subject: Ventura Interior Designers - Let's Design Your Fabulous Home! [print this page] Ventura Interior Designers - Let's Design Your Fabulous Home!
DESIGN PROBLEMS TO AVOID WHEN HIRING LOS ANGELES OR VENTURA INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Hi. My name is Jo-Ann Capelaci. I'm the owner and principal designer for Colours and Concepts. We're one of the more experienced Ventura Interior Designers serving both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
One question many people ask is
What are some problems to avoid when hiring and working with professional Los Angeles or Ventura Interior Designers?
Well first, hiring a qualified professional Interior Designer should minimize the stress associated with
- selection of materials and colors,
- poor workmanship,
- errors in specifications, and
- unreliability of contractors.
It can also greatly reduce the time needed for many design projects. Obviously the longer a project takes, the longer you will be inconvenienced by a mess and perhaps an unlivable home.
Sometimes it's necessary for you to temporarily relocate while the work is being done.
Experienced Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers with project management skills can usually coordinate contractors and suppliers to minimize any disruptions and create a more seamless design process.
Of course, you want to make sure you are selecting someone with the right mix of design skills, time management and project management expertise, and someone with effective listening skills.
Several times I have been told that a client was not happy with a designer they hired previously. Often the client will explain that, the designer told me I need to do this, this and this and I didn't want to do this, this and this. In these cases the client would explain that the designer presented a design that was not what they wanted to do and had a color palate they were not happy with.
To me, I'm not sure this is doing your job properly, if you're a designer.
As one of the more experienced Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers, I've learned that it's important to listen effectively to the client and not inject too much of my own ego into the design suggestions.
So therefore, first of all, when you hire an Interior Designer, make sure they ask you a lot of questions, and are someone who can understand what you are trying to articulate to them.
You can often tell this in the first interview.
Some clients will go further and hire Los Angeles or Ventura Interior Designers for a few hours at the concept stage, to get a sense for how the Designer works and interacts with them.
If the Designer does not have a broad background, where they have worked on many types of projects over their career, that may also be a problem. They may simply be a "one note" designer, providing a limited palate of ideas and resources.
Also, if the designer has poor time management skills, this can be a real red flag. From their returning calls to you in a timely manner to their delivering the initial plans, you can often get a sense of their professionalism and dependability.
Remember, your Interior Design project is not just about getting a few great ideas on paper. It's also about your Designer's ability to coordinate the various contractors and suppliers who may also be involved in creating an amazing living space for you. That's why it's so important to only work with Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers who have relationships with numerous types of contractors and suppliers.
Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers with poor time management can cost you time, but can also impact the ultimate budget of your project. Without effective Design Management, the potential for problems can skyrocket.
Of course, with every Design project, there is a possibility for unforeseen problems, as well as last minute changes and ideas, especially on the part of the Client. A professional designer should be flexible enough to accommodate not just the initial wishes of the client, but also, changes that may come up because of a last minute inspiration or a potential problem situation that arises during construction.
For this reason, a good designer should be solution driven and flexible.
With all the possible variables, it is especially important that your Designer have considerable experience with many of the suppliers and contractors that will be used.
Of course, problems will periodically arise with even the best suppliers. But working with an experienced professional Designer will generally reduce the likelihood of unreliable suppliers.
Needless to say, an effective Professional Designer should listen carefully to the Client's needs and requests. But they should also be able to make suggestions beyond the client's initial ideas.
You are hiring a professional who, in many cases, will have a vast experience and knowledge base that you can tap, including ideas you may not have considered that could really help.
If your Designer doesn't present fresh ideas, then you may be getting short-changed in the possibilities for great design of your home.
Certainly, the biggest problems arise when a Designer does not guide the client through the decision process based on the client's specific lifestyle, budget and preferences.
Truly effective Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers will take the time to understand your lifestyle, budget and preferences so they can Design a living environment that meets or exceeds your goals and wishesa design that reflects your personality.
If you'd like more free videos like this one, click on the link or go to --- www.SoCal-Interiors.com
ABOUT COLOURS AND CONCEPTS
At Colours and Concepts, as one of the more experienced Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers, we've been providing a wide range of professional Interior Design services throughout Los Angeles & Ventura counties for almost a decade.
We serve a wide range of clients and collaborate with:
- Developers and Builders who want to increase the value of their properties and projects;
- Contractors, Architects and Homeowners who are renovating or building new; and
- Individual Homeowners desiring to improve their living environment.
I studied design in Toronto, and went on to found and run a design firm for ten years. I then relocated to Southern California, where I have been creating beautiful and effective living spaces throughout the Southland for almost a decade.
I am a Certified Interior Designer and am a past Vice President of the Tri Valley Chapter of the Interior Design Society, one of the nation's largest design organizations dedicated to serving the residential interior design industry.
I am also an affiliate member of the American Institute of Architects, and an active member of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, where I recently redesigned their office spaces.
As one of the more experienced Los Angeles and Ventura Interior Designers, our firm has extensive experience working with a wide range of projects large and small, in diverse environments, and serving clients with all types of personalities and tastes.
For example, in Toronto people are often interested in more traditional styles, with jeweled colors and deeper tones. Whereas in Southern California there is more of a mix, from Tuscan and Spanish to French Country to Contemporary, often with lighter color tones.
We can design in all these styles and others.
We have redesigned floor plans, opened up spaces to make them roomier and more inviting, created extensive media and entertainment areas, developed outstanding family and child-friendly rooms and spaces, and enhanced kitchens and bathrooms.
We have improved work spaces, helped select:
- furniture,
- paint,
- wall and window coverings,
- refurbished and redesigned after fire and water damage,
and prepared complete turnkey custom house design.
And sometimes we've had an inspiring time with those clients simply wanting to improve, beautify or just inject some fun into their living environments.
People are often surprised at the amazing possibilities and options available to them.
If you have a project or are simply considering the possibilities of changing your living space or your working environment, We'd love to chat with you.
Call us anytime, at 818-259-2752.
And if you'd like to see more free videos like this one, check out our website at www.SoCal-Interiors.com
