Creating Your Interior Design Budget

26 Sep Creating Your Interior Design Budget

The process of creating an interior design budget will always look different for you than for anybody else. How you spend money is very personal and unique to you, and how you use a budget to accomplish a design project in a space varies just as much. There are a lot of options in interior design to get you where you want to go; there is always more than one way to finish off a space. For any kind of budget, you can find a design that improves your home and your life.

Creating Your Interior Design Budget

A budget outlines the monetary restraints on a project, but it is more than just a total amount you are willing to spend. Budgets can easily be broken down into categories, such as lighting, accessories, furniture and etc. Defining what areas you want to spend your budget in is crucial to getting the most out of your project. If you want a high quality tile in your bathroom, but have no particular interest in lighting, then you can communicate this preference to your interior designer and shift your budget to spend more on what you like and less on what is not as important to you.

Don’t forget to look at practicalities, such as how long you are going to stay in your home. It makes little sense to expensively remodel your entire house to your particular tastes if you are only going to live there for a few years. If you are planning to sell your house further down the road, but still want to remodel, you need to make smart decisions so that once your house is put on the market it appeals to a larger group of potential buyers. Other considerations like kids, multiple pets, or a penchant for hosting parties should affect what you put your money towards. Make sure that the finished project truly represents your life style.

Using an Interior Designer

Setting a budget and keeping within its bounds is difficult to do, especially if you have never remodeled or built a new home. But thankfully there are experts who can help you find reasonable prices and quality products. Using an interior designer can save you money, time and hassle, giving you knowledge of products, contractors and their prices. When you have a designer on board, you make smarter, more responsible decisions throughout the whole process. My goal as an interior designer is to keep my clients as close as possible to their budgets. Of course, during the design process things change, and when they do I make sure my client is aware that we are moving into a different price structure. I can also help clients set a budget, but the final decision lies with them. I inform my clients extensively on their options, and advise them on selections that are not only within their budget but practical for them as well.

Be Flexible

It is important to give yourself wiggle room; having a tightly locked budget can put a lot of stress on you during the project, and you may not be happy with your end result. Interior designers can act as your sounding board and let you know if your design project and your budget don’t match. When a client has a too-small budget, or a too-big project, I look for an alternative design or selection that still fulfills my client’s vision within what they are willing to spend.

It is also important to remember that a design project does not have to be done in one fell swoop. Sometimes my clients are discouraged when they have to split their project into phases, but this does not have to be the case. There is no shame in biting off only what you can chew for now, because you still have a master plan that is in the wings ready to go when you are. In this way, no design or project is beyond anyone—you don’t have to have a lot of money just lying around in order to improve your home and life.

Working with your interior designer to create a budget is far better than stumbling around in the dark about prices and products, especially when I can find you alternative solutions that fit what you want and are more cost-effective. You can reach me here, or call 317-507-9358.