In the season of quarantines and temperamental weather, many of us find ourselves looking around and wondering how to freshen up, or even totally overhaul, the spaces where we are now spending so much time.
It’s a desire I understand well. My husband and I have owned Penny Lane Properties for the past 13 years and have renovated and restored thousands of square feet in the Lynchburg area, most of which started out in partial or complete disrepair. Along the way, we have learned to envision spaces and design them in beautiful ways. I have also learned that while many people know what they like when they see a finished space, they don’t often know how to start creating it themselves.
Enter interior designers, who are available for many types of projects and budgets. That’s good news for those thinking the best thing to happen to 2021 might just be a stylish space upgrade.
Here are a few reasons to consider hiring an interior designer:
Elevate Your Personal Flavor
Consider this comparison: You wouldn’t go to a restaurant and expect to cook your own meal. While your home is certainly your own, bringing in an expert to maximize its potential and your vision for it is a bit like hiring a home chef whose flavor and palate align with your own.
“Choose a designer who resonates with your design style, but also one you connect with on a personal level,” said Tera Janelle of Lynchburg-based Tera Janelle Design. “The best designs come from really wonderful designer-client relationships!”
A Listening Ear
One of the greatest benefits of using a skilled designer is that they not only see a space for what it could be (which is often limitless) but they are also pseudo-psychologists when it comes to listening to your hopes and dreams for the space and scaling them to reality, timelines, and budgets. Hiring an interior designer is a bit like hiring a translator, taking the pictures in your head and bringing them to life in the real world. So, speaking the same language from the onset is critical!
Foresight for Your Desires and Deadlines
In addition to acting as a translator for your design dreams, an interior designer is also the logistics manager for your renovation, taking the job of lining up the many steps needed off your shoulders.
“Troubleshooting the inevitable road bumps in a project, a good designer saves you from expensive errors and project delays, relieves the stress of decision fatigue, connects you with talented craftsmen, coordinates a project, and creates for you a beautiful, functional home,” Janelle explained.
Finishing Touches, Technically Speaking
As Janelle explains, designers select beautiful finishes, but that is only a small piece of their role.
“But many, many more hours in the design of a project are spent on the nitty gritty details of technical drawings and floor plans, selecting vendors, troubleshooting, tracking and meeting deliveries, scheduling trades, and managing installations. A designer can handle the minute details so you can focus on the fun parts, while ensuring the end product is well worth your time and investment.”
Johanna Calfee is the owner of Penny Lane Properties and Realtor with Lauren Bell Real Estate. Starting this issue, she will begin contributing regular Home content to Lynchburg Living. As the former editor of Lynchburg Living for seven years, this is welcome and familiar territory for Johanna. Welcome back!
