What Do Interior Designers Do All Day?

I remember the day that I decided to quit my 27 years in IT, a career that was very good to me, rewarding by all rights, yet I always felt I had more to give. Fast forward to 2019 and the birth of Delight In Designs was created; I felt my previous career prepared me for the business acumen needed, to fulfill my dream of helping homeowners “love their home”. Part of that acumen quickly told my business partner (Monica otherwise known as the best daughter-in-law ever!) and myself that we actually had to purposefully remove “interior design” from our advertising as “remodeler” seemed to garner more respect! I can and will get on my soap box here and share with you the true tasks of a Delight In Designer, it isn’t simply picking out colors or even selecting a cool tile; while that is the FUN part of the job, there are other aspects that are just as fun and other aspects that are work, challenging and go so much deeper than choosing the right shade of blue! 

For you readers out there that have ever built a home, or gone through project managing your dream kitchen, let me ask you, was it as simple as just picking out a wall color or a tile for a backsplash?! There are so many moving pieces to our projects that it takes a sharp, savvy designer navigating his or her way through the hurdles so that our clients get a design that is not just beautiful but done without stress and handed to them with a bow! The skill set that a good designer needs to be successful goes so far beyond knowledge of the color wheel! 

Project Management

One of the superpowers our designers carry is the ability to predict the future, yep, you read right! Our designers look two to three steps ahead of your project to avoid any disruptions that might arrive. We’ve had clients ask us to go ahead and start demo on their kitchen even though the cabinets have not been shipped to the job site yet; we know better!  Next thing you know you could have an empty kitchen, cabinets delayed for weeks (especially during COVID) and your ordering pizza for far longer than you ever hoped! We work the magic of our experience; having a tried-and-true process of what gets done when i.e., don’t lay that flooring until the cabinets are IN – there are reasons why; lean on the experts to avoid costly mistakes! I believe we have the best with Leah as our Home Remodeling Project Coordinator to deliver the best outcome for our clients!

Access to Artisans & Trades

We have spent countless hours vetting through vendors; we believe we have found some of the best cabinet makers in the industry. Our flooring? Top notch! We have the added advantage of our retail shop and design showroom that offers us special pricing for home accessories, furniture and lighting – these relationships are built on smart savvy business people (Delight In Designers) to allow our clients to benefit from cost saving solutions that help to elevate the design experience. The time procuring, buying, shipping, receiving and staging in the clients home goes unnoticed, the reward is seeing the client’s reaction to something we’ve selected just for them!

Renovation, Building, & Design Expertise

At Delight In Designs, we spend a great deal of time on training, whether that be in product training, customer service training, or staying current in our field. It involves giving “extra” in research and professional development.  We’ve held trainings on furniture and the difference between the Wayfair “disposable” furniture and the brands that offer long term wear (there is a need for both!) We spend a great deal of time working with our contractors and sub-contractors to be sure that they understand what the deliverables are to the customer and often times they take the time to teach us a thing or two! All this, while working with a budget that is provided to us by you; staying within the budget allows us to provide a great client experience that will offer satisfaction for all involved. 

Time Saved at Every Turn

Because we are involved in every facet of your project, we are able to save you time so you can focus on the fun…perhaps you want new dishes for your new kitchen, or even want to have your “touch” in obtaining just the right throw pillows for a sofa that you approved, our designer will help to guide you with your purchases too; pulling a cohesive well-designed look that appeals to you and offers your flair! We know furniture, appliances, lighting, etc. we’ve done the homework for you, take advantage of the expertise we offer. Often interior designers are considered a luxury service, I would argue that we can work with any reasonable budget and that we actually SAVE you money, headaches and heartache. 

Life Changing Results

It probably isn’t a stretch to imagine how passionate we all are about designing a space that represents who you are, anyone can design pretty, we give you pretty, but better – it is YOU! Your home should reflect who lives in the home, a cozy tranquil place; we love the day we reveal a new design to a client and the items they focus on are the personal touches of them, whether it be a sailboat mobile that has been passed down for generations or a beer stein collection displayed in the man cave; a good designer doesn’t have a “look” a good designer should be about YOUR look!  It’s imperative that we get to know you up close and personal so that we can come up with the best design to allow you to love your home! I am reminded of one of our first clients John who had a very special photo of him and his uncle white water rafting, it was a 4x6 photo that I had blown up to be 36 x 42 or another client Mary who surprised her husband with framed sheet music of their wedding song; while these projects are FUN and frankly one of the driving reasons that helps us love our job; they take planning, creativity, innovation and grit!

All in all, we at Delight In Designs believe we have the best job, this isn’t about designing spaces, this is about providing you a home, we don’t take that responsibility lightly! We project manage, we stay current on our professional development and we work fiercely to be sure your home represents YOU. Bottom line, we believe we are the luckiest team on the planet we are all loving what we do, so THANK -YOU to all that have leaned on us for our services and for those who have not, we welcome the opportunity at any time!

Do you have any questions about Interior Designers and our process Leave us a comment below or call us at 616-288-9780, we'd love to share our expertise with you.

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WE ARE.....

Sensible. Obtainable. Beautiful.

We are where West Michigan turns to make their house a home. Whether shopping our boutique showroom for a new piece for your mantle, working with our interior designers to refresh a room, or partnering with us for a total daydream-to-construction renovation, let us hear your vision of what would make it completely yours. We make interior design feel like working with a friend, and make sure you are left feeling… at home.

Delight in Designs. Love Your Home.