Stylish or Trendy?
Want to make sure your new home doesn't feel dated in a few years? Then you need a good interior designer.
One great thing about a new custom home is that you get to create a space perfectly tailored to your needs. Once that's done, however, your satisfaction with the space will depend largely on what you've put into it. Ensuring this satisfaction is the value provided by your interior designer.
Think of the interior designer as an artist and your home as the canvas. This professional will collaborate closely with you to create the perfect composition based on your style, taste, and vision.
An experienced designer will also help you make good decisions, thanks to wisdom born of a perspective that extends over time. Having seen the ebb and flow of trends and fads, the designer will help guide you toward choices you will still like a decade from now.
An essential part of the designer's wisdom is the ability to predict which current trends will stand the test of time, and which will prove fleeting. Let's look at a few examples.
It has been trendy in some markets to make the kitchen island a different color than the main cabinets. But color tastes change every few years, and properly refinishing an island is difficult. A good designer can help you think through other ways to get the look you want.
Or take surface materials. Floor tile with bright, flowered patterns may be all the rage but chances are you will tire of it over time. Your interior designer can help you choose a more lasting tile pattern. If you still want that splash of color, the designer can satisfy that desire with accents (such as upholstery, window coverings, or wall stencils) that can be easily changed later. This strategy gets you the colors and patterns you want, but without the long-term commitment.
Other trends take established styles and add embellishments that can become quickly outdated. A good example of this is the farmhouse style (popularized by Joanna Gaines), which is characterized by vintage accessories, neutral colors, and shiplap walls. Although the style continues to be popular in rural areas, in other regions it's waning in favor of more color and modern touches such as mid-century-inspired light fixtures and bold wallpapers.
A good designer will be aware of these and other trends and will help you choose finishes and decor that are current but not faddish. Unless your goal is to be faddish! In that case, the designer can help support your vision and fully embrace it.
Like all artists, each designer will have a signature style that may or may not work for you. If you don't already have someone in mind, how do you choose the right person for your home? While you want someone whose style you like, personality is also important. A super-casual client might not hit it off with a very formal designer, and vice versa.
Professional builders understand this, which is why many have more than one designer they work with on a regular basis.
Warm regards,
Tim Alexander
To read our entire April 2020 newsletter, click here.