The Homeseeker Magazine December 2008

Why Use An Interior Designer?

CRUCIALLY, I AM always acutely aware of the misconception of Interior Design and companies such as mine - Trendenza, by clients who believe that our sole limitation is dressage and fabrics- "the fluffy bit" as I have heard it called on many occasions. Firstly I am a strong believer in meeting any new client and dispelling that myth by explaining who we are and what we do and most importantly how we can benefit them and their projects.

Interior designers are often misconstrued as an expensive luxury and someone who is far
beyond the typical budgets of most. However, this is simply not the case (in the words of the BIDA British Interior Design Assocation), using an Interior Designer can actually save you money! A professional designer and specifier will also be able to prevent mistakes and control
the budget planning of a project and obtain the best results for the budget to avert any runway
costs, wrongly appointed trades people and last minute hiccups.

And clients will be able to enjoy the benefits of an established network of worldwide trade
sources and stockists, alongside our expertise and design knowledge.

First and foremost a designer who deals in physical works is someone to be cherished in
my opinion as in today’s ever growing ‘private developer’ world the perils that are building
work and project management have been the downfall of many. To understand how to actually approach a job and to get the best out of it is not for the faint hearted.

Key to success is recognising the different elements, understanding building restrictions
and requirements, whose skill would be best suited for a particular task and crucially how
long that task should take and how much should be allocated against it whilst maintaining
project momentum on site, and all the while keeping a fastidious eye on the budget. All these facets individually are momentous tasks and yet the un-trained still regularly try
their hand, when an interior designer could assist and get all these components into a manageable approach without a huge expense.

At Trendenza we invite every new client into the showroom, firstly to meet with them but also to understand who they are and what motivates them, as this gives us an idea of what they like, their personalities and what they are trying to achieve.

We learn so much from actually listening and understanding the signals people give off when talking about themselves and their home life.

This is where our skills lie and come to fruition, as we then can create a plan for them and dependant on the requirements do a visual mood board or marry this with a works briefs. A works brief is slightly more comprehensive as it will specify each product, design, placement within a setting, timescale, delivery detail and trade allocated. This is usually accompanied by a diary, budget costs and itemised delivery schedule so the client understands all the individual elements within their project before works commence.

From experience I have found that our clients recognise our ability to be multi skilled, creative
and appreciate the hands on approach. Our showroom is a labyrinth of suppliers and many clients come in and spend a few hours going through their designs in a relaxed and welcoming setting. For the clients seeking the unusual or the unique its only then we know exactly where to go to offer bespoke pieces to compliment their look.

This not only takes an extraordinary amount of pressure off the client, more importanty it saves them time which is something that is invaluable to all of us in today’s hectic lifestyle.