By Michelle Lynne
President, ML Interiors Group
My sister-in-law recently sent me an SOS via text. She and her husband built a new house. They’d moved in but were still finishing up the design aspects. And there was a Mickey Mouse problem in the powder room.
Look, my sister-in-law has excellent taste. And builders are genuinely great people, working from the heart in an industry they love — just like interior designers.
But whether you are building an entire house, creating an addition, or remodeling your space, there are several reasons to hire an interior designer and preventing Mickey Mouse problems is just one of them!
We Know When to Tell You “No!”
A builder may have interior designers on staff, but do they simply take what you want and say yes to it? That can be a big problem.
This is what happened to my sister-in-law.
Her lighting selections were beautiful but — surprise — they didn’t fit on the wall in her powder bath. That led to the sconces being installed too high on the wall, and well, just imagine Mickey Mouse ears! It did not work well.
A professional interior designer works with construction details all the time. We have the room dimensions in front of us when making selections. We can show, in detail, exactly how the finished design will look. That means we can also visually demonstrate how a client’s brilliant idea won’t work, saving them time and money.
A builder or contractor may not have all the confidence and experience to push back on a client’s not-so-great requests. We have a client who did not hire an interior designer for a master bathroom renovation. Now, they sit on the edge of the bathtub to brush their teeth. They can’t stand at the vanity because the contractor did what they requested. Yes, seriously.
Interior Designers Are Your Advocates
When you hire an interior designer, we are your advocates throughout the entire construction process. We talk to the builder if they’re not meeting deadlines or if they’re switching out selections without your permission (yes, that also happened to my sister-in-law), or if they install the backsplash with the wrong grout color. We act as your intermediary, meaning you don’t have to deal with these difficult conversations.
We provide the builder with all of the selections in advance, so there is plenty of lead time for ordering, shipping delays, and so forth. And we are looking at your house as a whole to ensure cohesiveness and consistency, meaning your place won’t feel like Disneyland with different styles in every room.
Less Cost in The Long Run
Yes, a designer is an extra expense, but one that will benefit you before, during, and after the actual construction process.
A good interior designer will know how — and where — to mix and match high and low-end finishes so that your new construction doesn’t bankrupt you or provide a low return on investment.
Many clients call us once they realize the full scale of the hundreds of decisions that need to be made. Everything from the fun and sexy kitchen backsplash, countertop material, and gorgeous lighting to the not-so-sexy plumbing valves, countertop edge, bathroom paper holders, and more.
Do you really have the time to be running all over town resourcing all of these details? Do you feel comfortable mixing and matching your metal finishes, so your entire house isn’t “gold” or “silver”? What about black or pewter or brushed finishes? All of these details add character and beauty to a home.
We catch all the design details builders don’t notice. Just ask my sister-in-law. Builders build — designers design. Teamwork makes the dream work.
Don’t wait until you’ve already started the process. Contact us at MLInteriorsGroup.com so we can talk about making your new construction project fun instead of a frustrating one!
Michelle Lynne began her interior design career after spending more than a decade working in Corporate America. She has built a successful design firm, employing multiple talented designers and growing the services provided to include full-service residential, multi-family, and virtual design services.
