Good Design Adds Value

Highlights of Architectural Digest Survey part two This is a link to a part I

There are many layers of value that a talented, competent designer brings to a project. I am sure that most of you have experienced at least one home that was obvious of how much money was spent and yet it was “just so-o-o-o ugly”!  At the other extreme, you can have a room full of beautiful objects that feels more like a museum then a living space.  Designers understand that creating a beautiful space is like creating a painting; you create a composition through balance, proportion, contrast and focal points.  Things that are beautiful are valued and cared for.  Things that are ugly eventually get thrown out or torn down.  A beautiful home adds value to your real estate and it adds value to your daily life experience.

As a designer, what I value the most are the relationships that I have built with clients and other design professionals based on mutual respect and trust.  If any of you have ever experienced living through a remodeling project or building a new home, you know how stressful it can be. The willingness and ability of clients, contractors, designers and architects to have honest and frequent communications is invaluable for the common goal of achieving a successful project.

Here are some of the highlights from the Architectural Digest and Kravet survey of what client’s value :

• These clients understood the value of working with a designer because custom products have such a high level of decision making  and attention to detail
• Designers are the “guard dog of quality” and are knowledgeable about the products their clients invest in
• Clients value the designers ability to listen, understand their lifestyle and interpret their ideas into a functional living or working space
• They value the designers ability to be thoughtful, attentive and ask good questions
• The designers ability to be honest and forthright as soon as problems or challenges are encountered was valued as extremely important
• When clients were the most satisfied, they said they valued the interior designer’s creative ideas and ability to think outside the box.  The designers stretched their comfort zone and led them to make decisions they would not have made or thought of on their own.

Excerpts from “Designing For Success” by Gail Doby