The Importance Of Knowing Your Budget
When it comes to interior design, the most important factor that has to be considered over and above everything else is the budget. It’s an overlooked practice, but budgeting should be listed as a one of the services offered by an interior designer. Many people see the budget as a necessary evil, or try to begin the project with only a rough idea, but this is probably the worst decision you could make. A well-researched and constructed budget, rather than being restrictive, can be very beneficial, giving you a focus, foundation, and structure upon which to build your dream. It’s also important to figure out if there is any items that can be reused throughout your design.
How To Construct Your Budget
The first thing you need to decide on is your absolute top of the range budget and then subtract ten percent. This is important because however carefully you plan a project, there will always be unforeseen circumstances or issues that crop up. If you have fully pushed yourself to your financial limit, and then some problem arises, you leave yourself exposed, and potentially unable to complete the project.
By budgeting properly, and having a ten percent emergency fund, you ensure that barring disaster you can be totally confident in being able to finish the job you started. This may sound a little conservative, but the peace of mind this emergency budget brings is priceless.
Picking The Perfect Interior Designer Is Key
The real secret to getting the perfect result is to choose the right interior designer, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. Obviously, you want someone with skills, talent and that artistic eye which will successfully transform your home into the vision you have for it. But a great interior designer will also respect your budget and stick to it rigidly. In the same way that you are committing your trust to them, a great designer will also work within your budget, and not try to push you to spend extra money that you don’t have. When choosing your interior designer, have an in-depth chat with them, and see if they are someone that you could form a relationship with. While you may end up as best friends for life, there needs to be an element of trust and friendship. Part of your designer’s job is to come in on or below budget, so in your initial interview, you need to draw a line in the sand and make it clear what the budget is. A good designer will not have any issue with this, as everyone likes to have a firm basis within which to work. This is where Jill shines. Refind Interiors truly cares about all of our clients and will never pressure anyone to do anything they simply cannot afford. Jill works one on one with all of our clients to make sure that anything presented fits within the budget that is placed prior to starting the project.
Use Your Carefully Prepared Budget To Your Advantage
If you have ever been in the situation where money is unusually short at the end of the month, you may have been forced to come up with innovative and intelligent ways to make the budget stretch. Because your budget is tight, you are obliged to make brave and challenging decisions, which in the long term can be beneficial to you. When it comes to interior design, the same methodology can apply. Once you have set your budget, it forces you to become more creative and inventive, and on many occasions that extra focus and attention to detail, can result in a far superior and attractive interior design project.
Interior design does not necessarily have to be exceedingly expensive, but without a firm eye on the budget, the cost has the potential to spiral out of control. By planning ahead properly, forcing yourself to have reasonable expectations and sticking to your limits, you will find the process easier and less stressful. Ironically setting a budget can be much more refreshing and empowering than burying your head in the sand. We hope you are delighted with the final result, but use a budget system properly and you might find you enjoy the entire process more than you ever thought possible.