Five ways to renovate with confidence

Achieving the renovation of your dreams need not be daunting

If you're extending or renovating your home it should be an exciting time because you're thinking of the outcome and the wonderful lifestyle it's going to bring you. Unfortunately that's often followed by fear and anxiety. Fear of keeping within budget and anxiety around the project management, the upheaval and even the stress of where you’re going to boil the kettle! But let’s stop for a minute and breathe - let’s think about the final result and what keeps you motivated during this upheaval.

You want to feel that warm sense of pride every time you walk into that space, you want to be able to invite friends and family to show off your new home. You dream the new space will fix any pain points you had previously such as a designated area to work from home, a place that will allow you to chat to your family and friends while you’re preparing dinner, a place where the kids can play safely within sight, a place to store all your coats and shoes, a place to snuggle up and relax, or simply to enjoy a romantic meal. You’re not doing this for nothing!

So - you have your goals, but are you any good at visualising them? Do you know what furniture you’re going to order and whether it will fit? Will the tiles go with the flooring and furnishings? Will the space be designed to give you the final results you want to achieve? Will it bring you the lifestyle you have dreamed about? Can you actually ‘picture’ what it’s going to look like?

The renovation itself is going to be expensive and people are then often intimidated by making costly mistakes when trying to achieve the final results. The interior design of your new renovation will be the cherry on the cake but most think that hiring an actual interior designer will be too expensive. Well, the industry has changed somewhat and technology for me at least, plays a huge part so let me explain 5 ways Virtual Design will help you renovate with confidence when bringing your designs to life..

1. Inspiration - You are likely to already have ideas to make improvements and want to see what the space might look like if the door was hung a different way or moved, or how it would look once a wall is removed and with Virtual Design, even structural changes can be decided on before knocking down any walls - this would of course need to be confirmed by your structural engineer or architect, but it’s far less expensive and less disappointing to see it virtually than to physically create it then decide it doesn’t look as good as you might have imagined. I recently had a client considering how to furnish a long narrow room and to put a window at one end for light but they didn’t like the outside view. I created some options so they could see for themselves and it was decided that a slim, full length window to the side of the room was far more effective and ‘airy’ than having a short wide window which gave a slightly claustrophobic feeling and hopefully that has saved them a few headaches as well as pennies as it also would have required a larger beam to support a wider window whilst the slim, full length window will still let in a lot of light.

2. Space planning solutions - Once the structure and ‘feel’ of the room build is right, we can then move on to getting the best use of space and design the room to meet your needs, your families needs, and how everyone will be using the space. Whilst having a 2D floor plan with dimensions is absolutely necessary, it can still be difficult to comprehend when it comes to creating the best furnishing layouts to maximise space and zone activities. This again can best be seen virtually to ensure large pieces such as sofa’s and dining tables will fit with enough room for people to walk around.

3. Furnishing - At this point now you know what furniture pieces you need and the sizes you need, so you may well get online or go to your local store to make your selections which is great if you have a clear vision of your style and the furnishings you want. For those that don’t, E-Design is an additional option where we talk about the styles and colours you like, the look you are wanting to achieve and I provide concepts for discussion to bring out your individual style if you haven’t discovered it yet. It’s all about you, it’s your home and you need to feel comfortable and that warm sense of pride I mentioned earlier when you walk into that space. To help you do this, with E-Design I then create moodboards based on your set budget, of pieces that effortlessly co-ordinate, that suit you and your lifestyle plus you have the opportunity to feedback and change a couple of items. Once agreed I then provide you with curated shopping links so that you can confidently create the look yourself, at your own time and pace (I don’t take any commission for your purchases).

4. Visualisation - Back to virtual design and this is my favourite part where we bring your vision to life! Your style will be reflected in furnishings if you have chosen E-Design, with the colours and fabrics you like. Alternatively I will place in rudimentary furnishings but you will see how the light bounces around the room and how much space you have, by seeing realistic photographic images of your home, spin around 360 panoramas and tours of the room so you can really get to grips with your new interior, especially if you own a pair of VR goggles!

5. Execution - This will now be a piece of cake, you can do it in your own time and with confidence that your aspirations are going to be met! Before you even lift a paintbrush, understanding how the footprint of your home is best utilised, knowing the space is designed to best suit your lifestyle and seeing your own home professionally designed with realistic imagery, will give you the confidence to decorate, furnish and create your vision like a pro!

What about the price?

I hear this, at the end of the day it boils down to cost and with an expensive renovation why on earth should you spend more for an Interior Designer?
Well there’s a few reasons. Mainly, the Value you get from Virtual Design.

No more sleepless nights, no worrying what it will look like, less chance of mistakes that can be expensive to put right and confidence to decorate and furnish your renovation like a pro. Each project is bespoke, so depending on what services you require and the number of rooms and size and complexity of your space, my charges are calculated per square metre. This includes a number of online consultations such as walk-throughs during the 3D build phase, discussions and options on space planning, wall and floor treatments, furnishings and fittings etc. I provide 4K high resolution imagery from various angles and top views, panoramas and a 720 tour which could be one room or a whole house, and/or I can also provide imagery of your exterior so you can see your home inside and out.

How many people say ‘if only I had a crystal ball’? Well, having Virtual Design before you start your project, is like having hindsight in advance .. combining the skills of an Interior Designer with today’s technology puts the power in your hands and the value of this, is priceless!