11 Reasons You Should Hire an Interior Designer

Many homeowners often mistakenly believe that hiring an interior designer is a waste of money. How hard can it be to choose a color for the walls and figure out where to put your couch, after all? The thing is, there’s much more to your interior design than just that.

The following are 11 reasons why you should hire an interior designer:

They will prevent you from making mistakes.  Interior designers will avoid making mistakes in your design. You may think a certain pattern will work well with a certain piece of furniture, but once you execute your idea, you may find that it doesn’t work at all. The experience of an interior designer will help eliminate such mistakes from happening.

They will help you figure out what you want.  There’s a good chance that you have a number of ideas for your interior design that just don’t form an overall cohesive look. A designer will help find and enhance your style to fit your wants and needs.

They will solve design problems.  Interior designers have the knowledge and experience to come up with solutions to design problems that may be stumping you.

They will save you time and energy.  It takes a lot of time and energy to plan out your interior design, time and energy that you may not have. You’ll spend more time than them as well simply looking up information that they already know.

They have more resources.  While you are limited to furnishings, fabrics and more, interior designers have connections throughout the industry to find things you may not have access to, thereby giving you more choices.

They will save you money.  Because of their connections, interior designers will often get special deals off of furnishings, fabrics and accessories. Not to mention the fact that they will keep you from making mistakes and help save you time, both of which result in money saved.

They will help you plan properly.  A good plan is an important step in getting what you want, making sure it’s done right and getting it done within your budget. An interior designer will sit down with you and write up a thorough plan of action.

They will help you budget.  Because an interior designer knows how much everything will cost, they will be able to take your budget and break it down – recommending more cost-effective alternatives and letting you know if there are things that aren’t possible within the budget you want.

They will act as your liaison.  This is more helpful than you might think. An interior designer will act as your liaison when dealing with your architect or contractor. This will help you to save time and money.

They have valuable contacts.  In addition to having more design resources than you do, interior designers also have valuable contacts with contractors, architects, plumbers, electricians and more, helping to save you the hassle of finding people that you can trust to do quality work on your own.

They have a trained eye.  You might be able to accomplish a decent interior design on your own, but a professional interior designer can take one look at a space and tell you if there’s something wrong with it. They can see things spatially that most clients cannot. Not to mention that they can give your interior design that extra aesthetic punch to make it even more impressive.

Picture Perfect Powder Room

Your powder room may not be used often, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important to decorate it. When it comes to decorating a powder room, you don’t have to spend a great deal of money. Here are eight things you can do to make yours more attractive without breaking the bank in the process.

1. Create a backsplash or accent wall using old pallets.

Remove the planks from your pallets, and then go over them with a sander to make them smooth. Clean them with mineral spirits and then stain the planks any color you would like. Cover an entire wall or the area just above your sink with them to create a rustic look.

2. Make good use of baskets

Baskets can be placed on top of the toilet tank, underneath the sink, or in a corner of the room. You can also hang them on the wall and placed rolled towels inside them. For visual interest, use a combination of wire, wicker and wooden baskets.

3. Stencil the walls using metallic paint

Use stencils you purchase from a craft store to create a scroll pattern, polka dots or squares on a dark colored wall using metallic paint. This provides a dazzling effect next to soft lighting or candles.

4. Use repurposed furniture to make a vanity

You don’t have to purchase a bathroom cabinet, when you can easily drop a porcelain sink into the top of an old dresser, desk or table instead. You could easily use an existing piece of furniture or even repurpose something someone else has discarded.

5. Install a pullout pantry

Pullout pantries that slide into position are not just useful in the kitchen, as they also provide some much-needed storage space in your powder room.  Place it between your sink and the wall, and use the shelves to hold extra bottles of shampoo, guest towels or toilet paper.

6. Hang unique shelves

Hanging some unique shelves will provide you with additional storage space, while also giving your bathroom a unique look. Some of the things you can use to create shelves with include old shutters, window boxes, dresser drawers or small, hard-shell suitcases.

7. Use glass jars for storage

Glass jars placed on a shelf provide an open, airy look, and go well with any décor. They are ideal for storing cotton balls and swabs, but could even be used to hold loofahs, travel-sized toiletries, flowers or seashells.

8. Create a makeshift window

Your powder room will automatically feel bigger if it contains a window. If yours doesn’t have one, hang a vintage frame on the wall and add some sheer, tied-back panels to it. You could also hang a mirror inside a window frame, or stencil a window on your wall and add a shelf below it to give the appearance of a windowsill.

These eight simple ideas can transform your powder room into something you’ll be proud to show off to others. Best of all, incorporating these ideas will cost little or no money, which is something you will really appreciate if you are on a budget.