they have built solid relationships with a variety of suppliers who you may not even know exist, like the clever carpenter who makes his own oak tables that doesn’t have a shopfront, or the local artist who has just finished her first collection. Interior designers are inundated with enough images, samples and products to sink a ship, and this constant exposure to the world of interior design means they’re pretty savvy about what will or won’t work in your home. They are quickly able to pinpoint the perfect sofa for your living room and pair it up with the right artwork to make all the elements perfectly reflect you, saving you hours of research.
2. They help balance your design budget
It’s very easy to get caught up in the moment when furniture shopping and before you know it, you’ve spent way more than you wanted to. An interior designer has several suppliers that sell products at different price points, and once your budget has been established, can manage the overall budget for you by engaging with products that will fit into this budget. It can take the effort out of trying to make all the pieces fit into the amount you want to spend and make the entire project more cost effective for you without you having to lift a finger.
3. They get the look just right
You have seen your dream room in a magazine, but pulling it all together is not as easy as you think. Is the rug too dark for the beige sofa? Are the finishes too sleek to make the room feel cosy? How do I balance the colour scheme? The colours, textures, proportions and styling need to work in unison to create the particular mood you want to achieve and give balance to the room otherwise things could end up looking all wrong. Interior designers offer mood boards, which showcase all the elements of the design to get a feel for how everything will work, and how it all works within the budget. It basically gives you a snap shot of the room before you’ve even spent a cent and helps to visualise the overall look and how it all ties together. This can save you money down the track and help you evaluate the perfect products for your home without making any big purchases that you’re likely to regret later on.
So if you want to get that picture-perfect home, but just don’t have the time to do all the groundwork, consider hiring an interior designer. You won’t regret it!