If you’ve just purchased an island home or are ready to invest in remodeling, it’s important to hire an interior designer. Beyond making your home beautiful and well-suited to your family’s needs, working with an interior designer can save you valuable money and time in the long run. Here are five reasons why you should hire an interior designer to update your home away from home.
1) Interior Designers Will Save You Time
As the old adage goes, time is money. And home renovation projects take quite a bit of time. By hiring an interior designer, you’ll be getting back valuable island time — time spent at the beach, relaxing or enjoying the outdoors — that you would have otherwise needed to spend managing the project. Plus, design firms like Lagnappe Custom Interiors are so experienced that projects are often completed more efficiently because of all of the industry connections, experience and project management skills. All you need to do is stock the fridge to enjoy your island home.
2) They’ll Save You Money
Many people object to hiring an interior designer because it’s an added expense on top of a home renovation and decorating budget. While it’s true that designers do charge a fee for their services, it’s often earned back in project savings. Hiring an interior design firm such as Lagnappe Custom Interiors can save you money in several ways, like:
- Managing the project finances to stay within budget
- Securing designer pricing on materials, furnishings, art and accessories
- Avoiding costly mistakes through professional interior specifications, furniture selections and project management. Undoing and redoing work is very expensive!
3) They’ll Improve Your Home Value
Aesthetics are incredibly important when renting and selling your beach home. Families researching vacation rentals will be looking for spaces that are a beautiful, relaxing retreat from their daily life. If your space has been planned and designed by an interior design firm such as Lagnappe Custom Interiors, you can increase rental fees. Similarly, buyers will also consider aesthetics when purchasing a home in the Caribbean. A well-designed remodel can easily pay for itself when done right, adding equity to the value of your vacation home.
4) Interior Designers Have Local Expertise
Home remodeling projects have many moving parts; you have to hire an architect, general contractor and possibly more vendors, depending on the home. Interior designers eliminate the burden because they can hire these vendors for you and know who to recommend. This characteristic is especially valuable when updating a second or vacation home, like one you might purchase in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Beyond local connections, interior designers also have local expertise. This is so important here in the Caribbean when the sun, salt and sand can impact the wear and tear on your home. We know which outdoor fabrics to recommend (sadly, silk is out) and which countertops are best for a rental (invest in Cambria, which is maintenance free and covered by a lifetime warranty). This information saves our clients a lot of sad stories in the future.
5) They Are Expert Process Managers
While interior designers are sought-after for their creativity and design eye, one of the most valuable skills they bring to the table is process management. One of the reasons our clients love working with us is because we oversee the complex process of shipping logistics in the Caribbean. We’re very familiar with freight forwarding and the customs clearance process.
Designers such as those on our Lagnappe Custom Interiors team are expertly trained to balance the moving parts of these complex projects, which can take weeks or even months:
- Hiring and managing vendors
- Managing budgets
- Creating and maintaining project timelines
- Ordering materials and managing delivery schedules
- Shopping for furniture, art and décor
- Commissioning custom furniture or original artwork
- Staging the home and adding extra, personalized details that no one thinks about but everyone loves
