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Why are you hiring an interior designer?

Editor's note: Joseph Pubillones is taking some time off. This column originally published in 2017.

Selecting a shirt and a pair of pants can be an arduous task for those who lack imagination.

Where to start? Colors? Fabrics? Style of clothing? Designing an interior space is no less difficult — not to mention the fact that every member of the household is likely to have their own vision of what to do. Usually this is where I advocate the hiring of a professional to do designing and also the hand-holding, refereeing and, in effect, act as therapist and mediator.

Who to hire? I say, professional interior designers. And not the kind you find at retail stores helping you pair a sofa, a matching chair and a piece of “art,” but the kind who are trained, and have years of experience and an ample portfolio to demonstrate their capabilities and design style.

Yes, interior design is about pulling furniture together, but more importantly, it is about marrying the architectural space and the objects you are choosing to place in them.

In the media, and especially in television shows, the design process is made to seem easy. In reality, nothing can be farther from their presentation. There is nothing wrong with those that believe they can go DIY route, but there is a vast difference entering a space that has been handled by a weekend warrior and one where professional designers have been involved. Marketers, producers and home stores want to make everyone feel they can tackle projects on their own.

In every decision, an interior design professional studies each item, their color, texture, dimensions and their proportions in relation to the space around them. Of course, then the professional also considers the aesthetics of each item and forecasts their appeal to the client, based on the clients requests, design meetings and magazines. Clients then have the prerogative of approving or requesting a re-selection of certain items. This is but one advantage of hiring an interior designer. A knowledgeable designer will always give you the best version of your design vision or description.

When hiring an interior designer, you are hiring him or her for their knowledge, experience and vision or style. Trusting them is part of the ying and yang of a client-designer relationship. A client has to vocalize enough of their likes and dislikes to give the designer insight into their lifestyle, and the designer has the know-how in processing that information. This is what they have been trained to do.

Clients sometimes do not realize they can be their own worse enemies when trust is not placed in the hands of the designers. They are there not to nod their heads to all your requests, or listen about your spouse's infidelities. They are there to lend their savvy insights and guide you through a process for the best possible design. Of course, it is your client's home, but it is also a projection of their work. Allow them to do their best work. Yes, you can also share the family history, dysfunctions and any personal problems, but foremost is the execution of a great design.

Remember that each project is a business card for the interior designer.

• Joseph Pubillones is the owner of Joseph Pubillones Interiors, an award-winning interior design firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.

© 2021, Creators Syndicate

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