FENNY SAYS: WHO SETS THE BUDGET?

So… we are back to the budget issue. We have touched on it previously on this blog but it’s something that keeps rearing its head over and over again. We’re going to take another look at it because there’s nothing more stressful than when clients ask us to give them an idea how much it will cost to redesign their space.

Let me begin by asking you this. If you wanted to buy a car, would you not know how much you have available to spend? Once you know that, you already know the brands you can check and the brands you shouldn’t bother with. In addition to this, wouldn’t you also know if you want – a two door or a five-door car? an automatic or manual gear system? And a few other specifications depending on how detailed you want your search to be.

This scenario should be the same if you want to hire an interior designer to work on your home/office or whatever it may be. You need to give us this information so we know how deep we can go in the designing of your space. We can use Marble or we can use Ceramic tiles. Many design features serve the same purpose but some are just more luxurious than others so it is very important to inform and be informed when starting a project or making an investment (and yes I see interior design as an investment) especially when you can find information on just about anything on the Internet. Now I’m sure you’re wondering- “what is the point of an interior designer if I have to do all this” and to answer this question,

Your Interior Designer will do what’s best for you and your space. We will advice you on what fits in your budget, what doesn’t, what fits in your design style, what doesn’t, what works for your space and what doesn’t and most importantly, ensure that the proposed designs fit your personal preference.

I understand that someone who is not in the profession and has little knowledge of it may find it challenging to do extensive research, but you are the client so start from yourself because you matter most. Think about the minimum or maximum you have to spend and that would be an excellent start because truthfully the job can always fit into the budget the same way that you can buy a pair of shoes for N10,000 as well as N100,000. You can’t buy a N100,000 pair if you only have N50,000 in the bank.

I hope we’ve been able to shed a little more light on the issue, however if you have any questions or contributions, they are very welcome.

What’s your Budget?

The first question I ask my clients at the beginning of a project is “What is your budget?” and the immediate response is “I don’t have one, I just want you to look at it and tell me how much”. Even if you don’t know what you want to spend, we all have that “I can’t spend more than XYZ” thought and that XYZ, is your budget.

Starting with a budget gives you an idea of your end result from the very beginning. Once you have a budget, you know if you can achieve all that you want and whether you can do so exactly as you imagined it.

Interior Design gives many options to the desired result. For example, if you want a feature wall, you can achieve it with a type of stone, which is expensive; wallpaper, which is cheaper; or paint, which is cheap and cheerful, and many other options that vary in cost. Having a budget gives you or your Interior designer a starting point to determine what you can get and how you will get it.

Another advantage of a Budget is that it helps you scale your project reasonably. Most of the time, clients don’t realize how high their budget for one area is and are usually shocked when informed that they can re-design an extra space with that budget. Other times, clients underestimate and in just one conversation, I can make my client understand that all that they want can’t be done with the budget and some areas can be left as is, or done later.

A budget also gives room for more creativity. Being forced to work with a budget will make you think outside the box when designing. You won’t use the typical easy way out, not only because it may (or may not) be expensive but because you will want to challenge yourself and see how well you can work without being able to ask for more. Design is endless and the more you have, the more you spend so with a budget, you will be forced to prioritize and focus.

DIY may seem like a wise way to save money but consulting with an Interior Designer is a wiser investment and will help you allocate your budget effectively.