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| The Benefits of Working with a Designer |
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Click and view our Columns in Home Improvement & Remodeling Magazine:
Designing with Kris Keller
I've Selected a Designer-What Happens Next?
You've done your research. You have some idea of what your design priorities are. You've selected a designer. Now what? It is in this crucial phase of relationship building that you rely on your designer's business processes and organization skills. These qualities capture the essence of the project and subsequently move the project through each phase of development in a professional and timely fashion.
By the time you've selected your designer, you have had preliminary discussions with your designer, working toward shaping the design project into a tangible entity, but you still have questions.
Most designers will give you a questionnaire a couple of weeks before your introductory meeting. The questionnaire provides the designer with important information regarding your objectives and project parameters. In addition to timeframe and budget, the questionnaire provides valuable information about the client's likes and dislikes. When collecting photographs and taking notes, clients often focus on what they like; however, it's also helpful to indicate what you do not like because it lets the designer know what to avoid.
After your questionnaire has been completed and your designer has had some time to review it, you will meet with your designer in your home. During this introductory meeting, your designer will work closely with you to determine your ideas and goals. At this time, the designer will also establish a framework of parameters for the project. Most designers will take photos and measurements of rooms, make notes, or record conversations to refer to during the design process.
The introductory meeting also allows the designer to experience the client's lifestyle and the personality of the home. For instance, the client might want to feature personal collections, treasured antiques, family heirlooms, or other furnishings and memorabilia.
Creating a timeline is an important part of this. How quickly does the client wish to begin this project? What is a reasonable amount of preparation time for a presentation based on the complexity of the project? For example, if contractors have to be scheduled, the timeframe will be extremely important because the project may not progress as quickly as the client might anticipate.
Although many clients are hesitant to discuss a budget, determining the level of investment a client wishes to make is a major component to the introductory meeting. Clients are often unsure of how much they want to invest in the project, but without some indication, the designer cannot create the best design solutions for the client. With a preliminary budget in mind, the designer can further establish the scope of the project. The budget might mean the difference between completely gutting a kitchen and replacing the cabinets versus re-facing the cabinets and installing new flooring. Once you've indicated your budget, the designer can intelligently guide you in a direction best suited to your needs.
Once you've established the timeframe and the budget, you will want to discuss any other constraints with the designer. Again, it's just as important to describe what you do not want as it is to describe what you do want.
After the introductory meeting, the designer will then synthesize the information you've discussed and present you with a design plan. Typically, this could include space plans, illustrations of your project, original designs, AutoCAD designs when appropriate, and specification of all relevant elements for your project with pricing. In addition, if contractors are needed for your project, the designer should present you with his or her pricing and estimated timeframe. At this point, you should have a pretty clear idea of how your finished project will look, what will be involved, and how much it will cost.
The final design plan should encompass the parameters you established in the original meeting. It should meet your timeframe and budget, as well as reflect the personality and style you discussed originally. At this point in the process, you and your designer will go through each step of the design plan until you have reached a level of satisfaction with each element.
The presentation of the design plan is clearly the "fun and exciting" climax to many meetings, much discussion, successful planning and communication. A successful presentation enables the design process to move into the next phase of development: the actualization of the plan--creating reality from a dream!
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