Veronica Solomon
Feb 14, 20206 min
I see it all too often, homeowners who make a great investment into buying a home, but skimp on furnishing it. Often times they are spending money without a real plan, and they are usually not very happy with the results. Their home tends to feel unfinished and lack cohesiveness
Why do you suppose that is? I mean most people know what they like and that is what they usually buy.
The key is to first understand the difference between spending and investing in your home, and once that is understood, planning and making wise choices will become a much easier decision
Spending means that you are typically just shopping without any real plan. No space planning has been done, no color scheme or style direction has been determined, no budget has been developed. You are simply impulse buying based on what you see while you are out shopping, or shopping online on any given day. Typically these are items that retailers are showcasing based on the fact that they appeal to the masses, and obviously no thought given to your unique needs.
This means you are likely buying matchy-matchy furniture sets that we call "catalog decorating", or super trendy items, and these are just filling your home without any real purpose.
Investing, on the other hand usually means that the items selected for your home are meant to bring value now and into the future. The value can simply be that you get to enjoy the items as part of a well appointed space, or it could be actual financial value because of the quality of the items.
Investing usually means that you or a design professional you are working with have carefully planned the space and curated all the items to fit just right, so the space feels great and functions well, and of course looks beautiful. Thought would be given to scale, harmony, color, textures, balance, functionality, lifestyle needs and more.
This is the value of working with a top interior design firm like ours - we help you make sound decisions and a wise investment in your home
The quickest way to overspend or lose money on frivolous things is trying to go it alone without first doing some research. Sure, the little tchotchkes in Homegoods seem inexpensive, until you have a whole bunch of them sitting in a closet somewhere and you are unsure where and how to place them, or even worse, you have placed them and your home feels cluttered. Or that inexpensive chair may have seemed like a great buy until it starts to show age after only a year of use.
That is just buying in the moment which can feel like you are making progress, and it often leads to a space you are not happy with and actually moving backwards in reality.
It is wise to enlist the help of a professional design firm to get a plan and direction in place. Design firms like Casa Vilora Interiors offer consultation services, where there is no obligation to work with us beyond a 2 hour meeting in your home to help you plan your project, or we can take it a step further and provide you with an actual plan - all the while educating you about what's involved in undertaking a DIY project .
Most people don't understand that designing a space is a difficult job - well they do sometimes find out mid-decorating, which is when they send up the flares for SOS :-). They would have already lost thousands of dollars and/or forced to use items that are not right for the space.
Decorating entails a lot of steps and decisions, and this is why it is best left to the professionals if you are not up for the challenge. Pinterest, Houzz and Instagram only gets you to a point, and in fact can be the source of even more overwhelm. However, we understand that some homeowners enjoy being able to do some of their own decorating, or they are savvy DIY-ers and know how to roll up their sleeves and get it done.
But often, people are just trying to save money by doing it themselves when they don't really have the time or desire. It is a mistake to not at least get some professional guidance. You will quickly find that you have spent money on things that don't move you any closer to your goal of a beautiful and functional home
What tends to happen is that homeowners will buy furnishings in bits and pieces, and again, without the plan, there is no rhyme or reason to these purchases. It feels like they are not spending a lot of money, but in reality if they were to add up all these costs plus the time involved, it would be a lot more money than they realize, and they are still no closer to what they truly want
A designer seems like an expensive proposition because what we are really doing is giving you the entire, well-laid out plan upfront, including all the layers to make it beautiful and indeed all the costs involved. You cannot compare that with buying in bits and pieces. With a designer's involvement in your investment, you can see the big picture from the start, you can even request revisions to the plan, and if you choose to execute that plan on your own, you can then purchase items as budget allows over time - but you have a plan. That is a much smarter investment into your home
Here at casa Vilora interiors, we believe in a home that feels authentic to you and one that tells your story. Our goal is to start with things you already own. We are also very honest about whether something will work or not - no college futon please! Haha. We then build our design from what you already own.
The true investment here is being able to enjoy things that are familiar to you everyday. No overuse of trends. Trends have a place, but only in small doses where it makes sense. We think way beyond the here and now, and truly take into account how you plan to live in the future. Yes, we can see the future! It is a super power!
Because we have a great eye for unique and bold color and pattern mixes, we are not afraid to take your space outside of the status quo of what everyone else is doing. Your home is for you - not everyone else, and curating your ideal version of luxury is what we live for. It's what we love to do. It's what we do best. Your trust is not misplaced when you hire us to design your home
So before you think it is too expensive to hire a designer, think about how you plan to spend whatever budget you have set aside for your project. Think about whether this is something you can afford to make a mistake on. Think about what it really costs to get a designer involved versus going it alone.
If you are confident in your skills, go for it. If you have any doubt, at least schedule a FREE Discovery Call with us to talk through your goals and vision for your home.
Here are a few BEFORES from the project featured in today's post. As you can see, we used a lot of what our client already owned to make it her version of luxury. We did a full service project in this example, where we managed every detail for her
We are the design firm who wants to empower you to live your best live in your home, and we understand that some folks can do it with just a little help from us. This is why our flexible menu of services is such a hot commodity. We are a luxury design firm with plenty of high-end projects under our belt, but we are also all about DIY-ers who want a gorgeous home. DIY does not have to mean 20 trips to Homegoods returning items that don't work. We will empower you with a solid plan that you can confidently execute
Let's get started. Book a FREE Discovery Call or In Home Consultation HERE
Wishing You Beauty And Inspiration,
Veronica